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Modern day tool makers mainly concentrate on hobbyists with very little knowledge about the craft. That’s not an insult, it’s just the truth of where the market has gone. Most modern plane buyers are not tradesmen or full-time users. They’re enthusiasts who might use a plane once or twice a week, and that’s perfectly fine. But tool makers design around that group, not around those who spend hours at the bench every day.

I agree that metals have come a long way, but the real question is how has any of this actually improved our craft? What benefit have we really gained?

We’ve been told that thicker irons were made to reduce chatter, but that’s just marketing talk. In truth, chatter rarely comes from a thin iron. It’s usually the result of poor bedding, a loose cap iron, or sloppy setup. What thicker irons and A2 steel really did was make sharpening slower and rule out oil stones for anyone who prefers them.

Then there’s the matter of weight. For hobbyists, a heavier plane might seem fine, but when you use one all day, it quickly becomes exhausting. Old Stanley planes were light, nimble, and easy to control. The modern premium planes, on the other hand, often feel clumsy and tiring, especially when you’re planing something like a raised panel.

Manufacturers love to say that the extra heft helps the plane glide through timber. That’s nonsense. If you need the weight to do the cutting, your iron’s blunt.

Yes, today’s planes are machined to high tolerances, and that’s impressive, but in practice, a well-tuned Stanley does the job better. It’s lighter, faster to sharpen, and more comfortable to use, exactly what a plane should be.

Tool makers love to use terms like precision machining and modern performance steel because it sells. But in the hands of someone who knows how to sharpen properly and set a cap iron correctly, an old Stanley will run circles around most modern planes. It’s not nostalgia, it’s experience. Those lighter, simpler designs were made by people who actually used them for a living, not by engineers trying to appeal to collectors.

The first person to bring this topic to light and reveal its bitter truth was Paul Sellers. I was one of his first opposers, mainly because I had just replaced all my old tools with Lie Nielsen and Veritas planes. My pride got in the way, and I hadn’t used the modern planes long enough to form an informed opinion. Looking back, my biggest mistake was selling my old Stanleys and Record planes. They weren’t in the best condition, but they still performed beautifully.

The truth is, the craft hasn’t improved because the tool itself didn’t need improving. What’s changed is the audience. Toolmakers now cater to people who admire tools more than they use them. And while there’s nothing wrong with that, it’s led to a generation of planes that look impressive on a bench but don’t necessarily work better in the wood.

So before anyone believes the hype about thicker irons and added weight, ask yourself: is it really an improvement or just another myth we’ve been sold?

 I awoke this AM and I thought I had lost power overnight. The clock in the bedroom said I was rolling out of the rack at 0554 and the clock in the living room said it was only 0455. Oops, I forgot to fall back and do the _+)@^&$%%)@_%*@ changing of the clocks. I knew it was coming but just not today. Oh well stercus acidit again.

living room

The shop is staying at a toasty 66F - 19C but the living room is even toastier at 71F - 22C. Brought the miniature hope chest to cure there. A week or so should do then I can give it to my sister.

hmm.....

99% of the japanning wiped away with the rag. Gone without a whimper. The steel brush worked wonderfully raising a bit of shine on both of them.

stubborn spot

On both spokeshaves, in the same spot, there was japanning left that the rag wouldn't, couldn't remove. A couple of strokes with the steel bristle brush and it was history. Happy and amazed at how clean the spokeshaves were with just Simple Green.

 In the past I spent a bazillion hours hand scraping japanning without get it all. Soaking in Simple Green did the trick. I hand scraped planes, drills, and a lot of other japanned tools and then I used Simple Green to remove japanning from them too. The only headache with Simple Green is finding something that the tool can soak in.

