General Woodworking

 Not sure that it is the penultimate upcoming, but the end isn't far behind. Door is hinged and it is going to take a couple of rounds of painting before it is done 100%. The completion is coming at the right time as I have already turned my attention to my daughter's spice rack holder thing. 

hinging the carcass

Installing hinges at one time filled me with a fear that almost crippled me. Something little always plagued me that threw the installation off. Mortise gains chopped too deep, notches made too small or too big. Another big headache was misalignment between the door and the carcass hinges. Today no such hiccups or problems. 

Hinging the door went off without a hitch. It was made easier because the width of the hinge matched the thickness of the door edge perfectly. No worries about blowing out the thin web of wood at the edge of the hinge leaf. 

I started the hinging of the carcass with the top hinge first. Many thanks to Paul Sellers for showing this way of hinging doors. Got the hinge notch done and the hinge sitting in it flush and then marked the position the of bottom hinge.

I put one screw in that hinge (middle one) and knifed the 3 edges. So much easier doing the hinges this way. It is almost impossible to screw it up because if it could happen, I would be first in line to do it.

top margin

Most of the wiggle room is at the top. The bottom margin is a piece of paper gap. Something most have slipped on me when I laid out for the top hinge. Not a deal killer as the top margin is good as is.

won't close

I was expecting this - I knew the width might be too wide. The bottom of the door while it clears, the margin there needs to be a few frog hairs wider. 

took 3 plane and fit trips

I had to plane the latch side and the bottom of the door to fit it to the opening. It took 3 tries. It fit after the first planing run but the margins on the side and bottom were still too tight. The 2nd run was good and the third one was for the thickness of the paint to come.

hmm.....

The door swings into the interior too much. It is a 1/4" before it hits the front edge of the shelf. I needed to come up with a door stop that stops the door flush with the cabinet edge.

nope

There isn't enough room in front of the shelves to put a door stop. I will have to place it either at the top or bottom where there aren't any shelf sleeves. 

top door stop

This worked and I temporarily secured it with a couple of brads. The door however, had other ideas as the bottom toed in slightly as the door closed against the top stop.

bottom stop

The first way I thought of positioning it was parallel to the front edge. Nixed that because not only did it look out of place, it could possible be a hindrance. Positioned this way would work and take up less space and much less of a chance of it getting in the way.

better

Cut it down to less than 1/2 the length and secured it with epoxy. I scraped the shellac off down to bare wood first.

came today

You gotta love Prime. This was waiting when I got back from my post lunch stroll.

Makita MAC320Q

I like the look of this compressor. It weighs a little more than 50 pounds. I don't know what the pancake compressor weighed but this one is lighter. It is also easier to pick up and move around. Better balance from the handle and not as awkward feeling moving it around.

command central

Nice layout of the two gauges - left one is tank pressure and the 2nd one is the output. The black knob between sets the output pressure to the tool. The pancake which was a 6gal didn't have twin couplers on the output. Something that I doubt I will ever use.

works

Pin nails shot through a scrap of poplar. Worked flawlessly. The only hiccup is I still can't find a source for pin nails for this gun. It is made in Taiwan and so far I haven't find anyone that sells the gun or pin nails. 

I sharpened it a few years ago but it didn't hold its edge at all. However, I think since that sharpening I've upped my game on sharpening and I'm going to try it again. 

This coupler works differently than my other ones. To disengage you have to push it forward by grasping the red part, then pull back on the black part to remove the coupler from the gun. The part that matters is that it fits the nailer and the compressor. Engaging and disengaging will become commonplace with use.

nice touch

It has built cord storage. All and all this is a well thought out compressor. I didn't see any blemishes or crappy welds. The compressor is also a lot quieter than the pancake one was. That sounded like a diesel with an attitude when cycling. This is easily half as quiet. Even with my hearing I could hear a big difference.

closing in

Got the snap catch on the door installed. First coat of paint on the edges I planed. The plan is to get the 2nd coat after dinner.

storage

Not the one I wanted but I had to use because of the length. Needed it for the tire pressure gauge. The oil is for my Paslode finish nailer. The other 3 guns are oil free.

beater chisel

I have 3 of these Stanley chisels that I use when I don't want to risk my good bench chisels. I sharpened it a few years ago but it didn't hold its edge at all. However, I think since that sharpening I've upped my game on sharpening and I'm going to try it again.

hmm.....

There was a big chip on the left side that ate up a lot of calories removing on the runway. The toe of the bevel had a funny looking edge while doing this. It is hard to describe but it was nothing like I have seen when sharpening my good bench chisels. 

stopped here

Got it square and I raised a consistent burr on the back. I'll finish this in the AM.

accidental woodworker

 Went on my post lunch stroll today for the first time in 5 days. Everything went fine and it was like there hadn't been a lull in the routine. I was expecting to be a little winded but I wasn't. Took me the same 2 hours that it has taken me all summer. Rain is coming again in a few days and I refuse to stroll in the rain. Because after all I ain't Gene Kelly.

hmm....

I thought I was going to put the final coat on the door but it didn't happen boys and girls. I must have pulled out the putty in these tear outs when I wiped them with the damp rag. No dead line on completion but this time I won't wipe it with a damp rag.

glass was ready

Checked that the glass fit in each of the individual lites. The compressor hadn't come in when I snapped this pic. This side is done with painting but the face side will take another day.

compressor cart

This is history mostly because I don't like it (it is tippy) and it won't fit the new Makita compressor. The plan was to salvage as much of it as I could for some other use.

this is it

A dowel, four swivel, lockable casters, and 16 #10 philips head screws. I shitcanned everything else as unusable.

hmmm....

There is the 16th margin at the top and bottom but zero on the width. It is a kinda tight snug fit there. 

latch side

I planed this side just enough for the door to be a slip fit on the latch side. I will do the final planing and fitting after I get the hinges installed.

came as promised

When I checked this AM all it said was the notice to ship was received. It was being set on my front porch just as I got back to barn from strolling.

hinges came too

I was also expecting to get some shelf sleeves from Lee Valley but the UPS guy said they weren't on his truck. I had called Lee Valley to order them because I couldn't find them on line. Turns out that the 'sleeves' were caught up in the tariff wars. The rep told me anything with steel or aluminum in it can't be sold to the USA so that is why it wasn't online. The CS rep checked the US inventory and I bought 400 sleeves from the Nevada warehouse. Paid to call and ask about them.

hmm.....

