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 Had a productive day in the shop. It has been a while since I done a AM and PM session. Today I broke that cycle and it felt good. I lost track of time I was so absorbed into working on the towel rack. I should be done with the woodworking on it tomorrow. Of course that is dependent upon whether or not I go me-steak free. But I think it is doable even if I brain fart.

door stop detail

I got two scraps clamped holding the door flush at the front. I marked the inside face of the door on the cabinet side for the door stop.

cupboard latch

I marked the center line of the height but I didn't like the look of the latch centered. Instead I am going to position it so the bottom edge of the latch is on the center line.

rabbet laid out

The rabbet is 1/2" square and an inch wider than the width of the door stop.

not working

I used the dozuki to make the stop cuts but its kerf is narrower than the thickness of this card scraper. I was hitting it hard but it was hardly moving down. Gave up and I chiseled it all out.

rabbet is done

Pleased with how well this came out. The rabbet is clean and crisp in all directions.

door stop fits

The thickness of the stop is a few frog hairs shy of the rabbet. I am going to reduce the length of it a 1/8" or so. I think the fit is too tight there and some wiggle room closing the door is needed.

me thinks I brain farted

The two front screws for the latch don't have much meat to screw into. That was an unexpected hiccup that really screws up the cupboard latch. My first thoughts on a work around is to clip the two screws and put them in with epoxy. I set this aside for now while I think of some way to make it work.

looks pretty good

My concern with this stock was it bowing like pretzels. There is some of it at the far end but I think I'm ok. I can cut off most if not all of it when I size them.

get to reuse them

The feet look good. The bottom joint line on one is slightly opened but it is the bottom and won't be seen.

hmm......

I had to do a lot of serious butt scratching trying to figure out the length of the top two stretchers. Spoiler alert I didn't get it correct. However, this is the first time I have ever made something using a scale drawing.

did it directly

This is the top stretcher assembly. The short cross members are 2" in from each end. The short cross members are mortised into the two outside uprights. I thought I got it right but refer to the above paragraph.

layout time

I laid out all the mortise and tenons for the towel rack. I did them all in pencil and I then came back and knifed them.

RIP

This is the 3rd time this marking gauge has broken. I was tightening the screw and I got a unsettling feeling and the head broke in two. I have already glued the head back together before and I am not doing it again. It looks like it broke on the same fault line again. It sucks because I really liked this boxwood gauge. I'll have to start looking for another one. I'll keep this one for parts.

practice

I thought the tenons didn't have a shoulder. The drawing doesn't show it and the measured length of the tenons is a inch. I am taking an 1/8" off of each cheek.

feet

I was thinking ahead on this and decided to do the feet mortises first. The mortise should be done before I saw the tenons. The foot mortise is 2" deep.

oops

Wasn't paying attention when I laid out the top stretcher ass'y. It is a 1/2" thick and I did the layout as if it was 3/4" thick. The width of the mortise is a 1/2" and the same as the thickness of the stretchers.

new cross members

I swapped out the 1/2" thick cross members for 3/4" ones. Problem solved and no one will be the wiser.

drilling first

Drilled two undersized holes from each end first. Chiseled out the waste and I was done.

good fit on the first one

I had to tap the upright home into the mortise with a mallet. I'm not sure if this tenon gets wedged - the drawing doesn't show that. I don't think it is necessary because it is 2" long. It has plenty of glue surface.

ditto for the 2nd one

I had to seat this tenon with a mallet too. It is a good feeling getting such a good fit between the two.

bottom of the foot

I was feeling good about doing these mortises and tenons. I still have to saw the legs and that will bring the bottom of the tenon flush with the bottom of the foot. It is looking like I could put wedges in the tenons.

uprights done

Both of them are square to the tops of the feet. It was on to the through mortises on the uprights for the two cross rails.

cross rails done

I am already liking this more than the first one I made. This is light and it isn't as tippy as that one.

good fitting tenons

These are the best fitting and looking through mortises I have ever done. The tenons fit without any gaps all around.

ditto for the opposite side

I usually do good for some and have one or two hiccups. Not this time boys and girls - all four fit good with no gaps.

did it wrong

The cross members are ok but the stretchers aren't. The mortises for them are off by a couple of inches. I could move the mortise layout but the originally layout lines would be visible still.

a new ass'y

I sawed out two new stretchers and used one of the original stretchers to get two new cross members.

hmm.....

