Hand Tools

 For all intents and purposes, Jessica's spice rack is done. I got the paint for it today and the first coat is curing. I could have done a 2nd coat today but I decided to let this one dry until the AM. It has been cold at night lately with temps barely above freezing and the shop temp is hovering around 62F. Day time temps are barely making it above 60F so it is prudent to give the paint extra time to cure.

sigh....

Just noticed this and I had a brain fart. I had tossed this missing molding in the shitcan last week. Didn't penetrate the skull that this is where it belonged. I thought it was an extra I made.

new moldings

Made a double set because I don't have much wiggle room on the long legs - which are 12 1/2". The moldings are 12 3/4" long which means I don't have much room to say oops. 

fits

Decided to use this mitering jig over shooting the miters in the donkey ear jig. Took a few to widen the groove for the moldings.

nice looking miter

Just as clean and sharp looking as it would come off the donkey ear jig.

bonus

The bead portion of the molding is clean. No ragged out or blow out to be seen. The donkey ear jig chews the bead up.

correcting a me-steak

I didn't scrape the shellac when I glued the moldings on. FYI you can glue over shellac but it will fail. Scraped it 360 concentrating on getting the plywood edges clean of shellac. I'll glue the moldings on in the AM.

hmm....

Big difference in the two spice racks. I know now that I was too centered on the pics of the spice rack Jessica sent me. The back on that one was one piece and and that drove me on how I made these two versions.

the color she picked

As you can see the coverage was splotchy in few spots. I brushed on the first coat and I will roll on any number of subsequent coats.

almost done

I'm not going to buy the spice containers for this one. The shelf spacing is way too wide for them. I am still going to give it to my sister and she can decide what use it gets. 

On monday I'm supposed to receive 2 of the 4 stencils I ordered. The top back stop needs something visual to anchor it. Fingers crossed that at least one of them will fit under the center round top.

accidental woodworker 

After nearly 70 years in production, Shopsmith, the maker of the Mark V and Mark 7 woodworking machines, is on its last legs and facing liquidation unless a person or group buys them.

https://www.shopsmith.com/store-closing?fbclid=IwVERDUANqJURleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHr6hUpmcULQ58Iv_Ns7bzi1SLTYOG–pFk9Erde5_bNM2cEVgvyzn43hlAWa_aem_gZwCa98Nw06dGSo3BI0wFA

I never used a Shopsmith but always see used ones for sale on Marketplace. My understanding is that the accessories were proprietory so you were locked into only their brand of stuff. It didnt seem very user friendly to me, so I never considered buying one.

Did you own and use a Shopsmith? How is the machine? Was it a “jack of all trades, master of none” type of tool? I’ve always been curious.

Do you have a boatload of money and want to buy the company? Now is your chance. They may be liquidated by the end of the month. They are located in Dayton, OH and apparently it’s how Scott Phillips got his start with his TV show “The American Woodshop”.  The story goes he worked for Shopsmith at the time and did some How-To videos on using the machine. Someone saw his videos and asked him to do a new woodworking TV show (or something like that. He knows the story a lot better than I do).

I just returned from a week teaching a bird bowl class at Pete Galbert’s in Berwick, Maine. I’ll be settling into my shop for the next few months with lots of projects in mind. I’ll also be thinking about 2026. … Continue reading →

 Jessica's spice rack is basically done. A little bit of sanding in the AM and it will be ready to paint. She is going to order the paint from the paint store but I don't know when or if she has done that yet. I'll find out later on tonight. Now that that is behind me I have two more projects on the horizon. One is a box or something like that for my sister Donna and the other is still simmering on the back burner. News and pics on the 11 o'clock news.

fitting the back

Ripped the back based on the measurements and it didn't fit. I had to trim a few more frog hairs off the width and height.

width fit, height didn't

The bottom right corner was the culprit. A few shavings with a blockplane and I got it fitted. Glued and nailed it off.

sigh....