The tank pressurized and cutout at 135PSI (cutout is 135PSI). The knob to regulate the output to the couplers worked flawlessly. No problems varying the output from 80 to 110 PSI - I usually set it for the pin nailer at 90 and 100 for the 18 gauge nailer.

However, the pin nailer wouldn't fire. The compressor was spitting out air as soon as I hooked the pin nailer up. At first I thought it was leaking/blowing by the couplers on the compressor. This air nozzle gun proved that wasn't so. It seated in the coupler with no blow by and worked flawlessly when I pressed the handle.

wrong rabbet hole

I thought the nipple on the air hose was the problem. It wasn't the problem but the compressor/air hose/nail gun was spitting out air from somewhere.

found it

The culprit was found. I got my money's worth out of this hose. I bought it around the same time I got the compressor. I had zero experience with compressors at the time I bought the pancake one but I instantly did not like the straight line hose that came with it. I got this one from Woodworker's Warehouse (defunct) where I was a manager. (Imagine selling tools and getting paid for it)

fingers crossed

I doubt it but I am optimistic that this is the final coat. Either way I'll be hinging in the AM. The goal will be getting the door hung and fitted then.

accidental woodworker

 Can I get a collective readership ouch? First thing this AM I was at Home Depot returning the defective Dewalt compressor. Done. The HD rep credited my card balance and then my card took a big hit. Ordered a Makita compressor, model MAC320Q for $411 and change. It is a small, oil free, 3 gallon hot dog compressor and it is has a noise level of 60db. It is part of Makita's quiet series of compressors. It has the perfect size/performance for what I will use it for in my shop

Got free delivery and supposedly I'll have it tomorrow. Got great customer service from Donna at HD. Everything went smooth as silk and she even offered to track it for me if needed.

filled in tear out

Did this last night after dinner. Filled in the tearout on both sides. Sanded with 220 grit and wiped down with a damp rag. Ready for paint.

practice pays off

All of the tails look this good. No gaps - the joint lines are all tight. This is something I have wanted to achieve since I saw my first dovetail being  done.

pins

Ditto for the pins. After 15 years (?) I think I finally think I can say I arrived. I'm proud of the dovetails I am doing. Hopefully I won't be eating this hubris the next time I do them.

inside peek

The inside corners are not 100% gap free. I am getting better at it but they aren't as good as the outside is.

need a 2nd one

The one on top is for 21 gauge nails. The one I'm about to make is for 18 gauge nails. I had hard time finding 21 gauge nails. It seems the standard pin nail now is 23 gauge. I found some 21ga 1/2" nails on Wally World's site for $18. I need them to secure the glass retainer bars.

dividers

Clamped all four together and rasped the waste away.

done

Dividers rasped and sanded but still awaiting erasure of layout lines. Flushed the top and bottom of the nail box. Killed the lights here for the day. I'll finish this in the AM.

Didn't get much time in the shop today. But I did manage to get a couple coats of shellac on the carcass and another coat of paint on the door. Checked the fit of the door and it is now too snug. I will have to plane the latch side to get clearance for the door to open/close.

Got the glass ordered for the door and I'll have it tomorrow. Going to HD, a PT appointment, and PM yard work really ate up my shop time today. I should be getting the hinges sometime between the 16th and 18th. Fingers crossed on that happening. There isn't much more to whack out on this cabinet. Glamour pics aren't far behind.

accidental woodworker 

I was up at the Vermont house the other day and made my periodic pilgrimage to The Red Carrot in Rutland.  The store is great for things like rustic boxes (more on that some day), but as a woodworker and general DIYer, I prefer the related warehouse down the street. They have most of the […]

 Got my next project. My oldest, Jessica, wants a spice shelf holder thing. She said she has been trying to buy one but it sells out too quick. It is a fairly straight forward project - she gave me plans for it. No fancy joinery, it is all butt joints. I'll be starting on it next week.

toast

Tried to fire it up and nada. Motor runs, gets incredibly hot, and zero pressure builds up in the tank. I checked on a rebuild kit and although I think I could manage it, I'm not conversant with compressors. The only service center I called that would do it was too expensive. I can buy a new one for almost the same price. This one is off to the land fill this friday.

hmm.....

It is looking like two coats is going to do the trick. However, in raking light some tear out popped out. I found some on both sides that I'll be filling with putty and repainting.

Home Depot run

$170 and I walked out the door with it. It looks a little dumbed down but the price was good. The one pressure gauge should have clued me in.

nada

The pressure gauge is only for the tank pressure. Zero pressure after a bazillion attempts. It also sounded like a diesel engine that wasn't firing on all cylinders. It stated a 78.5 db sound level but I'm pretty sure it was a lot louder than that.

got lucky

There are a lot of different types of quick couplers for tools. The existing couplers on the compressor fit all of my guns. However, I couldn't get the compressor to even generate 20PSI.

a huge negative Houston

Went back to HD and swapped out the compressor. I could get the 2nd one pressurized but it wouldn't shut off nor could I regulate the pressure. If I turned the regulator knob off zero and set it to 90, the tank pressure would bleed off to zero. 

I tried to use the pin nailer with the tank pressure reading 100PSI and nada. No air at the gun inlet at all. Frustrating because I had to fight construction and RTE 2 traffic for two round trips for this fun adventure.

A quick check on Google brought on a litany of complaints. This compressor is total and complete garbage. The two that I tried both exhibited 4 of the problems the google search listed. I'll be returning this and upgrading and it won't be a Dewalt. I'll have to eat it and pony up (>$100 more) for more reliable compressor.

The regulator is supposed to be on zero before turning it on. The pressure got up over 100PSI and when I turned the regulator to 90, the tank pressure dropped. I was expecting a lot better from something with the Dewalt name.

The mitering jig groove was a few frog hairs too tight for the glass retainer bars. I shaved just enough for them to be a loose snug fit.

worked

Clamped the bar at the back and moved the mitering jig back and forth as needed to shave one end of each of them.

2nd compressor

Waste of gas and time. I should of looked it up online before I bought it. But I was going by price and brand name.

proof

The pressure at least built up in the tank with the 2nd one but it didn't trip the over pressure switch neither. This thing is a time bomb waiting to explode.