Took a time out to figure this out. I don't want to make another ass'y if I can avoid that. The problem is I have to align the mortises in the cross members with the mortises in the stretchers. It came down to an order of operation.

cross members first

This is what I should have done the first go around. Do the mortises for the cross members and then layout the mortises for the two stretchers based on that. I'll do that in the AM tomorrow.

stretcher layout

Once the cross members are done I can lay the stretchers on them and mark their mortises. No measuring needed - it is a direct layout with little opportunity for errors.

I checked on the delivery of the hinges and it says I'll be getting them sometime between Jan 3rd and 7th. The first email said the delivery date was the 3rd. Fingers crossed on it coming then.

accidental woodworker

I got as far as I could with the cherry cupboard today. I had a bad hiccup that I had to deal with it but I survived. Short story - the new part will be here on Jan 3rd, fingers crossed on that. I started a new project but I really wanted to do the school house desk. I don't have the wood for that but I did for the project I picked out. I'm thinking now that maybe I should use 2x construction lumber to make a prototype first. That way I can see if Amanda wants one (or two) for Miles or Leo.

not twisted

The carcass isn't twisted either on the front or the back. It would have been a nightmare trying to 'untwist' it.

yikes

The twist is horrible on the door. It is almost two lines high which is about a 1/4". Since the door is a few frog hairs thicker than 7/8" I decided to try and plane the twist out. (these are Lee Valley winding sticks and each line represents a 1/8")

much better

I didn't plane out all the twist but I did plane over half of it away. That reduced how proud it was at the top right by over half of what it was yesterday.

barely clearing

When I did the hinges yesterday I had put two strips of veneer on the bottom. Today it is a frog hair above the bottom shelf. It is not rubbing but there is barely a sliver of light under the door.

hadn't planned on this

I didn't think the hinges would be in the way of me planing this rail. I whacked the ball on the hinges and it is now hanging on by a thread.

still viable

I broke off the piece and flattened the leaf on my small anvil. I ordered a new pair of hinges and I'll be getting them by the 3rd of Jan. Until then this hinge as is will work until the new ones come.

not perfect but acceptable

I had penciled on the door where it was proud and I planed almost down to them. The door is proud about a strong 16th and I can live with that. I could plane more (plenty of meat on the door still) but I don't want to fall victim to '....one more stroke.....'.

planing the bottom rail

I planed 6 strokes off the bottom rail. I could have done more but I don't want a wide margin at the bottom. I would have left the tight one but the bottom rail might move and cause the door to jam shut.

happy with this

The gap at the bottom is the thickness of two pieces of paper. The margin on the latch side is the widest with the top and hinge sides about the same. 

moving the door stop

I can't go with the stop at the bottom. I thought of just putting a small block at the bottom right inside and that is kind of acceptable but not giving me a warm and fuzzy. This has been pushed over into the '....I'll think a wee bit more.....' before I decide.

possibility

This occurred to me while I was playing with the stop at the bottom or the top. Instead I could put a 6" stop centered where the the cupboard latch will live. That would just need a stopped 6" rabbet on the inside right edge of the door. I am liking this option better than the stop at the bottom or top. 

the next project

I made a shaker towel/laundry rack several years ago.  That one had 5 stretchers on the top whereas this one has two. What attracts me to this is the wedged tenon construction and the size of the individual parts. I don't need it and the wife has already expressed zero interest in it. That means one of my sisters will must likely end up with it.

main frame parts

Two rails and two stiles make up the main frame. All of the parts for this are 1" wide with most 3/4" thick and a couple at 1/2" thick.

the feet

The plan is a scale drawing and the feet took me a while to figure out. They are 1 1/2" thick and 12" long. I am gluing up two 3/4" boards to achieve the thickness but I am making the feet 2" longer. On the other rack I made it had short feet and it made it too tippy.

foot pattern

I made a half pattern for the foot out of 1/4" plywood.

foot pattern penciled on one face

I am going to glue and screw these together. The pattern shows me where I can use screws.

glued and cooking

This glue up came out better than expected. I got a consistent squeeze out all around on each leg. 

relaxing

I am not expecting any stupid wood tricks from this but to eliminate that I'll let this sticker until the AM.

sharpening time

Spokeshaves are a hand tool that I still haven't mastered. I have time to play with them and I'm starting at ground zero. This iron has some reflected light on the toe so I need to sharpen this one again. The other three are questionable so I'll sharpen them again too. The blue record spokeshave has a rounded sole and the others are all flat.