When I routed the rabbet I filled in the shelf dadoes with a scrap. What happened was the router sent the filler flying and I hadn't noticed it. When I did the other five I taped the filler in place. That worked and since this is the back I'm leaving this as is.

nope

The 1/2 pattern I made for the first spice rack wasn't working on Jessica's. It was too high and I didn't like the size and flow of the curves on it. Time to make a new one - this one will be the same size on the height.

hmmm

This isn't visible when looking at the spice rack when it is vertical. I will fill the gap in with paintable caulking. I'll get a tube the next time I go to Lowes. BTW - I am giving this to my sister Donna. Her birthday is next month and I asked Jessica where she bought her spice containers.

1/2 pattern done

I like this one a whole lot more. I especially like the size of the middle and where the two outboard curves intersect it. 

subtle difference

The one for Jessica's spice rack is the one I'll do again if anyone else in the family wants one. The spice containers will be taller then the outside curves. On the white one they are taller than the spice containers.

back cooking

No screws again but I did explore using dowels. Biscuits was nixed right away due to the 1/2" thickness. Thought of using bamboo nails but the rabbet was playing havoc with the brain bucket so I nixed that too. Relying on glue only just like the first one. Used the cutoffs to give a parallel grip for the clamps.

new brush

While I was waiting for my paint at the store I saw this brush and bought it. It is a square brush with a tapered end. Worked like a charm for painting the 90° places. According to the pics on the cardboard sleeve it came in, it is a sash brush. I'll be trying it on my next 'window' project for sure but it sure worked a treat painting this.

almost done

I am still surprised by how easily and quickly I whacked this out. From looking at the pics I was expecting it to be more difficult and longer to do. Stopped here to think of the moldings - 1/2 rounds or the ones I bought at Home Depot.

the winner is....

Decided to use the HD moldings. After all it is my interpretation of the pic Jessica sent me. 

sigh....

I had one nail from the back blow through the shelf. Thankfully this will be painted and this sin will be hidden under putty and paint.

a hiccup

I had to take one more swipe and this was my reward. I will fill this in with wood putty and paint over it.

done

I applied the molding just like the pic showed them. Mitered at the top and bottom and butt jointed everywhere else. It doesn't look that bad and doesn't offend me as much as I thought it would.

one of two

This and one other piece 1/2 this length is all that is left. Used up more of it then I thought I would.

back burner project

I have two of these and I was thinking of making two more glass door cabinets. I was playing around with the layout for the lites.

the next project?????

Why not a two door cabinet? This would be an interesting cabinet build and something I haven't done before. By the time I killed the lights I decided this will be next. A two door cabinet with a drawer (or two drawers) underneath them. Or maybe one drawer (or two drawers) above them? 

another dead end

From the router switch I found the company that made it and what I think is the part number. Unfortunately it was no help. The company is in England and it only sells wholesale and commercially to businesses. The minimum order is probably a  100,000 bazillion pieces.

I checked the switch again for continuity and it varied. A couple of times it looked good but if I moved it the reading went out to lunch. Plastic gets brittle over the years and I would bet a lung that is what is wrong with this switch. Moot point now.

Thought about buying a used router off eBay for parts but I would probably run into the same hiccup with the switch. 

accidental woodworker 

last night

After dinner I went back to the shop and chopped out the pins. Went together off the saw. One corner wouldn't seat fully but a few gentle taps with a mallet and it closed up. Glue up came in the AM.

success

Laid out the shelf positions and all of them agree with a 32nd or less. The tallest spice container is 3 1/8" tall and the four shelf openings are about 3 5/8" strong. A 1/2" of clearance should be enough without excessive dead space.

marking the length

Marked the length one frog hair over. I was surprised that with these 3 shelves installed it didn't square up on its own. It was easier squaring it up with them than without them. 

glued and cooking

I will always double check the diagonals after clamping. I have been bit too many times with the clamps pulling it out of square. Less than a 16th off between the diagonals clamped which is better than without the clamps.

hmm......

Sanded it down with 240 and got another coat on it. Brush strokes were a lot less visible this time. I will be putting a 3rd coat on because I can still see 'whitewashed' pine.