I did get some work done on the cabinet. Got the 4th coat on the shelves and the first one on the exterior of the cabinet. Got the 2nd coat of paint on both sides of the door. Hinges are scheduled to come the first of next week. That will give me plenty of time to finish the shellac and painting.

Sorry about the post being a bit out of whack continuity wise. I hadn't planned on bringing the compressor back today. I was going to do it in the AM but I bit the bullet and made another same day road trip. Now I'll be returning again in the AM but I am not getting another compressor but taking a charge back on my credit card.  

accidental woodworker 

 The big, bad nor'easter (IMO) was a big bust. It was a wee bit windy, with rain on and off. The rain wasn't that heavy neither and I didn't see any downed limbs when I went for breakfast this AM. The first nor'easter of the year at least it wasn't cold bringing snow/sleet with it. But that fun is yet to come.

fitting the back

Planed the width first for a snug fit and then worked on the top/bottom. I went slow making frequent checks to make sure I wouldn't say '...oops, took too much'.

I'm impressed

I'm also incredibly happy with the fit. I had to tap it flush with the mallet. I like the finished look of it a lot. I think it is much better than plywood (ignore the panel is 6mm plywood).

peek a boo

I believe this may become my go to for cabinet backs.

see the hiccup?

I'm right handed and I wanted the smaller lites to be on the left, not the right. Missed that when I laid out the half laps for the muntins. I might switch the snap catch and put it on the left (if I remember that). I think putting it on the right would make it look crowded with the small lites.

see them?

Happy to write that most of the white snake lines are gone. There are still a few that haven't faded yet. Fingers crossed that will happen before I start slapping shellac on it.

need some shellac

I have switched to using denatured alcohol I get at the paint store. I am no longer using Everclear which is about $20 more for less. I don't see any difference in using Everclear vice denatured alcohol. I don't have enough shellac to finish doing the carcass. I am almost afraid to buy more shellac - the price has been rising steadily over the past year.

hmm......

 I think I should have waited before gluing the back stop on. There is no way I can get fasteners of any type into the top of the back panel.

miller dowels

I am securing the panel with 5 miller dowels on the two long sides and the 3 on the bottom. After eyeballing these I think I don't need any fasteners on the top. All the stress on the panel will be downward and the sides should keep the top from moving in/out.

bottom

Three miller dowels should be sufficient at the bottom. They just need to keep the bottom from shifting in or outward.

need a gap filler

There is one gap on the back panel that I filled. Once this is on a wall it will never be seen but my OCD couldn't let it slide. None of my veneers were thin enough to fit the gap so I planed this scrap until it did.

sigh

Not too bad considering this was the only gap on the entire back panel.

shelf layout

I like to notch the shelves for the supports to sit in. I thought I had made a mistake at first because the notches weren't the same front and back. Forgot the back panel intrudes into the interior 3/4".

done

With the notches, the shelf stays in place as things are dragged across it. Nothing more annoying than having the shelf move forward and then crash and fall as you remove things from it. 

checking the fit

Locked in place. One down and one to go.

done

Maybe I should have gone with fixed shelves. I got the shelves at the lowest spot and the highest one. Experience has taught me that 6-7 inches is a good allowance.

oops

Obviously didn't think this all the way through. The tops of my initials are buried a wee bit.

too sharp

The before on the top and the after on the bottom. I don't like the sharpness of the edge in the before pic. A few strokes with the violin plane followed by sandpaper rounded and smoothed it nicely.

two coats

Two done and two more to go. I am doing four coats on the shelves and the interior of the cabinet. The outside will get 6-7. 

test run

This is my 21ga pin nailer. I tried it out to see if I could get a nail in the thickness/width of my glass retainer bars. Passed with flying colors and I'll be pin nailing them after I get the glass.

retainer bars

Maybe I should have waited but I think I'll be ok. I am not using 1/8" thick glass on this. Instead I'm using the thinner offering. I ripped this out such that I have some wiggle room with the glass thickness.

dead?

The compressor had been cycling a lot more than the last time I used it. After about 15 minutes it was running continuously. Both of the pressure gauges were reading zero. The top of it was so hot I couldn't touch it. 

The life expectancy of oil less pancake compressors is about 5 to 10 years. I bought this in april of 1995. I'll try this again after it has cooled off and see what shakes out then. Thinking ahead, pancake compressors aren't that expensive. Both of the big box stores sell compressors for around $150. That is what I think I paid for this one.

glass retainer bars

Either way, I am using a pin nailer to secure these. I painted the muntin rabbets entirely so I don't have any bare wood to glue them to.

accidental woodworker 

On Saturday, October 18th from 8am-2pm we open our doors to celebrate 25 fantastic years of custom woodworking, live-edge slabs, hardwood lumber and great customers. Join us for a hot dog and a Coke and a chance to win a walnut slab valued at over $500 (just for showing up). We will also have fun games with great prizes and demonstrations of crowd favorites like the sawmill and cnc router. We hope to see you there.

The storm so far has been a dud. Light winds and some light rain with the big stuff yet to come? Weather aside I had productive day in the shop. I got most of the woodworking done (I think) and I am awaiting the hinges. I ordered them on friday and I don't know when I'll get them. Lack of having them puts me dead in the water for the time being.

out of the clamps

Still square and most of the bow that was in the sides is gone.

good fit

The door is dead nuts square and it fits the height with a 16th clearance at the top and bottom. With the door inset in the carcass it laid up square and the bow is almost gone completely. The big gap on the width, however, is still there.

got lucky

Found this scrap and it fills the gap perfectly - snug and self supporting. Decided to glue the filler on the latch side of the door.

dry fit

I ripped this out a wee bit wider and longer than the edge of the door.  After it cooked I planed it flush.

choices

I am using the one the right because it is smaller and the finish matches the hinges I ordered. I think the left one is too large for the scale of this cabinet . This is a arts and crafts snap catch and the cabinet is too plain for it.

dent work ahead

I tried using my 4x24 belt sander to flush the pins/tails and it was a dismal failure. The belt tracking went haywire and it gouged and left snake like tracks on the near end of this side. It took several attempts before most of them were raised. Although I flushed them I could still make them out. It may be a few days before they fade.

shoulda, woulda, coulda, but didn't

Setup I came up with flushing the pins/tails with a #4 handplane. I was surprised by how well this mickey mouse looking thing actually worked.

hmm......