I can do better

Starting with flattening the sole. I had already done this but after a few strokes on the coarse diamond stone I saw that I could do a better job. This is after using my coarsest  stone - the scratch pattern is consistent and covers most of the sole now.

30 minutes later

Shiny as a freshly sharpened iron. I think I'll also strip and repaint this one.

hmm.....

I did these several years ago and I'll be redoing all three of them. The rounded sole one will be a challenge.

Preston spokeshave

I have a lot of spokeshaves and this Preston is the only one that flash rusts on me. It has never gotten any worse than what you see here. I will try to shine this sole up better and maybe that will help with preventing it from rusting.

I have a Lee Valley honing guide for doing spokeshave irons. I'll dig it out tomorrow and give it a try. If it doesn't work out I'll have to do them free hand with the Paul Sellers spokeshave iron jig.

accidental woodworker

 I was feeling pretty good today. The boo boos I got from my bounce test with the sidewalk last week have subsided a great deal. I don't have any pain in my knee, elbow, and chest anymore. The shoulder is lingering but it isn't saying hello constantly. However, I still can't sleep on it and I have sleep on my back or the right side.

I thought today I would get a full day in the shop but it didn't happen boys and girls. My lower back has been acting up for the past few days. When I wake up at night it is hard to fall back to sleep because it aches. And it doesn't matter if I am laying on my back or right side. The lower back pain has been continuing to say hello to me throughout the day. If I sit and do nothing, I don't feel it. It was ramping up in the AM session and I finally said No Mas and cut it short. I killed the lights in the shop a half hour before lunch time.

swapped out

I had some brass FH #5 screws to swap out the oval head screws. Blacksmith bolt confirmed my order but I don't know when I'm getting it. Until then the brass screws will fill in for them.

still fits

The margins I have around the door look to be what I had a few days ago. I am prepared to plane the door to fit if need be. I marked the position of the top hinge and that will be done first.

oops

Before I did the top hinge I turned back to this. I had forgot to drill the pilot holes for the replacement stile. I first drilled for the holes in this rail that already had them. I drilled straight through it out to the other side. I will fill in the holes because I don't want to make another rail. I will if the 'fill' job doesn't look good.

this is genius

Paul Sellers on the clothes wardrobe project set the top hinge on the doors first. Once that was done and then marked and did the bottom hinge. I did the same for this and what a difference. I have always marked both hinges at the same time and and chopped both of the hinge mortises at the same time. No more will that be the SOP in Ralphie's workshop.

what a difference

Having the first hinge done makes the marking of the 2nd hinge so much easier and precise. Both hinges are attached to the cupboard side with one screw each and the door didn't close. The top right corner is proud and the door won't fully close. Took it out and planed the latch side a couple of runs and checked it again.

hmm.....

Got the door to fit better, it wasn't hanging at one spot anymore. Now the problem was it was a wee bit tight along the entire latch side. Along with it being hinge bound slightly. Took it off again and did some more planing.

fixed the hinge bound

I put veneer in the cupboard mortises because they are less likely to be seen. The hinge barrel covers it pretty good. The hinge bound was gone but the door wasn't closing smoothly. The leading edge of the door was hitting the edge of the cupboard but I could push it and close the door. I took it off again and I planed a slight angle (about 2°) on the doors edge.

better

The door is opening and closing ok. There is still something amiss and it isn't the leading edge. It still felt like it was hinge bound a wee bit.

catching still

My first plane run I did at 90 and the door opening/closing improved but it was still hanging up briefly. I used my low angle block plane and planed a slight back bevel on the door. I planed a few strokes and checked it. Kept at it until the door opened and closed freely with no hang ups.

see the sliver of light?

When I used to hang entry doors I would plane a 5° bevel on the latch side. On this cupboard door I didn't bevel the entire edge - only did about a 1/4" wide chamfer. That was all that was needed to allow the arc swing of the door to clear the cupboard side edge.

not good

This is where I am getting some more hinge bound action. I took the door off again for the gazillionth time and planed the corner a wee bit. I didn't the whole length because it was only tight here at the bottom rail.

sneak peek

I looked at this both with the top/bottom molding on and off. I like the look of it with the moldings. The moldings do something for it that I can't put into words. It is kind of like trying to explain why I like the color blue.

about a 32nd

This is all that was needed to free the door. It now closes into the opening freely without hesitation. Nothing is holding it back or hanging it up now.

this sucks

The door has warped/twisted some. It is flush with the cupboard edge at the bottom and almost an 1/8" proud here at the top right.

door stop?