)&(^%@%(+@(^%+_

One more rabbet to go and the router )&Q$)(*&^@%_)@*%&@ quit.

checking the switch first

Big open with the switch off as expected but with it on, I was reading 5-6 meg ohms. The switch is toast and I still had one more rabbet to rout.

it worked

I removed the leads from the switch and jumped them together with a piece 14 gauge house wire. Router worked which made me feel better. There is a variable speed control board that could have been the problem too.

Taped the jumper together and finished routing the last rabbet. I checked 3 sites for replacement parts, 2 of them didn't list the switch at all. The one site that did list it had it as having no replacement. 

However, they did have the part number and the manufacturer number. But the part number given was a dead end as was the manufacturer number. It looks like I'm stuck up sh...t creek with no paddles.

glued and cooking

The dovetails had cooked for about 4 hours. I ripped the shelves to width and glued them in place. The spice containers are 2 1/4" front to back. The width of the of the shelves are 2 1/2".

still sharp

Used it to square up the four corners. Not as sharp as it was when I did the first spice rack but still sharp enough to do the 2nd one. The web was thinner on this one and the corner with blue tape blew out pretty good. All four corners broke but this one needed some tape to hold it together.

in the AM

I will let this coat cure until tomorrow. I'll sand it down again with 320 this time and I'll roll on another coat. Hopefully it will be the last one.

accidental woodworker

 

new spice rack

She wanted the four shelf rack. The outside (stiles/rails) are sawn to finished length with the shelves being over a wee bit. I will do the finished length after I get the shelf dadoes done.

it fits

I might not use this molding but in case I do, it fits on the edge minus a frog hair or two. There were two small flats on either side of the molding that I sawed off on the tablesaw.

I like the 1/2 round molding a lot (used on the test spice rack) and I'm thinking of using them instead. However I don't like the 1/2 round moldings I'm getting off the astragal plane. One side of the round isn't as deep as the opposite side. It takes a fair bit of sanding to get the 1/2 round symmetrical.

tails done

These are easy to whack out. I only have to chop the center waste and saw the two half pins.

 I got the pins sawn but not chopped out. Ran out of time so I'll chop the waste in the AM.

the first spice rack

Made a road trip to the paint shoppe this AM and picked up a quart of 'super white' gloss paint. Got the first coat on it before the lights were killed. It is going to take a minimum of two coats. 

I could see brush strokes after it was dry to the touch. The paint guy said this was self leveling with no brush strokes. I think I'll roll on the 2nd coat and see hows that looks. Another possibility is to use a rattle can. I think the paint shoppe makes rattle cans too. Spraying would lay down smooth sans brush marks.

nope

The spice rack pic has what I am assuming is stencil work. My wife has played around with them but all the stencils she has are too big. I searched on Amazon last night but I didn't have any success finding smaller stencils. I also wanted curved ones  to lay against the curves on the stop rail. There were none of them to be seen and I gave up after searching for an hour. 

accidental woodworker

A partial selection of our Osmo display

Lets face it, carrying niche products entails a lot of explaining and the explaining runs the gamut from the considered to the absurd. We have callers who need help to figure out which sander is right for them. We also find ourselves giving detailed product instructions to callers who have made their purchases on Amazon and despaired of understanding what they bought. We have fielded questions from callers who want us to color-match their furniture on the basis of their description (its a nice rich brown) or help them find replacement parts for perfectly fine hand tools they just bought at a yard sale that need a blade or a part.

There are obvious limits to our ability to answer every question, but we do try to share our knowledge. And admittedly some of our products can be confusing. For example, customers who come to our combination showroom - warehouse - workshop in Brooklyn will be greeted by a display of Osmo finishes. Osmo is a wonderful product line, but its names can be confusing (no, Polyx is not polyurethane and Wood Wax Finish is not a finishing wax) and the color of the name panel on the can has nothing to do with the can's contents color. Enter The Explainer.

The Explainer for Osmo gives an overview of the product line, and the pros and cons of different methods of application. We try to capture feedback from everyone: our own experiences and our customers experiences; highlights from long exchanges with our Osmo rep; tips from YouTube videos that actually worked; instructions in tiny print that might otherwise be overlooked. The point of The Explainer is to distill the range of accurate information and make it practical and actionable.