Wish I  had thought of it years ago. Usually I would put the carcass on the floor up against the lally column to plane it. This worked wonderfully and I didn't have to fight gravity or kneel to do it.

adjustable shelves

Made a couple of jigs - one for the pin hole spacing and the square block for the depth stop. The bottom most pin is at 7" up and the top 8" down. I plan to put two shelves in the cabinet.

sigh

Tore out a chunk while flushing the filler. Not to outdo myself I tore out two more chunks on the other side. This is the face side and even though the door is getting painted, this divot is too large to fill with putty.

glued and cooking

It was a little tricky to get it glued and clamped. It wasn't that thick of a tear out but I think I got it aligned and clamped well. I would find out how well in a couple of hours.

two hours later

Happy with how well this cooked. It hadn't shifted when I clamped it.

dry fit

Going with an inset back. 1 3/4" frame with a 6mm panel. The alternative was a rabbet with either plywood or solid wood slats. I made it a 16th larger in both directions and I'll plane it to fit the carcass.

dead nuts

Both diagonals were dead nuts equal. I didn't use a full mortise and tenon. I used a stub tenon to fit in the groove I plowed for the 6mm panel. This frame will not be stressed in any way after it is installed, especially the 'mortise and tenons'.

last shelf

Finished planed both shelves and molded a profile on the front edges. I still have to do notches on the underside of both for the shelf pins.

top back stop

The cabinet could stand on its own without this but I like them. Originally it was almost 3" high but I didn't like the look of that. I cut it down to 1 1/2" and made a 3" radius round over on the ends. After I smoothed the ends I routed a chamfer on the front face.

filling gaps

After gluing the back stop on I turned my attention to filling in 3 pin/tail gaps. None of them were glaring obvious but I dislike gaps. To me they are a pointed finger at a screw up. Filled two on this corner with veneer and the last one on the opposite face bottom corner.

done?

I got the carcass and the shelves sanded up to 220 and I can start applying shellac on the carcass in the AM.

hmm.....

I think this frame and panel would have looked better with a center stile and two panels. I thought of it while doing the dry fit but decided to stay on this road. I didn't want to try and make a center stile to match the frame.

door is done

Had some tear out to fill in with putty on both sides. Used my violin plane to smooth out a few bumps in the chamfers. 

accidental woodworker

I’ve made several carved boxes in the past couple of months – and now they’re ready to wend their way out of here. This first one is an old-standby.

Carved oak box, pine lid & bottom

carved box, oak & pine, Sept 2025 PF

It’s one I’ve carved often – from the first group of joined furniture I ever studied – the works of the Savell family in Braintree, Massachusetts between 1640-1700.

front view

Interior till – wooden cleat/pintle hinges – this is one place where mine deviate from the originals – I adopted the wooden hinge from an unrelated box.

end view, showing cleat/hinge

H: 7 1/4” W: 22” D: 14”

The price is $1,500 plus shipping in US. If we use paypal, I’ll add their fee to the price for a total of $1,555. Otherwise, a check in the mail. If you have questions or would like to purchase the box, email me at PeterFollansbee7@gmail.com

Often people are surprised at the mixture of oak & pine, especially on the brand-new box. I remind them that use, light, polishing and handling will quickly darken the pine top & bottom. Here’s a photo I’ve used many times to show a new box on the left and a 15-year-old box on the right. We used it a lot, dusted & polished it a few times a year and let the light from the windows do the rest:

both boxes are oak with pine tops & bottoms

………………………….

Box with a drawer, oak, sycamore & pine

Every now and then I like to tackle something a bit more complex – this box-with-a-drawer is one I’ve tried a couple of times before. I changed one or two things this time but it’s a pretty close copy of one by Thomas Dennis in Ipswich, Massachusetts between 1660-1706.

PF box w drawer, Sept 2025; red oak, pine, sycamore & maple

It’s big – it pretty much has to be with the drawer added. H: 14” W: 23 1/2” D: 18”.

All the oak is riven, quartered – in the usual period manner. The lid is quartersawn American sycamore (Platanus occidentalis) – the original used sycamore, but flatsawn- it has a large split down the middle. I glued up two quartersawn boards to get my lid.

detail lid & front

The figure on it is wild & subtle at the same time. The sort of thing that catches your eye now & then when the light hits it right, then other times you barely notice it.

The drawer is all riven oak – the sides meet the drawer front with a sliding dovetail. Bottom boards are thin, edges meet with a small tongue & groove. No drawer pull, you open the drawer using those “glyphs” attached at the ends of the drawer front.

oak drawer

Inside the box is a lidded till – and the box lid hinged with iron gimmals/snipebills.

till inside

It’s available – $3,000 plus shipping. Email me if you have questions or would like to order this special box – it’ll be a long time before I do one like it again.

Finish is a couple of coats of thinned linseed oil. More photos in the gallery below.

……………….

Carved box, carved lid. Dovetailed….etc

One more. This one a bit different – dovetailed for one thing. No oak showing for another. Spanish cedar & some sort of mahogany. New for me…

I thought I was making this box from leftover pieces of Spanish cedar (cedrela odorata) – but once I had the box made, I had to buy some more wood for the lid and base. And then I realized my leftover board wasn’t just some “dark” cedar, it’s some type of mahogany.

front view

Cedrela is related to mahogany – they’re both in the family, Meliaceae. I’ve now told you almost all I know about cedrela and absolutely ALL I know about mahogany. I do know I’ve never knowingly bought any mahogany. I don’t know where I got the wood the box-body is made from.

But except for the two-tone look, I’m very happy with the box. It’s based on one I’ve only seen in photographs – a dovetailed box with a strapwork pattern on the front, sides & lid. The top edges of the dovetails are mitered – the first time I’ve done that detail.

mitered dovetails

I made a base molding to wrap around the bottom edges of the box. The snipe/gimmal hinges are blacksmith-made, from Horton Brasses. Lidded till inside. Finished with linseed oil.

open, showing the till & hinges

Here’s the specs:

H: 7” W: 22 1/8” D: 14 3/4”
price is $2,600 including shipping in US.

Email me at PeterFollansbee7@gmail.com if you’d like to purchase this box…you’ll have to dust the lid…

carved lid

Last weekend, I ventured out to an antique show in Urbana, OH. I got there around 8:00 am and walked around for a couple of hours buying a handful of tools. I was happy with what I bought as I just go to these antique shows because I enjoy going regardless of what I buy.