2nd use

Bow sander worked with the rounded ends of the spokeshave. A smaller one would have been better but I only have this large one.

finally

The filed areas (the mouth) took a long time to do because of the limited stroke of the files. There was a lot of casting defects and roughness in the area where the irons lived. The smaller spokeshave was the worse of the two to clean up.

marine JB Weld

Filled in the voids and defects with JB Weld. It looks a lot worse than it actually is. I expect that most of the JB Weld will sanded off. This should leave a smooth surface when it comes time to paint them.

the big spokeshaves

On this this one I was able to use a small file that fit through the mouth. I could file from the top to the bottom in one fluid stroke. I didn't go nutso on this - just looking to ensure that the bed for the irons is flat.

hmm.....

The iron for the left side was tight and wouldn't go down beyond the 1/2 way point. I don't recall this hiccup when I bought it and I hadn't done anything to shrink it or the spokeshave. Head scratcher for sure. 

partial fix

I filed the two outside edges lightly - just enough to make them shiny and smooth. I also filed the inside cheeks of the left side. The iron now has some lateral adjustment.

surprise

I was expecting this black paint to be toast. Past experience with it has shown me that any non use time between uses and it skims over and turns thick and syrupy and useless as paint. Glad for that because most stores that sold these pint cans don't anymore. I have more than enough to do both of the spokeshaves.

not today sports fans

Wiped this one down with acetone and I was going to paint it. However, I noticed a couple of casting voids that I had to fill it. Maybe tomorrow I'll be able to paint them.

still tacky

This is JB Weld is a 5 minute marine epoxy but over 5 hours later it is still tacky. I'll let it go until the AM and hopefully it will be ready to sand and paint then.

glazier point box

It was too early to kill the lights so I decided to shellac this box. 3-4 coats should put a smile on my face. Got 2 coats before I killed the lights for the day.

accidental woodworker

 

hmm......

My favorite store for buying Simple Green didn't have any. A boatload of of ZEP products but no Simple Green. Wally World had it and I bought this concentrate instead. Supposedly this will make 5 gals.  I only need enough to cover the two spokeshaves in that pan.

took 6 cups total

It didn't quite cover the spokeshaves but it was close. I didn't want to put any more liquid in this thin aluminum cooking pan.

one more

Last coat of shellac on the lid and the exterior. I think that is 8 but I'm not sure.

I don't think so

Both of these spokeshaves came from England so I was expecting them to be metric screws. The screw wouldn't fit in any of the M5 or M6 threaded holes but it fits in the imperial 1/4-20 threaded hole. It didn't feel quite right though. It was loose and initially I thought it was because the screw looked battle worn. It looked like it had been sand blasted, all dimpled and rough.

I tried it in all four of my gauges - metric and imperial - and nada. I'm pretty sure now that it is a 1/4-20 Whitworth thread. They have a 55° pitch thread whereas UNC threads are 60°.

interesting

I took this spokeshave out after letting it soak for a couple of hours. The japanning embedded in the casting defects is already loosening. I wasn't expecting the japanning to give up this quickly.

looking better

I didn't go nutso sharpening this because it is all free hand and I'm not that good at it. I kept at it until I got a burr on the back.

brass washer

The washers in both of the spokeshaves were brass which surprised me a lot. I would have bet a lung that they would be steel. That aside, this washer hole was a few frog hairs too narrow. When I removed it I had to tap it off with a screwdriver and a hammer. Drilled it out until it was slip fit over the screw down to the shoulder.

it ain't easy

I am in the dark about how to use this spokeshave. I'm not sure that it can make a profile on the face. And at what orientation do you push it at? I tried this, parallel to the face, and at various angles balanced on the edge. Tried it on both edges with both irons. The results sucked pond scum.

nope

The profile is a bazillion percent better than the one I tried to get when I first bought this. However, it isn't developed nor is it consistent end to end.

better

Working the edge was easier but the profile didn't change much. I think maybe I should spend a few more calories sharpening. It did matter which side of the spokeshave I used, the profile was the same.  