We often have questions ourselves, perhaps as a product changes over time. Festool, for example, has drastically expanded its offerings of cordless tools - including two cordless vacuums. How do you use these cordless tools in tandem with corded tools (especially the vac and tool combo)? Enter the latest addition to The Explainer.

The point of the Explainers is to get to the point as fast as possible. There is a lot of text involved, but you can use the search function to get to just the part that answers your particular question. We know that some pictures or videos would be welcome in many of the listings (and some videos and blog posts with pictures are included in The Explainer section) but that getting just the right photo would slow the process down enormously. Updating info with the inevitable changes to products and product mixes is challenging enough.

Here is the complete list of our list of our Explainers which are also easily accessible through one of the main menu picks on our website.

Explaining with words also has made us more appreciative of explanatory signage. Here are some of our favorite signs from our showroom.


i(explain,9)

 The first spice rack is done. A little bit of sanding and then I can paint it. I made a road trip to Home Depot and Lowes this AM - moldings from HD and  New Zealand pine from Lowes. Neither place had the 1/2 round moldings I wanted. Lots of quarter round moldings in 3/8" and 1/2" though.

Lowes haul

I wanted to use poplar for this but neither Lowes or Home Depot had enough 1/2" thick poplar in stock. The NZ pine I got at Lowes was cheaper than 4/4 poplar. I was going to buy that and plane it to 1/2" thickness. 

too wide

I bought two different moldings for the spice rack I'm making for my daughter. However, both of them are wider than 1/2". The plan is to rip them down to thin the width. One molding cost $3.64 each and the other was $4 and small change.

who knew

I have never had any success using this to rout a profile. I whacked this one out like I had been doing it for 50+ years. BTW this half round profile is 3/8".

hmm.....

Pretty much satisfied with this. Width is good and the height is too. It looked good on the edges of the spice rack.

I need more practice

The left one was done first and the right one was second. Routing it wasn't the problem, it was sawing it out on the bandsaw.

learning curve

Made two more with the LN 66 just because I was doing so good. Found out that grain direction has to be paid attention to. Another thing I learned is no matter which direction or how light or firm of a touch, the LN 66 doesn't like squirrely grain. This tears out just as good as any handplane would on the same grain.

back stop rail

Glued and cooking. It was a bit awkward clamping it but I managed. Got a good line of squeeze out so I had sufficient pressure from end to end. Set it aside to cook for a few hours.

5/8 astragal

Went back to the astragal plane to make my 1/2 round moldings. It is quicker/easier to use this plane vice the LN 66 beader.

hmm.....

The left one is the size I'm going with. I made the bigger right one for comparison.

confirmation

It is a fit for the width but it is too high. I had to see it in situ to see it. The smaller one is scaled right for this spice rack. (IMO)

done

Four for the rails and two longer ones for the stiles. Plus one extra for an oops on the rails.

laid out for the next spice rack

I did this layout with a rule. Started at the bottom and worked my way to the left to the top. I think my daughter said she wanted the four shelf version. The store bought spice rack comes with 3 or 4 shelves. I'll check on that before I start.

hmmmm..................

It worked out fine when I stepped it off today. I didn't feel like I did anything different today that I had done yesterday????? Played around with the dividers stepping off from different starting points all with the same results. Hate it when I can't duplicate and figure out what I did wrong.

nope

I really thought that this is what I had done wrong but it wasn't. The shelf spacing was consistent but short. And I couldn't duplicate the short height middle shelf. I even laid out a 3 shelf version and nada. It is a complete mystery to me as to how I screwed up the layout with the dividers.

came today

These came from Lee Valley's Nevada warehouse. It is quicker getting an order from Canada. This should hold for a while on sleeves. Maybe when I have to order them again I won't have to deal with the tariff hiccups.

big hole

Missed this - I wanted it on the back but as usual I wasn't paying attention to it and it ended up on the front. The molding hides 99.99% - I filled it wood putty before I applied the moldings.

a first for me

Got the moldings applied to the stiles and rails - glue and pin nails. I put the miters together off the saw. I didn't trim, chisel, or plane any of them. I was surprised by how well the miters looked. I wasn't expecting them to close up as tight as they did right off the poor man's miter box.

done?