I decided to make one more pass around the fairgrounds when I decided to go down a little part that I didn’t visit before when I stumbled upon this guy.

A huge tool chest full of tools. The guy selling it said he took out of a house in Troy, OH from a woman who had it in her garage. It was her Dad’s tool chest. She had nowhere to keep it as she was moving into a retirement home, so she had to ged rid of it.

I looked inside at the tools and immediately noticed a Stanley No 8 and 5 Type 4 prelateral planes and an early version of a Stanley No 45 Combination plane. The guy told me he wanted $350 for the chest and tools and that he’s had a few offers for the chest alone. He then told me he’d sell all the tools in it for $200.  At this point, wheels were spinning in my head as to where I was going to put this thing as my shop is already overflowing with tools from the auction I went to a few months back.

Then the guy told me he’d take $300 for everything as he really wanted to get rid of it. At $300, I might as well buy the whole thing as the tool chest alone was worth more than a $100.  I told him I’d take, but I had to go to the ATM and get some cash.

I came back, gave him the money then drove into the fairgrounds to put it in my truck. I was stoked! In 35 years of collecting antique tools, I’ve never bought a tool chest, let alone one with a bunch of tools in it.

When I got home, I decided to look at the tool chest more closely. It was a pine box dovetailed together with brass hardware on the corners. Inside were mahogany tool bins with veneered banding on top.

Underneath the veneered bins were two tool totes for various tools and parts.

Removing those bins, were two more filled with auger bits and chisels.

Underneath those is where the planes were. There were only two bench planes but he had a decent collection of molding planes with most stamped J W ROOF.

I brought everything in my basement and cataloged all the tools that were inside. There were over 100 with a lot of them being small drill bits and hardware. There were a nice collection on incannel gouges along with metal working punches and wrenches. I’m trying to figure out what he did for a living but it may be impossible to figure out as who knows what tools are missing and which tools were just thrown into the chest over the years. 

With the age of the Stanley planes, I estimating that the chest was made in the 1870 -80’s  Now I need to decide what to do with it.  Nevertheless, what a great Birthday present to myself!

 Got the carcass dovetailed and glued up in the PM session. Ran into a few hiccups that I stepped back from to think on. Spent my post lunch stroll thinking about the problems I had with the carcass in the AM session without coming up with a game plan. Didn't stop me from jumping into the headache with both feet after the strolling was done.

hmm....

I've had the Keller dovetail marker on the left for over 25 years and I never used it. When I first got it I could not figure out how to mark dovetails with it. From what I remember about it, one tail is for softwoods and the other for hardwoods. I don't follow that protocol at all. I use the same angle regardless of the wood.

The dovetail marker on the right I had made based on one from Charles Hayward. The angle on it matches the lonesome Keller dovetail marker on the left perfectly. I don't know what this angle is but I have a second one that is a 1 in 7 angle, ala Paul Sellers. That is the one I used on this carcass. At least now I can say I do know how to use the Keller marker it but I doubt I will. Mine will mark the angle and plumb and square.

last six

Had one me-steak in knifing the baselines of the pins on one end. The inside face baseline was a strong 1/8" shy. When I knifed it again I saw that there were two knife nicks. Got lucky that I knifed on the short one and no evidence of it exists anymore.

dry fit

All four corners went together off the saw. I didn't have to trim a single pin to get the tails and pins to mesh like a hand going into a well worn glove. That aside, the fun started here too. I couldn't get the carcass to square up. When I finally got close to squaring it up, the carcass was twisted.

future headache

One problem that needs to be fixed first is squaring up the carcass. The second hiccup is both the right and left sides bow inward roughly at the mid point. 3rd one is the width is too wide. The top/bottom clearance is perfect with about a 16th clearance top and bottom.

this sucks pond scum

When I checked this before doing the dovetailing, the clearance was an 1/8" for both the height and width. Don't know where or how this gap grew and I can't ignore it. Way too big of a margin for a door.

frustrating

I was measuring the diagonals and switched over to my pinch rods. FYI the switch didn't help the squaring headache. I could get one side square but the other would be off a 1/4". Used a quick grip to pull the long diagonal to square the carcass, and that operation would twist the carcass. Plus I also had two corners where I couldn't get the tails to fully seat and stay seated.

good sign

Used 90° squaring clamps and the unclamped side is off a 1/8". Sigh. The good news is that the carcass isn't twisted.

one of the good corners

Just about all the tails came out proud. This corner has most of the tails fully seated except for the top one, which isn't that bad. When I clamped it and seated the tail, it threw the diagonals off.

hasn't improved

The carcass is kind of square but the sides still bow in and the width is still too wide.

fixed it

When I got back from the stroll I did something I rarely do when I dovetail. I relieved the inside of the tails. That helped immensely. The carcass was square within a 16th and the tails fully seating improved a lot. These two corners needed some help closing the gaps. Added benefit of that was I didn't need the quick grip to pull the long diagonal in. The tails fully seating actually helped with getting the carcass square.

I was prepared to do more to square up the carcass but relieving the tails was the trick. I don't know what the next step would have been if this hadn't worked. I'm sure it would have involved a great deal of choice expletives and finger pointing.

sigh

I knew I would have a gap here. I guessed at the knife line - it was faint and I eyeballed it but on the wrong side. After the carcass has cooked I'll glue a shim into this.

3/16"

Gap ended up an 8th inch too much. Since I'm not making a new door or carcass, I started to brainstorm ideas on how to close up this gap. One thing in my favor is I am painting the the door and leaving the carcass natural.

first idea

Glue a strip on the hinge side and plane it to fit. I like this idea as it is an easy fix and the paint will hide the evidence of it.

2nd idea

This one didn't survive at all. I think this is called an astragal - it would cover the gap over laping both on the door and the carcass edge. Even with this partial example it looked like crappola  to me.

3rd idea

This one is a strong contender for over taking the #1 spot. I like the look of beads on both outside edges of the door. There might be a few minor hiccups with fitting the hinges and snap catch but not insurmountable. Employing this fix will involve a couple of precision rips because I don't want to rip anything off the beads and I want to do the minimal amount of planing to fit the door. Something to muse over with sweet dreams tonight.