Working with the grain was better than working against the grain. It tore out a lot going against the grain, more than I anticipated. I expected some but not the amount I got. The grade after this test run is mixed. Not knowing how to use and having to figure it out by trial and error is going to be brutal.

wow

This has been soaking in the Simple Green for about 5 hours and a ton of the japanning is gone. What is left on it I wiped away with a finger. It isn't going to take 2-3 days of soaking to remove all the japanning.

gone

This flat on the back had a thick, shiny chunk of japanning on it. It is gone, completely. This is one spot I was prepared to remove with a scraper. I'll clean them up in the AM for sure.

hmm......

I'll be buying this again for sure. First it is a lot cheaper then buying a spray bottle of it. Mixing it up to refill my spray bottle was easy peasy and I had control over the strength of it. I refilled at 1:1.

accidental woodworker 

I’ve finished three shrink pots that are available for purchase. I’ll provide some details about each of them below. If you’re interested, please email me at dandkfish@gmail.com. Prices include shipping. Thanks. I’ll start with the pot on the left, Riven … Continue reading →

 When I killed the lights for the day I realized that I had put a check mark in the done column for three projects. I had forgotten that I had finished one and only remembered it just before I started this blog post. Two of them are or will be going to someone and one will end up in the boneyard.

three knots and a dutchman

The underside of the lid is done. Four coats of shellac is ok for the underside. Only one knot shows through to the up face. I saturated all of them super glue twice before I put on the first coat of shellac.

hmmm......

Test time with the stencils. This is my first attempt at it and on You Tube I saw them being done with brushes and rollers. I'm going to use my wife's stencil brush on the leaf stencil.

questionable

I brushed this and then I dimpled it by hitting the stencil straight up and down with the brush. The biggest question I had was there any bleeding paint beyond the stencil pattern.

no bleeding

The pattern is clear without defined edges. However, there are raised ridges of paint in several spots. Too much paint but no bleed through. On the second one I used a drier brush. Oops, forgot to snap a pic of #2 but it was much better.

done

I kinda like this stenciling. Not exactly well done but it also doesn't look like a monkey did it neither. When I try this again I'll practice a few more attempts more then two. This was only glamour pic I took of project #1. This will live in the boneyard now.

two coats on

I got a third coat on before I went on my post lunch stroll. Only doing 3 coats on the inside and 4-6 on the lid top and exterior. You gotta love shellac because I knew here that I would be done with this today.

chamfer

Chamfered the outside edge of the base to make it look thinner. I thought of doing a round over but I thought a chamfer fit better than it would. Although a round over would have been been the opposite of the cove molding.

glamour pic #1

Calling this done. I have 5 coats on it but I am going to put a couple more on the lid top and exterior. In spite of that I'm calling this done.

back/side glamour pic

Happy with the dovetails on the chest and base. Something I didn't try for was the chest tails and the base tails look to be the same size. The shellac made the tails pop too - no gaps and in spite of being hand done, they look uniform but not machine done.

glamour pic #3

I will keep the lid propped open with the stick for a week or so. That should be enough time for the shellac to cure and harden.

project #3 glamour pic

I'm calling this done. The paint looks good, not perfect, but more than acceptable. There are minimal brush marks and the coverage is 100%.

glamour pic #2

hmm.... I may not be done with this. I assumed that Jessica is hanging this on a wall. I'll have to ask her and if not, I'll have to paint the back. Fingers crossed along with the toes.

interim project

I've had these two lamb tongue spokeshaves for a couple years. Before I start on the two door cabinet I'll rehab these two. The plan is to strip them and repaint along with doing some needed TLC on the irons. I wanted to let them soak in Simple Green for a few days but I don't have anything big enough to put the irons in. Found out from a comment left on one of my plane rehab posts that Simple Green will dissolve japanning. Filing and sanding it off is a PITA. I'll go to Wally World and buy a disposable aluminum cooking pan for that.