You can see the asymmetrical layout on the shelves. Personally I like asymmetrical but in this case it should have been equal spacing.

nope

Thought I was ready for paint but I ain't. I needed to fill in the pin nails with some putty. Decided to paint this and I'll give it away to my sister Kam. She told me that her kids gobble this stuff up and fight over what I give her.

accidental woodworker 

A few months ago I posted about a large chunk of a maple tree that came down (about 18″ at the bottom), and my cutting it up.

After I was back home my son-in-law and Li’l T moved the bolts into an abandoned goatpen house I built 25 years ago.  It is a better structure than some of the church-camp cabins I stayed in as a yoot.  The wood will remain there until I decide what to do with it.

I expect it will mostly become turned bowls but my lathe needs a substantial upgrade for that to happen.

 Realized today as I was killing the lights that I was basically done with the spice rack build. This was a figure it out build and I had the answers to all. Of course that doesn't mean it will go the same on the real spice rack build. It was a bit of a shock when I was done because I was expecting to play with this for at least another day. I'll take it and start on the real thing in the AM.

how did I do?

The workshop elves left this alone overnight. It didn't groan, sputter, or move when I unclamped it. That was a good sign.

hmm......

Most of the rocking is gone but not all of it. It appears to be laying flat on the workbench and that is the important thing.

when you don't pay attention

The knife wandered out into La La Land on me. I wasn't expecting it to do that since I was knifing across the grain. Good thing this is a proofing build and not meant to be given away.

shelf dadoes

Most of the errant knife marks from above disappeared. I had to make that dado a few frog hairs wider and removed 99% of the oops.

surprised me

Used this old beater Stanley chisel to square up the corners. No problems using it and it was still sharp when I was done. I don't remember how I sharpened this the last time but this time was a huge improvement of that attempt.

crest rail?

Nope, crest rail refers to a chair.  Maybe I should call it a stop rail? Had to glue up a couple of boards for said stop rail.

hmm......

My version of the spice rack stop rail. I made a half pattern first and then sawed it out full size. One problem is mine is too short in the height. Where my finger is has to be more the height of the spice containers which is 3 1/8". This is < 1 1/2".

fixed

Glued on the cutoff and I got my required height.

fitting the back

Used a blockplane to fit the 6mm plywood in the rabbet. I'll glue and nail it later. Still thinking about painting the back first and then installing it or no painting and installing it. What I'm concerned about is the carcass contracting and exposing bare wood at the back of the shelves.

last headache

How do I attach the stop rail to the carcass? Choice one is to glue it on. Because of the rabbet and the thinness of the stop rail, I'm ruling out adding screws.

choice #2

This is the one I thought of doing first. This one cuts out a half notch(?) that the stop rail would sit it (planned on doing this on the tablesaw). Glue and screws would secure it. Choice #2 didn't win the prize. Gluing the stop rail will be sufficient.

5/8 astragal

I wanted the rounded portion of this profile. As far as I can tell the pic of the spice rack shows half round moldings on all the edges.

can't get any better than this

Sawed off the round part and it fits almost perfectly on the edge. The pic has the round moldings butted together and I'm thinking of mitering them at the corners.

7/8 astragal

I measured this one and it is too wide for the spice rack. 5/8 is the winner here.

hmm......

Sawed a dowel in half to see how well that would work. I didn't have a 1/2" dowel so I used this to try sawing it on the bandsaw. Sawing a dowel in half is easier than sawing the round off the astragal. I am going to check Home Depot and see if they have any half round moldings. I think I saw them there before.

mitered corner

I like this better than what is in the pic. On the shelf front rounds I beveled the ends that butted against the stile rounds. I don't like the butt joint look in the pics at all. The beveled ends are a cleaner look than the pic IMO.

sigh

This shelf end was flush when I clamped it. It slipped when I tightened it but I didn't see it because the clamp hid it. I will glue this on and after it has cooked I will plane it flush.

what......