PM session cut short

There is a big storm (Nor'easter) coming through my part of the universe starting tonight. Lots of rain and winds for the next two days. I cut the PM session short to clean out the gutters on west side of the house. I wasn't expecting the size of the blockage I had to clear in both of the down sprouts. I cleaned out the down spouts on the east side when I painted it last week. I'm ready for the rain to bring it on.

accidental woodworker

One of the changes we decided to make during our ongoing renovation was to replace some of the tatami mat floors with wood. As much as I like tatami, ours were quite old and definitely in need of repair, which can be pretty costly. I’m also a major allergy sufferer and after living in the… Read More »Tomobe – Shikii Replacement

The post Tomobe – Shikii Replacement appeared first on Big Sand Woodworking.

The loom is complete. The finish applied, and my daughter has been happily weaving. The finishing process did not go smoothly. I took a few scraps of Purpleheart, applied various different oils and finishes, and she decided she like the one with https://www.shaneskelton.co.uk/shop/p/peacock-oil-wick-clear-figure-250ml-27nzn the best. It turns the Purple heart more of a red purple, but its still an attractive shade. I have read that oil finishes usually do this to Purpleheart. I’m not sure what I would use if I wanted to preserve the original purple colour. Maybe shellac? In any case, applying the oil was no problem.

 Last night I was thinking about the new cabinet and my initial designs had drawers in it. I drew up several with one to four drawers (liked the 4 drawer asymmetrical layout) but decided to do just a cabinet with a door. Then I went back and forth on an overlay or inset door. In the end an inset door won - trickier to do then an overlay but I think an inset door looks better.

checking the height

I have the two ends together, flushed at the top. With door butted up against them I have about 1/8" at this end. That gives me a 16th of wiggle room at the top and bottom.

wash, rinse, repeat

Did the same for checking the width of the cabinet. Got the same 1/8" wiggle room for the width.

sawing the last half pin

After 15 years of doing dovetails I am getting comfortable with them. Half pins were especially difficult for me to master. I can now look back see that it was mostly my lack of sawing skill. Since then I have upped my skill set with sawing. I still have gaffes now and then but even those are dwindling away to nothing.

tails done

I have been thinking about sawing the waste instead of chopping it out. My dovetailing has evolved and I have changed how I do them over the past few years. I've settled into a routine with them and maybe sawing the waste is the next step in my progression with dovetailing. On the flip side I enjoy chopping them and feel that it helps develops my skill using chisels for other operations. Not going to try it on these but maybe on the next dovetailing adventure.

simple set up block

The piece of pine behind the stock in the vise sets the height of the stock. The set up block is aligned with the top of the outrigger, height set up thingie behind it. That allows the tail board to lay flat and even on the pin board for marking/knifing the pins.

2 of 6

I have 3 gent style dovetail saws and 3 open handle dovetail saws. The right saw is a Lie Nielsen saw and it was my go to for dovetailing until the I got the one on the right (2 years ago?). That one came from Blue Spruce and I use it now for all my dovetailing. I find that the length (12") makes sighting and sawing plumb and square much easier than the shorter length LN dovetail saw.

chopping the pins

Used 3 different chisels chopping the tail and pin waste. My LN 1" socket chisel, Ashley Iles chisels, and my no name 25mm metric chisel. All of them work and do the job without any one of them really outshining the others. I do know that not all of them hold an edge for long and all of them suck at chopping when dull.

hmm.....

The tails are proud in a tapered manner. Maybe I should have made the faces parallel rather than just eyeball flattening the two faces.

square

Both ends of this pin board were fitted off the saw and went in square. It is getting to were I am starting to take this for granted. It is humbling when you screw it up and end up with kindling.

checking the height

Still have my 1/8" to split the top and bottom.

nope

Killed the lights here on the 2nd pin board. Had other life events intervene and I'll do this one in the AM. The goal of getting the carcass dovetailed and glued up didn't happen today. 

hmm....

Played some more with the rabbet plane before I left the shop. The rabbet plane ate up this red knot without a hiccup. Surprised me a lot at how effortlessly it plowed right through it.

took some fiddling

The plane bottomed out but the rabbet needed some remediation. Planed a hump in the middle and inboard vertical wall was wavy. Fixed both of them with the same plane. Gauged my progress with the margins from the stick laid in the rabbet.

accidental woodworker 

What you need My cove cutting jig

Cutting coves seems like a job more suited to a shaper or perhaps a very large router. However; did you know your table saw is a great tool for this purpose? When building a piece of furniture you won’t find moldings to match the wood species you’re using so need to make your own. I use the same technique to create larger coved picture frame moldings — let me share it with you. As it happens all too often, an internet search will yield many methods, many of which contradict each other. My method simplifies the process, making it much easier to create coves whether it’s for a picture frame or molding for furniture.

All my jig requires is a straight, sturdy piece of material. Mine is Basswood 1″ thick x 2″ wide and 52″ long — cut-offs from frame making material. About 9″ from one end I centered a hole for a 1/4″ bolt. This is to attach a 3″x 6″ piece of wood; install a threaded insert for that. The purpose of the 3×6 piece is to let the cove cutting jig lay flat on the table; size yours to your saw, mine was a little over an inch thick. To keep it from slipping around while you clamp it down use double stick tape and apply a piece of sandpaper to it. This is the key part to simplify setting the angle for your cove. You will also need a block for the outfeed end of the jig to bridge the distance between the table top and the back rail.

Step 1:

Mark tooth where blade enters and exits Setting angle with parallelogram

Your first step is to determine how deep your cove will be and set your blade at that height. I use a Tenryu Gold Medal 40 tooth combo blade. I’ve experimented using 8″ dado blades as well but the Tenryu works fine. For reference, these pictures are from the infeed side of the saw. Make a mark where the tooth of the blade enters and exits (I put down a piece of tape). After lowering the blade use a shop made parallelogram set for the width of your cove. Angle the parallelogram until it aligns with the marks you made on the throat plate. Draw a line on the inside as shown by the arrow. Note: a parallelogram is relatively simple to make. Make it from straight material, mine is 3/4″ square material and the pieces are 16″ and 6″ long. Set the measurement between the two long pieces and tighten the screws.

Step 2:

Adjust fence to angle and tighten down Add the width of shoulder and move fence as required

What really simplifies this process is to using the jig I described above. Most methods have you try to place a clamp at either end of this long piece while keeping it aligned with the line you drew — no way; you’ll need another pair of hands. Align the fence to the line you drew on the inside of the parallelogram and tighten securely while putting pressure against the block to keep it tight against the table — this is where that piece of sandpaper comes in handy! My cove has a 3/8″ shoulder on one side so the fence needs to be shifted away from the blade. If you have set up blocks use them to draw that line then slide the fence to it and securely clamp it in place. You can also just make a mark.