I need a door stop because I'm using a cupboard latch. This is the secondary position for the cupboard now.

my first choice

I can't put a vertical stop here because there isn't any room for it. The front of the shelf is about a 1/8" away from the door when it is closed. The stop is a 1/2" thick and 5/8" wide. I just thought of a possible solution. I could plane a rabbet on the back side of the door that would go over a vertical door stop. Hmm...., something to dream about tonight.

the door fix?????

I don't want to make another door. After eyeballing it for while I think this might work. I don't think having the door being proud looks good. Instead I can have the bottom left corner slightly inset into the opening which kinda makes the latch side of the door flush - ish with the cupboard edge. I'll further evaluate and play with it in the AM.

accidental woodworker

 Got less than an hour in the shop today. Spent most of it running around visiting some people I knew and a few I didn't. Did the relatives in the AM and Diane's dead people friends in the PM. I was surprised by how empty the roads were. It was like a ghost town especially in the afternoon. Another xmas has come and gone and this one didn't feel like christmas to me. I think seeing xmas decorations 2 weeks before halloween killed the spirit of it for me.

interesting

This is the only woodworking tool that Santa brought me this year. I didn't know that Veritas made something like this. I will definitely try it out sometime before this week is out.

hmm......

The hinges have changed. I reordered the same hinges I bought previously and this is what I got. The other hinges have 3 screws per leaf while this one has two. Not a deal breaker but I prefer the 3 screw per leaf hinges.

I had to straighten out this mortise because the hinge was cocked. The top was away from the door by almost a 1/8" while it was tight at the bottom. It took longer to fix it than I thought it would. Got a bit confused with where to remove some wood but once I got that figured out things went smoothly there after. The balls are now both the same distance from the door.

2nd hmm.....

The screws for the hinges are oval head. That is a stupid choice for butt hinges.

why it is stupid

The hinge leaves can't come together and seat parallel. The oval heads protrude above the leaves and stop that. So I am dead in the water again with this cupboard. I ordered some black oxide slotted flat head screws from Blacksmithbolt but I don't know when I'll get them. I will fit and hang the door with the current oval head screws and swap them out when the order comes in.

accidental woodworker

One of the panels in St. Mary's. I don't get bored of looking at these and the more photographs taken the better; St. Mary's is being re-arranged inside in 2025, it won't be the first time the Corporation pews have been shifted.

So, the frame repairs are done on this section of Jasmin Cottage. The cavities between the studs have sheepwool insulation installed, leaving a gap for air circulation, 3"/75mm batts in a 4.5"/115mm cavity. Then 1"/25mm woodwool boards installed on to the frame as a substrate for lime rendering.

The washers are covered in scrim and natural plaster primer, to prevent non-adhesion of the lime render in those spots.

Then it's removal of woodworking tools and equipment, down the long passage to the Totnes High St; there is no road access to Jasmin Cottage! 

Just as a reminder, my tribute to the exquisite carvings on the Corporation Pews.

A couple of months ago, I went over to a local blacksmith’s shop to take a class on making a Roubo style holdfasts. I’ve been following Jamie Gier on Facebook for some time now and I knew he lived right down the street from me, but when I saw him making holdfasts on his page, I contacted him on how much they would cost.

When he told me they were only $60.00 but he would teach me how to make them, I jumped at the chance and scheduled a time to meet with him after work.

When I got to his shop, he started by throwing a couple of steel rods in his furnace and heating them until they got hot. Then, he sent each one over to his power hammer to draw them out until each rod was about 16″ long.

That’s when he gave me the reigns and had me finish up drawing out the rods until they were about 20″ long.

Next, we took the steel bar over to his other power hammer and hit the middle of the bar into a form to create the 90-degree bend. This is what I’m doing in the photo here, but there is no photo of the actual form. sorry.

Next, I formed the goose head shape of the holdfasts between two round heads and played with how the head of the holdfast should look.  Took some trial and error until I was happy with the result.

After the holdfasts were shaped, Jamie knocked off the burrs from the steel with a wire brush and coated each one with boiled linseed oil. I ended up with four holdfasts as he loves just being in his shop and making things.

The next day, I drilled a hole in a scrap piece of wood to test the holdfasts. They almost worked. Unfortunately, they were off just a few degrees as the pads weren’t hitting the wood where they should be.