The bottom shelf and the top shelf are the same at about 6 1/4". The middle shelf is 5 5/8". I laid out the shelf dadoes with dividers in the same way I lay out for dovetails. I thought I had laid out 3 equally spaced shelves but something bit me on the arse.

Everything is figured out and I will do something different for the shelf spacing. I'll make a run to Lowes and buy some 1/2" pine - if they still sell it. If they don't I'll resaw some Gurney's sawmill pine to 1/2".

accidental woodworker 

Here is one more thing to add to a manufactured device for sharpening. The previous post explains the issue: for sharpening plane irons that have a slightly curved edge, which is most of them, a subtle curve needs to be added to the roller. (This does not apply to nearly all chisels.) I have two […]

 

not quite a hmm.......

I like these hinges a lot but they are loose pin hinges. The bottom ball end is threaded - had to make sure the loose pin was facing up. To prevent the threaded ball end from falling off, I put a couple of drops of Red Loctite on the threads. That should do the trick with keeping it on.

I had to do some touch up on the paint. Mostly on the retainer bars - the pin nail heads were shiny. Once that was done it was on to snapping pics. 

glamour pic #1

Not so sure about the painted door now that it is done. The color is what I had on hand but thinking maybe a different color?  I like the divided lites I did and the snap catch. Note to self buy a few more of them.

new first glamour pic

Snapping the pics on the workbench was problematic. The lights were washing out the pic and I am not a photographer by any stretch of imagination.

glamour pic #2

 Got both of the shelves on the 2nd position from the top and bottom. Visually I think this looks better then putting both of them at the top and bottom ones - 1 1/2" between positions.

left side glamour pic

I made sure that the sides were clear - no knots or any other kind of defects.

back side glamour pic

This I like a lot and it will be the way I will do backs if possible.

right side glamour pic

Proud on how well the dovetails came out. I had to fill 3 gaps and I had to search to find them. 

before I forgot again

Swapped out the two blades - they are  double sided and one side was fresh and unused. I just swapped them and Ill have to check on how to do them correctly. Not sure if they are auto setting or not.

hmm......

I couldn't move the knob in either direction. After I let it soaked for a few, I could move it but only with slip joint pliers.

it works

This doesn't work all that differently from a hand plane. With that said, it does have a learning curve and quirks to figure out. Planed the edge and then tried to make a chamfer.  I didn't do too good on that so that will be revisited.

should I?

This belt is the original one and it is over 30 years old. Still feels flexible and I couldn't see any cracks or splits in it. I'll search with fingers crossed that they still have belts available.

upcoming project

This is want my daughter wants. She has the spice containers and she gave me the measurements of the largest one. From the pic it appears to be straight forward. The only thing I see as a headache is the moldings on the top back stop. 

practice one

 Using the stock from the toolbox build to make the spice rack. I'll use this build to work on the flow and any kinks I'll have to iron out.

tails done

 Pins laid out and ready to be sawn. I did them after I got back to the barn post lunch stroll.

off the saw

It was a little fussy getting the  diagonals to agree. One thing I learned so far is my spacing of the shelves needs help.

hmmm......

Using 6mm plywood for the back. Jessica told me that the back of the  one she saw was one piece. I don't want to deal with solid wood issues or the end grain of plywood showing - even though this is going to be painted.

One work step is how to attach the top back? I have a few ideas on that and I'll  think on that overnight.

bit of twist

Not sure this will work but I'm going to give it a try. It was rocking with the high corners about a 16th off the bench. I'll find out in the AM.

accidental woodworker

A few weeks ago, my buddy Rich and I went out to Wings and Rings to watch the Bengals football game. While there, we shot the breeze and I mentioned that I bought these pipe clamp lifters online. I told him that they were made on a 3D printer. He told me that he could make those on his 3D printer and that there is a website called http://www.yeggi.com where you can search for free downloads of woodworking tools and jigs.

I checked out Yeggi and saw that they had Golden Ratio calipers and asked if he could make a pair. I bought a pair on Etsy years ago but they were smaller than I thought they would be. Rich made me two larger size on his 3D printer.