Step 3:

Step: 4:

Creating detail at sight edge Final profile

The final steps to create this profile was to first use a Veritas skew rabbet plane to add a detail to the sight edge. This was followed by cutting the rabbet for the canvas to eventually fit into.

This is the method I use all of the time and certainly not the only way to go about it. For me, it’s relatively easy and quick for creating the occasional coves I need in my work. To do production runs of this process you may want to consider a more complex set-up. Appreciate any comments if you use this and it works out for you too.

  The glass door cabinet and the toolbox are done. Both have taken up residence in the boneyard for now. My wife wants the glass door cabinet and the toolbox is awaiting someone to adopt it. I also have a japanese toolbox that is hoping to be adopted.

muntins cooking

Glued the muntins on after dinner last night. While filling the pie hole I thought about the door. Couldn't think of anything else to do on the door that needed to be done before the muntins were glued on. Ran putting the whole cabinet together in the brain bucket and nada. Didn't see any road blocks or hiccups so I pulled the trigger. 

The muntins were square to the inside of the frame. All four points that the muntins were glued to the frame were tight and secure. I think with the snug fit and the four glue points the muntins will stand the test of time.

name?

Glued the center thing on the horizontal and vertical muntins. I just saw a blog about repairing these but I can't remember what he called them. I let them cook for a couple of hours before removing the clamps.

first toolbox glamour pic

The dutchmen I did haven't popped as much as I thought they would. The through tenons look good IMO.

2nd glamour pic

They didn't pop much more on the interior. 3 coats of shellac on the interior and 5 on the exterior.

3rd glamour pic

The till came out a wee bit smaller than planned. None of my wooden marking gauges fit - the till is too shallow. However, my Glen Drake marking gauges fit.

4th glamour pic

The lid could double as a teeny workbench. I tried but the handle got in the way when I tried to sit on the lid.

hmm.....

The toolbox that inspired mine had the edges of the ends wrapped in metal. One end had an 'anvil' at the top. Perfect for pounding on for straightening bent nails? I thought of copying that but I couldn't even begin to figure out how to do the metal work. Maybe on the next one. BTW, still haven't been able to find the YouTube vid on restoring the original one.

done

There isn't much more to do with the door other than hinges and a knob of some kind. I'm thinking of using a snap catch for this similar to the one I used on the glass door cabinet.

ta da, 1st glamour pic

I had a few hiccups making this but none of that slaps you as you look at it.

I am not a fan of fixed shelving as I prefer adjustable shelves that can be positioned as needed for current storage items. It was too tight for drilling into the stiles for shelf pins. One of the draw backs for this type of cabinet construction.

3rd glamour pic

Glad that I decided to make the back finished. I doubt that it will be exposed but it gives the option to my wife with having it visible.

flattening the new project stock

 The boards all had a slight cup to them. I didn't attempt to get the two faces parallel - just planed both sides flat taking the minimal amount of stock off.

two sides, top, and bottom

The plan is to dovetail the carcass. I'm thinking ahead to the back and how and what it will be. I would like to use 1/2" thick stock and I'm stuck on how to attach said 1/2" thick boards to the back of the carcass.

stickered until the AM

I need time to think more on the build and this will give the stock time to relax and get any stupid wood tricks out of its system.

what a relief

The door laid flat on the tablesaw. Not even the slightest hint of it rocking. Even flipped it and tried it on the muntins. Not dead nuts flat but still almost no rocking neither.

hmm.....

It was too early to kill the lights so I dug out this rabbet plane to play with. I've had it for 4-5 years (?) and it smelled awful when I first got it. After hanging out in the shop that smell is now gone. Tried it as is, the plane hesitated due to the iron being dull a little but no hiccups with making this rabbet.

plane bottomed out

The size of the rabbet is a viable size. This would work on the current build for the back for the 1/2" thick boards I'm planning on using.

freshly sharpened

The blade is laminated. I can see the line across the bevel and on the sides.

yikes

Wicked sharp iron and I didn't even have a chance to start the thought of saying 'aw shit.....'. Weird that this finger was the one the iron drew blood on.

looking better

Scrubbed it first with alcohol and then Simple Green. Looks better and cleaner. The smell hasn't returned. It was the smell that initially made me stick this in the black hole of shop 'to do' things.

accidental woodworker 

I had a stack of short pieces of sassafras and it was like a geometry puzzle to see if I had enough to make a little table. I took measurements and made drawings trying to eke it out.

enough to make a small table?

Alas I made a trip to the lumberyard and picked up another piece to make sure I had enough.

this will be enough for comfort

About the time I was doing this I noticed my porch has a bunch of junk on it and no place to store it, so I thought this might make a good porch table. Sassafras is on the list of durable woods that can take some weather. If that doesn't work out it could be a nightstand, side table, or whatever.

The design of the table is simple, with two shelves only and no drawers or doors.

it's a start

Some of the stock is 5/4 or 6/4 thick, allowing resawing into thinner pieces. My bandsaw fence is only ~3" tall, and it came with this roller to keep the lumber pressed against the fence. They work ok. In the next picture I am resawing 9" wide 6/4 thick sassafras. I also resawed some 5/4 stock. This gives a range of thicknesses from less than 1/2" to over 1".

fixin to resaw resawn pieces

After running these boards through the planer I assembled them into panels. I made the top first, as its size would determine the size of the case. The top ended up 19" wide and 17" deep. I made the case a little smaller to allow an overhang on three sides.

top panel glued, marking back edge to plane

There were four glued up panels: the top, two sides, and one long shelf panel I later crosscut into two shelves. I used titebond II instead of my regular hide glue, as it may be exposed to the weather.

match planing to get a good glue joint

For now I plan on nailing the shelves through the sides. Unlike my shamrock magazine stand I added dados to house the shelves. I mark one line and cut with a batten, then use a spacer to cut the second line. The bulk is wasted away with a chisel and a router plane cleans up the bottom. If the shelf doesn't fit I mark where to plane a little off the underside of the shelf.

sawing one wall of dado with a batten router plane cleans the bottom after chiselwork mark where to relieve the underside of the shelf

'Sheikah' is from a videogame, The Legend of Zelda series. The Sheikah characters have this eye symbol that is on their clothes or in the background. I'm going to pierce it through the sides of the table. I printed the symbol out on multiple sheets of paper, then traced through the paper onto the wood. This doesn't work on harder woods, but it worked on sassafras which the wood database says has a janka hardness of 630.

there's gotta be a better way to do this tracing through paper to make impressions into the wood

Here is a quick assembly to see what it will look like:

sneak peek

I think I will make some changes, but nothing major. I still have to cut a toekick rail and two rails to go across the top. So far I've glued up four panels and made four dados. It felt like more than that.