I showed Jamie that they needed to be adjusted, so I went back over a few weeks later. He threw the holdfasts back in the furnace and adjusted the pads down about 6 degrees.

The next day, I tested them again. Sure enough, that did the trick! I now have four usable holdfasts in total but will only need to use two at the most. I drilled some more 13/16″ holes on my bench so that I could have total reach with holdfasts. The holdfasts are pretty big, with each one having a swing of 18″ in diameter.

Having a guy down the street who is willing to teach me blacksmithing is a godsend. While I was at his shop adjusting the holdfasts the other night, he taught me how to heat treat some plane blades I made for my Stanley No 48 plane out of O1 steel.

We had such a good time together that we’re talking about making Japanese style chisels as it’s something he has always wanted to try. This is going to be fun!

If you want to follow Jamie on Facebook,  here is his link.  https://www.facebook.com/jamie.gier?mibextid=ZbWKwL

You can also follow the blacksmith group, the Goshen Historical Society School of Blacksmithing, on Facebook as well, of which him and I are members of.

 It is going to be a partially white xmas this year. There is some snow on the ground from the snowfall a couple of days ago. It snowed briefly today before lunchtime but it didn't amount to anything. It was a light dusting that disappeared from the roads soon after it stopped. Still an improvement over the past several years of no snow on the 25th.

I waited patiently

This hung out resting on the kitchen radiator for almost 24hrs. Time to see how well the glue cooked.

feels secure

I only applied glue to the triangular ends of the patch. The piece in between them has no glue.

flushed

A quick glance and it probably won't be seen. I planed the patch flush on the top and the front face. I don't have a before pic but there were two nasty looking chunks missing that are now filled in.

almost there

I sawed and chiseled out the piece between the 'triangles'. All that was left was to square off the ends of the mortise. 

took a few dance steps

Good, snug, gap free fit. The patch isn't as obtrusive as I thought it was going to be. The ball tips on the ends of the hinge hide a lot of the patches. 

marked

I fiddled a bit with the top and bottom moldings but I got them. I made a tic mark at the ends and one at the front middle. I penciled these very light and they should erase completely with a little alcohol.

I was hoping to get the hinges done today but it didn't happen. It doesn't look like it is going to happen on xmas day neither. My wife accepted a few invites and we have a few visitations to make xmas eve and xmas day. 

accidental woodworker

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God.  You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”

And they said, “Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother’s name Mary?”

And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.  And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. 

I pray for you to have a blessed Christmas with loved ones and that you are celebrating the Incarnation, through whom we can be reconciled with The Creator.

 Today's temp was a shocker to me this AM. Single digit - it was 9°F (-13C) at 0600. It zoomed up to 30°F (-1C)at 1500. It was like a heat wave. The forecast has it warming up into double digits by friday but they will be below 32F (0C). Winter has certainly started a lot differently then past years.

cornbread and sausage stuffing

Spent a chunk of the AM making this for xmas day dinner. I made the same for thanksgiving - I like this way better than traditional bread stuffing. I added cranberries to it because they go so well with cornbread.

prepping

I initially had the angles at 45° but changed them to a shallower one. I did this so the glue would have more of a long grain bond.

glued and cooking

The shop temp was 55°F (13C) which I think is too cold for glue to set up properly. I brought this upstairs and I set it by the kitchen radiator. I'll leave it there until tomorrow.

chamfering the frame

Before I shot the chamfers I rough sawed the angle on the frame.

next to last one

I planed them just removing the pencil line.

sigh *twice*

I did the chamfer on the wrong side of the last one. I had labeled the waste with an X and I promptly ignored it.

got lucky

I had stock left over from cutting out the frame parts and I got one more from it. At first I was going to make 4 new frame parts but settled on just doing this one. I was concerned about making an exact match for it.

success

I was worrying for nothing. This one had a better fit in the half laps. Just had to chamfer the ends and this was done.

deja vu it ain't

I had a mind meld with a rock because I did the chamfers wrong on the second one. I looked and verified where the X was and placed it down on the shooting board instead of placing it facing up. I had enough stock to get a 3rd frame part which I did.

finally got it right

For the third one I rough sawed the chamfers first. This way I would have a visual on what end to plane. I didn't saw the 2nd one because I'm an idiot. I told myself that I wouldn't or couldn't make the same me-steak again. I was wrong, again.