Then this weekend, he came over and gave me more stuff he printed for my birthday. I was shocked when he handed me this box. It was completely printed with my logo on it on his printer. Then inside were over twenty french curves I can use for designing furniture.

Then he gave me a really cool set of roundover jigs. This was another free plan he downloaded. It comes with seven different sizes. It’s an awesome gift!

So now my mind is spinning with what else he can print for me. I told Rich I’d pay him for his time, but he said when he puts in the download, he just goes to bed and when he wakes up in the morning, the item is printed. He told me just to pay for the filliment. What do you think I should have Rich make next?

Heute habe ich den kleinen Ulmia Hilfsspannstock entrosten und frisch geölt. Das stand lange auf der To-Do liste

 

Today I derusted and oiled a Umia Hilfaspannstock, (Helping Vise?).

 

 

 

 Last time I was home, I bought a Mafell ZSE 330K. It was for sale in the northern part of Germany, just about an hour or so south of the border, so I was lucky since most of the machines I find for sale in Germany are situated in the southern part of the country.

It came with a transport cart for use on the job site, but I wanted to make a box where it could be stored and also where I could keep any tools needed for the regular use of the machine.

I happened to have some thin larch boards that I had milled once, and there was just enough to make the sides of the box. They were planed int he thickness planer and ripped before gluing them into some panels.

The panels were trimmed to size on the table saw, and I marked up for some dovetails. Since it was going to be a tool box, I opted for regular through dovetails. With pins on the end boards where I would mount some chest lifts.

I gang cut the tails, and after some uneventful chiseling, I could mark the pins. Some more chiseling and the sides were assembled. 
I hadn't really planned on what to use for a bottom, but I didn't want the box to be heavier than needed since the Mafell itself is no light weight machine. I had a piece of 15 mm plywood, and I planed a rabbet along all sides of it so the bottom would fit inside the sides and still have a flat part to be glued to the underside of the sides. This also allowed me to nail from the sides as well as straight from the bottom to give a strong joint.

Fitting out the box was an incredible enjoyable and relaxing part of the project. I was in no hurry, and I tried to not fuss too much over ultra fine finishing details. 
The fence for the saw is kept in the bottom, around it, there were room for the tools needed to adjust and service the saw. I included 3 spanners, a screwdriver and chain saw file. There is also a room for the riving knife and the chain + saw bar. I drew a line around each part and wrote what should go where. 

When the interior was fitted, I mounted a set of chest lifts. To give a bit more for the screws to bite into, I glued a small piece of plywood to the inside where each lift was going to be.

The lid was made from an old glued panel from an old solid kitchen cabinet door (or something like that). It was a panel that I had kept on the loft of the barn for purposes like this. 
To keep the lid from scooting around, I added some strips on the underside, that works as dust seals as well as helping to keep the lid in place. I didn't mount any hinges or any locking devices. The idea is that you can just lift of the entire lid and gain access to the saw and tools. I was afraid that if I had hinged the lid, I would have to add straps or similar to prevent it from falling over and ripping the hinge screws out. And all that would just make it more difficult to reach inside the box.
I was happy to see, that when everything was in place, there was still room for a 5 L jug of chain saw bar oil. So the box contains all that I need to use the saw at any job sites.

 

 250mm long33 mm deep0,3mm thin   Pedderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12692353908068506678noreply@blogger.com0

 Fingers crossed, but I think tomorrow I'll be posting the glamour pics of the latest to come out of Ralphie's shop. I probably could have done it today but I want the paint to dry and eyeball it all over before I pull that trigger.

hmm.....

Sharpened and tested. I could see and feel an improvement over the last time I did this. Now we'll see how well the edge holds up. I remember it dulling quickly.

snap catch done

The top of the catch on the right is slightly above the catch on the left. I'm leaving it as is because the right keeper is not the same size as the catch.

hmm.....

There is a gap at the back. Not sure if I will do anything about it. I doubt a box of cereal will fall down through it.

trimming and fitting next

Cleaned the glass and trimming and fitting the retainers was in the batters box. I didn't use any glazier's points, instead I'm relying solely on the retainers to hold the glass in place.

sigh

Getting better at fitting miters but they still manage to bite me on the arse. I cut this miter in the wrong direction. There wasn't enough length to saw it in the correct one. Too big of a gap to fill with veneer so I'll have to make a new one.