 I'll have glamour pics of two more projects - the glass door cabinet and the toolbox tomorrow. Glad to finally putting these two to bed. And I started on the next one which starts with a four lite glass door. I'll be building the carcass to fit the door rather than fitting a door to the carcass.

not a good first pic, eh?

Painted the holidays on the door and the carcass. Barring me finding more hiccups this will done once the paint is dry.

hmm.....

Decided to use one of these picture frames as a door for the upcoming cabinet build. Like I already said, I'll be building the carcass to fit the door.

muntin

For some reason I drew a complete blank on how I had made the muntins for the glass door cabinet. On the bright side the muntin came out perfect for a test piece. The idea is to glue the center thin bar in a notch in the door frame.

making a tenon

In spite of drawing a blank, this muntin will be done in a different way then the glass door cabinet.

sigh

These two are toast. Both of them are from quarter sawn and after ripping out the center bar they curled at the ends.

two new ones

Same problem but not as bad. The board I ripped these out of is bowed at one end. Didn't see that when I sawed them.

sigh

Two more muntins from flat sawn and they are toast too. Both of them slipped in the tenon jig when I pushed it through the saw.

just as well

I sawed for the tenon on the wrong side anyways. The kerf should have been on the left not the right.

2 more plus an extra

I was still trying to understand the echoes banging around in the brain bucket about how to do the muntins. Where to place the tenons, half laps, notches, and not being able to fully see the negative spaces. I was getting a headache.

test pieces

Before I commit to the real thing I'm going to experiment on some scraps to figure it out. The left one is the muntin and the right one, one of the sides of the frame.

notch chopped

Decided to use a notch the same size as the muntin for strength. This will be a larger a glue surface than a skinny center bar. 

self supporting

Got a good fit on the notch and the muntin but it didn't work out. The top and bottom of the muntin are flush with the top and bottom of the frame. I need an offset for the glass and the retainer bars.

2nd attempt

Made the 'tenon' deeper on the muntin so I got an offset on the back. Wasn't expecting the front to lay proud on the front face of the frame though.

serendipitous?

I kind of like this - a step up from the flush look of the glass door cabinet.

small chamfer

This is what I'm going with. The muntin will be proud and have a profile of sorts.

choices

I ripped the test frame piece to the same width as the door frame. Deciding how long to make the muntin overhang on the frame width. I think this is better looking if it isn't run out to the outside edge.

not quite half laps

Setup I used to get the depth of the muntin 'tenon' the same on both ends. The board on the right was the outrigger for the router to keep it from tipping.

true half lap

The horizontal and vertical muntins joined.

muntins done

The blue tape is holding a super glued chip back in place. I used the half laps to determine the 'tenons'on the horizontal muntin. They went together enough so I could knife nick where it crossed the frame on the right and left.

asymmetrical layout

I used thirds for the layout. The inside measurements are 12" x 24". The vertical muntin is set at 4" and the horizontal one at 8".

brown knot

Soaked this with super glue twice. I am going to paint the door and shellac the carcass. Most of the brown knot will be hidden when the door is closed. There is a small brown knot on the face about the size of a pea.

glass retainers

The retainers are square and sit flush in the rabbets. I'll have to thin them after I get the glass for them.

chamfer done

Thought of doing this with a plane but whacked it out with the router.

corners cleaned up

The door is basically done. The hard part of making/fitting the muntins is complete. Before I glue it up I'm leaving it dry for just in case. No worse feeling to be had after glue up then to realize you needed to do one more thing before you glued it.

accidental woodworker 

Making a tap guide for my lathe turret.
Of all the tools we manufacture the drafting rules are my favorite. I have one that I use everyday. It's the rule I use when I'm measuring something because of a customer query, if I'm trying to find the right stock to make a part, or if I have to part something off on a lathe to make sure it's the right length. Now the difference between a drafting rule and a regular rule is that the drafting rule has thin edge, which gets it close to the thing you are measuing or layout and and there is less parralax error. Ours version also has end grads, which is really handy for measuring short things when you simply don't have space for the entire length of the ruler. This is very handy when I am working on the lathe.

Starrett used to make a drafting rule, and I have one and that's where we got the idea that maybe we should reintroduce it. The Starrett drafting rule only had a bevel on one edge, ours has a cove which looks and feels nicer but more importantly it means if you press down on the one side of the ruler the other side lifts up and it's easier to pick it up.
So a few years ago we started making them. We discovered we had no idea what we were doing. When you mill the cove on one side the brass wants to buckle and the scrap rate was horrendous. So when we ran out of initial batch we stopped making them. About 2 years ago, we ordered material to make more of them, thinking we would do it better. But we gave up pretty quickly.
We still have the stock, and I have another idea about fixturing, but hustling to produces Gramercy Tools Treadle Lathes, I just haven't had the time to figure out if we have a good path. Maybe next year if I have time. However, we found a very small number of English rulers (8) buried in the warehouse that we didn't know we had, along with two English / metric (2) rules. We just put them up for sale now. If you've been jonesing for one now is your chance. Click here.

In other news this past weekend I once again visited the Poster House Museum to see there awesome exhibit "The Future Was Then: The Changing Face of Fascist Italy". This was eyeopening to me as I never really understood much about Fascist Italy before WW2.




PS

 Two days in a row with an appointment but at least this time I knew I had this one. It was PT to help me with my right hip - I can't lift my right leg upwards from a seating position. However, it screwed up not only my shop time, it set back my post lunch stroll. All and all it worked to my advantage. Started applying shellac and all the drama with the strolling and the appointment wasn't so bad.

one more day

I got 4 coats on the toolbox and the till (includes post dinners application too). The lid is drying on the tablesaw. Two more days at the most and I'll be snapping glamour pics of it.

accidental woodworker