mostly for practice

Most of the time when I plane stock across the face I end up with it being tapered. I planed all the stock for the next boxes I am going to make using the dozuki to saw the dovetails. I did ok on keeping them parallel to each other. I didn't measure them, I just eyeballed them all.

done

I think this wood is pine and I was expecting it to come out a lot lighter than it did. In the end it won't matter. I took extra strokes to see if it would lighten up but nada. What I wanted to do (flatten the faces) came out good.

top molding

I was fussing with the molding trying to get an equal overhang on the sides. I think I finally got it and I marked it with a pencil. I will attach the molding to the cabinet with black oxide, oval head screws. I will wait and do that after the door has been installed/fitted to the opening. I'll do the same dance steps for the bottom molding.

accidental woodworker

If you’re a hand tool woodworker without access to a bandsaw, a kerfing plane could be a highly valuable addition to your toolbox. This tool is particularly useful for resawing timber, allowing you to achieve straight and precise cuts with ease.

You may recall the kerfing plane I crafted some time ago. While I was initially enthusiastic about using it, I hadn’t found much reason to resaw timber lately. Consequently, my prized tool ended up at the bottom of my toolbox for many months.

However, that changed today. I needed to resaw some timber for a mockup and finally had a chance to put the kerfing plane to good use. One challenge I encountered was fine-tuning the fence to align the blade perfectly with my knifed line. This required small adjustments, and I quickly realised I needed shims to incrementally nudge the fence.

A trip to Bunnings revealed a solution. Although they didn’t have washers larger than an M16, a helpful young employee suggested checking the plumbing section. There, I discovered rubber shims that fit perfectly over the rods of my kerfing plane. They worked brilliantly, allowing me to make precise adjustments. These shims have proven so effective that I’m considering picking up more for future projects. For now, though, I’m thrilled with the results happy as Larry, as they say!

What makes my kerfing plane truly unique is the innovative design of its teeth. Every cut made with this plane is demanding, as the teeth are highly aggressive by design. Unlike standard saw teeth such as those found on a typical handsaw, which clog consistently when run lengthwise along the edge of a board my kerfing plane’s teeth excel at clearing shavings and avoiding clogs. However, to successfully use this tool, it’s crucial to start gently by “kissing” the surface. This light initial touch allows you to establish control and avoid biting too deeply into the wood. Once the cut is started, the plane glides along smoothly, delivering exceptional performance unmatched by conventional tools.

These teeth will clog when used along the length of the board.

A kerfing plane truly shines in situations like this. No regrets for making it.

That expression “necessity is the mother of invention” has been proven to be true and this frame is proof of that for us. Recently Diane, decided to paint on a smaller format (12″x 12″) than she usually does and asked for a floater style frame. Reason was that she didn’t want any of her painting hidden beneath the sight edge. A floater style was the obvious choice but she asked if I could give it more of a presence so I added a collar and the frame was born! I posted it on social media and received many positive comments so decided to share the building of this frame.

I chose Basswood since I knew it was going to be painted and I have that in my shop. Haven’t priced it out yet but if your interested contact me. The retired woodshop teacher in me likes to share my work so that if you’d like, you could make your own — appreciate it though if you give me credit for the design. Peterman Lumber carries a rough, 5/4 Basswood that I can usually mill down to 1 1/8″ or so. I chose to resaw that and was able to get 1/2″ thick material for these frames which looked fine for a frame of this size. For a larger canvas it should probably be thicker but resawing saves money and reduces waste.

Basically the frame consists of two parts, the collar and the floater section. The collar pieces are 2 1/2″ wide, mitered, then biscuit slots are cut before gluing it up. I found that clamping the 4 pieces together made it easier to apply the glue to the ends and the #10 slot, they were too thin to stand on their own. Clamping was a little tricky because the pieces are so thin and the clamp wanted to tilt up and off.

For the floater piece I use a technique which is a bit more elaborate to make than the basic L-shape profile available commercially but I believe it’s more versatile and stronger. I cut a groove/dado in the side pieces to mount the canvas to, it also keys the pieces together. That dado allows me to position the canvas at any depth. I did a post on it some time ago, here’s a LINK that will explain my process in detail. After being clamped overnight the next step is to prepare to join them together, you may need to fine tune the corners either with a sharp block plane and/or sandpaper. With wood this thin it’s very easy for the mitered corners to get slightly misaligned.