3 of 4 done

I decided to make four new retainers so each one of them would be the same. I used one of the retainers for the last one to replace the one with a gap.

last four

Got two coats of paint on them and went on my post lunch stroll.

forgot this

Part of the thought that went into this compressor. This is the drain for the tank to let out moisture. This one is a ball valve whereas the pancake compressor has a screw in/out valve.

what's my IQ?

My 1/2" nails came in and I felt like I had a single digit IQ trying to open this. After fighting with it for a bazillion years, I cut it with a sheet rock knife. I understand the purpose of the nubs on the part on the towel but I could only pull it out about 3/8" and then nada.

done

The last of the retainers are nailed in placed. All that is left is to paint the tops of them.

will it be sharp enough?

I didn't rough saw the miter but left the end square. I think that will be a better test of how sharp the chisel is.

much better

No problems, hesitation, or hiccups mitering this end in the jig. It mitered this end as effortlessly as the big chisel I used for the door. It feels sharper and easier going through the wood then the last time I tried this. Fingers crossed the edge will hold.

accidental woodworker 

I recently needed to make some wall-shelves. I needed three, they needed to fit on a specific wall, and they had to be made of a light-coloured wood. I didn’t have any other criteria or requirements.

The piece of wood I chose to use was a yellow birch cant about 4 x 6 x 36 inches. My first thought was to run it through the bandsaw to resaw it into three shelves roughly 1.3 x 6 x 6 inches, then joint and plane them flat and parallel. It would have been a straightforward process, but I realized that there was a more efficient, and interesting way to make the shelves. It became obvious when I thought about how shelves are used:

Shelves are mostly decorative, with only one surface (the top) functional. Therefore, only that one surface needed to be flat and smooth to hold items and facilitate cleaning, as dust doesn’t tend to accumulate on the bottom of shelves. The other surfaces could be rough, so I could skip the step of planing that side. The bandsawn texture would be interesting and tactile. However, a bandsawn texture can only be created with a bandsaw, and any subsequent processing of the surface changes it. Attempting to adjust or correct the shape in any way would result in an irregular pattern of texture (e.g. a smooth spot). Therefore, the cut made by the bandsaw must be perfect.

Take the following for example. (A) is the desired outcome, where all sides are straight and parallel – a rectangle. However, if the bandsaw’s fence isn’t aligned properly, the blade wanders, or the line is not followed, a taper (B) is the result. Likewise, deviating from the line can result in a convex (C) or concave (D) surface. All of these conditions can be corrected, but would require additional work with the thickness planer (or similar tool) which, as mentioned before, would also remove the tactile surface left from the bandsaw.

With only a little more work, I could make the shelves more interesting by adding some curves. Plus, any irregularity in the cut would be imperceptible.

So, that’s what I did.

After sawing the curves, I used a foam sanding block to gently smooth the texture, ease the sharp corners, and remove the fuzzies. Then I used my best crosscut blade to cut them to length, applied three coats of semi-gloss polyurethane, and installed them on the wall with steel tapered connectors.

If you don’t incorporate curves into your work, I encourage you to try. Here are some of my favourite tools to work with curves:

• Bandsaw, jigsaw, and coping saw
• Coarse, hand-cut rasps, rotary and belt sanders with coarse sandpaper
• Chisels, carving gouges, and drawknives
• Arbortech power carving attachments for angle grinders

I don’t often lay out curves before shaping them, but when I do, these are the tools I may use:

• Flexible battens (strips of wood)
• French curve templates
• Adjustable compass with pencil, and a trammel for large arcs
• Pencil, used freehand

These are my top tips for working with curves:

• When using saws to cut curves, making all your movements smooth will generally lead to smoother curves
• Trust your eye and hands – when it looks good and feels good, it’s good
• Cut joinery before adding curves, or at least make sure you save reference surfaces when shaping
• Be aware where your joinery and fasteners are so you don’t expose them or hit your tools on them

Let me know if you have questions about adding curves to woodwork.