To insure that the holes were centered exactly in the 1/2″ thickness I came up with a method that I like better than a pencil line. Set your marking gauge to 1/4″ and scribe the line. A scribed line helps you center your scratch awl better then a penciled line. This was followed by pre-drilling and countersinking the holes for the #6×3/4″ screws, I used my drill press to make sure they’re 90°. In the middle picture I carefully line the two sections together and only drilled pilot holes for two screws. These were then tightened and the remaining pilot holes were drilled into the back of the floater section. Hint: mark the location of the collar to the floater section before you remove it. The collar was removed and I started screws in each hole to save time, glue ups can be stressful! A thin bead of glue was applied to the inside edge of the floater. The collar was then carefully centered and held in place with those first two screws and then each screw was tightened down sequentially like you’d tighten the lug nuts when changing your tire.

For the finish on these I decided spray paint would be the easiest. I imagined fighting runs on the vertical corners of the floater section and then the paint building up on the “collar” if I’d attempted to brush on the finish. My usual process is to seal the entire frame with a coat of Zinsser seal shellac which is wax free. Rustoleum, satin black is the final coat. After it had cured for 2-3 days I used craft paper to knock down the nibs from the spray. I used to use paper bags in the past but they’re not so easy to find these days! I prefer to apply a thin coat of Liberon paste wax with cotton balls as the final step.

Here are some pictures of the final project with paintings by my wife, Diane Eugster. It is a series she painted after visiting a rehearsal at the local ballet company. The titles are “The In Between” and “Take it From the Top”. Here are images of the final results:

When I rolled out of the rack this AM the temp was 12F (-11C). These temps are here for the next couple of days too. I went out to the grocery store and it was unbearably freezing cold, especially so when the wind blew. Besides the weather being so cold my fall injuries were talking up a storm. I didn't feel anything sleeping - never woke once because of them. However, my shoulder and chest were achy and sore all day. It was like the slight remission I had yesterday never happened. Oh well it looks like a few more days with it shaking hands with me.

shop temp at 0745

It dropped 2 more degrees to 55F (13C). I got nothing done in the shop today because I spent less than 30 minutes in it.

not a match

This was what I had wanted to get done today. I searched the shitcan for any cherry off cuts to match this but came up dry. I'm sure that I had put any I might have had out with the garbage last week.

using this

This is the closest scrap I could find that is a color/grain match.  This was it for today. I spent the rest of the day doing house chores and watching Person of Interest. I'll deal with the cold shop tomorrow.

accidental woodworker

I bought this unmarked antique plow plane sometime during my life. I have bought so many tools over the years, I often can’t remember when or where I got them. Not to mention what I paid for them, which can be a problem if I want to try to make money when I want to sell the tool.

The plane was complete, but the arm was broken in half, missing the bottom of it. The original owner simply stuck a big bolt from the top of the arm through the fence.

I had some Applewood in my shop for fixing handles of my Disston saws and also to turn tool handles. I grabbed a small piece and traced the outline of the good arm, and shaped a new one.

I cut the bad part of the arm off at the bandsaw and found the center of the threaded rod so that I could drill a hole down the center of it.

Unfortunately, the rod was too tall to do this on my drill press, so I had to do it free hand using a square to keep my rod at 90 degrees keeping me in line to drill a straight hole.

Once I drilled a 5/16″ hole about a 1/2″ deep, I stuck a center point in it.

Then, I pushed the center point into my new arm end and used that point to drill another 5/16″ hole into the new piece.

Thankfully, when I glued a dowel into both holes and clamped it for a few hours, the new arm was straight and looked similar to his brother.

The last thing to do was clean up the rest of the plane. I used some Citristrip to remove all the crud off the plane and washed everything with dish soap and water.

After the restoration was complete, I grabbed my antique tool reference catalogs to see if I could find out who made this plane. It turns out that it is a Denison & Co Boxwood Plow Plane. The bottom fence and nuts on my plane are nearly identical to the one in the picture.

The plane came out really well even though I used Applewood while the plane is Boxwood. The color matches well enough and will darken to a nice reddish color similar to Disston saw handles.

You can see where the plane was repaired in its past with a big screw in the brass skate that goes all the way through its body. Plus, there are four screws going up from the bottom of the body for some reason. I see no cracks as to why they are there.

I’ll keep the plane and put it in my arsenal. It’ll be a perfect plane to use since it’s not in original condition.

Feeling like I'm on the mend. My shoulder didn't hurt and the chest felt much better. It didn't protest and say hello every time I coughed. It didn't start to hurt until late in the afternoon reaching and extending my left arm. In spite of that I still only did an AM session again.

brass oval head screws

Used brads to lay out the positions of the screws - two for each frame leg. I wanted to use black oxide oval head screws but I didn't have any small sizes. I will use black oxide oval head screws to secure the moldings. I could order some from Blacksmith bolt and I may do that.

fits still

And there is about a 16th of wiggle room. I marked the ends of the rails and stiles because I am going to plane the ends at a 45 so the toes will be flush with the door.

sigh

I knew I had broke this screw off. At least it is brass and shouldn't be too hard to remove.

not enough

I tried 3 different size vise grips, 3 different types of slip joint pliers, and nada. There wasn't enough sticking up to grip and turn the screw back out.

got it

This is a screw extractor for #8 wood screws. FYI, it works for #4 screws too.

wood plug

This is what it extracted. A wood plug with part of the screw in it. It left behind a 1/4" hole that I glued a dowel in.

almost there

Started with a 5/16" dowel and ran it through this until the 1/4" hole.

back together

No hiccups this time. The stiles and rails are all screwed down tight to the panel. I didn't tighten the screws fully - I'll do that when I do the frame for the last time.

a little off center

It doesn't matter because it will never be seen.

fitting the door

The door fit the opening with a 32nd on the latch side and at the top of the door. I think I'll need more wiggle room than that. I left the latch side as is and I sawed the top opening it up to a 16th. If I need anymore wiggle room I'll deal with it after I get the hinges installed.

door hinge mortises

Took my time and they came out pretty good. My only concern is that I might have made the mortises too deep. I can compensate for that by making the cabinet hinge mortises not as deep.

real big sigh

The chip missing on the left I had super glued and sprayed accelerator on. It didn't work and I lost the chip. The right side crumbled as I was chopping the mortise. Both of these will be visible when the hinges are installed. I'll have to put in a couple of dutchman to fill them in.

accidental woodworker

 As I'm typing this the snow is coming down. There is about an inch and it is covering the roads. Don't know when it will stop but it had no effect on my shop time today. I only managed to do a slow AM session of about 2 1/2 hours. I was hurting before I went to the shop. My chest and shoulder didn't feel good at all and I thought I was getting over it. Yesterday I didn't feel 1/2 as bad as I did today.

The odd thing is while I was in the shop the shoulder didn't bother me. My chest did - turning and reaching for things set it off. It continued to ache and make me feel like crap all day long. After lunch I stayed at my desk and read and listened to You Tube history lectures.

got it done

This took me a while to get done. Chopping the notches or using the router wasn't the problem. Picking the shelf up and moving it around hurt a lot, especially so my chest.

made them bigger

This shelf fits the opening with less wiggle room than the 2nd one I made. I needed to make the shelf pin notches a wee bit wider to fit over the shelf pin inserts.

tile frame

Used the dozuki to saw the walls for the half laps.

yikes

This is the only one that split on me. Wasn't expecting it neither because I started it chiseling at an upward angle. This split came below that. Finished chiseling the half lap, glued it, and set it aside to cook.

sneak peek

I have about a 16th gap all around. Not sure if that is sufficient for expansion/contraction but I'm sure I'll find it out.

an oops

The frame parts are 5/8" x 1/2". The half lap should have been done on the 1/2" thickness. I got it right on one but not the other. 

wow

It might have been a bit of serendipity mixing up the half laps. I like the vertical stiles proud of the horizontal rails. I was going to plane the stiles to match the rails but I'm leaving this as is.

tomorrow

With the frame on the door as it is above, the split in this part will be facing down. I plan on screwing the frame to the door panel. No glue and I don't have to fret about cleaning up any glue squeeze out.

Preston Oveloe

I got this today from Timeless Tools and Treasures. 'Oveloe' is what is stamped on the underside of the right handle. It isn't how I spelled it and I had to go to the shop and see what was stamped on it.

well used

This spokeshave has a lot of mileage on it. The right and left soles both show signs of a lot of use. The iron profiles don't match each other or the plane soles. The japanning is spotty and will need to be stripped and painted. 

Preston herd

It would seem that I have started a collection of Preston spokeshaves. The top one is a chamfer one with the next one being a flat sole spokeshave. The 3rd and 4th ones I just added. I have to mix up some rust treatment stuff but I will have to dig up the formula first.

No PM session again and I doubt I'll get one in for a while. So far I am managing the AM session so I'll take it one day at a time.

accidental woodworker