Whoever owned these was right handed (?) because one iron is worn and the other is almost unused. I am guessing on the right handed use based on how I would use it. But it is my understanding that these spokeshaves allowed the user to account for reversing grain - left or right.

accidental woodworker 

How do you describe the realness of a good week? My life’s as full as can be. Living as a daily maker all of my life might well set me apart these days; rarely will my life compare with that of others. No college or university degrees in furniture design and furniture making. No computer-aided...

Source

Last month, for the first time in many years, I was able to offer an Introduction to Parquetry class at Joshua Farnsworth’s Wood and Shop near Charlottesville VA.  We plan for me to offer the workshop again next year.

I had two exercises in mind for the students, all based on sawn veneer edge strips from boards.

The strips were then cut into identical 60-120-60-120 parallelogram “diamonds” or lozenges with a simple jig and a dovetail saw.

NB/ mea culpa – over the years I have attended and spoke at countless woodworking clubs and guilds, and invariably there is a show-n-tell session, and invariably they feature prominently some elaborate jig a member made to do this or that function.  (Yes I know I used “invariably” twice in one sentence.  That is a purposeful literary flourish.)  In the old days I would just roll my eyes and tell myself, “That’s not woodworking.”  Then we started the Roubo Transalation Project.  Turns out the world of the ebeniste’ was all about jigs and patterns.  To quote LBJ, “I reserve the right to be smarter than I used to be.”

Once the pile of lozenges got big enough, they laid out X and Y axes on a piece of paper to guide them then started assembling the composition by gluing down the lozenges to the paper with 135 gws hide glue.

Once the composition was large enough to cover the “field” of the substrate panel, in this case 1/2″ Baltic Birch plywood, the working face of the parquetry (ultimately the verso) was slathered with 192 gws hide glue, followed immediately by the face of the substrate panel.

Then the wo glued surfaces were brought together and clamped using another 1/2″ panel as the caul and a double layer of corrugated cardboard as a gasket.

Thus ended the first day.

You’ve got to watch your head walking around here in October as the black walnut trees drop their heavy fruits. A walk is accompanied by a chorus of crisp plinks and solid thunks. The plinks are acorns, the thunks are … Continue reading →

hmm.....

I initially thought that I hadn't thought the bearers all the way through. I set them down a 1/4" from the top. So I thought that would negate the 1/4"bottom that I had planned on gluing to the bottom. I also thought that bottom of the 1/4" plywood would be flush with the top of the base. I hadn't looked far enough ahead to see that the 1/4" rabbet would house the 1/4" plywood bottom and keep the chest captured in it. DUH!

hmm..... again

There is a 1/4" of the bearers sticking past the edge of the chest. That little bit of real estate is enough to glue a 1/4" piece of plywood to.

fitted

Found a scrap of nice 1/4" plywood in my off cut pile. I sawed it out square to match the ID of the chest. Used a blockplane to shave the lower right corner until it fell into place.

fitting the base moldings

Sawed all four over length by 2". Now that I figured out the bottom for the chest, I almost ready to do the base moldings. Needed to first attach the chest to the bearers.

helping hand

Applied some super glue to the hinges and positioned the lid on them. I find measuring and screwing these type of hinges is hit or miss for me. Super gluing the hinges has worked like a charm for the last 3 hinges (of this type) I installed.

needed some weight

Even though this is an 'instant' super glue I've found out that it isn't unless you hit it with accelerator (which I don't have). A little weight and time and the bond is made.

 I killed the lights here to go to a VA appointment. As I was backing out of the driveway my wife texted me that the VA had canceled the appointment. Worked for me because appointments mid morning really screw up my shop/strolling time.

they are stuck

Lid opened and closed easily. Not even the slightest hint of either of them letting go. I wasn't expecting such a good bond - held long enough to get screws in them. 

stuck real good

Got two of the four screws in each hinge and then I removed them. I wanted to remove the hinge to facilitate applying shellac to the lid but it ain't happening boys and girls. They are stuck on solid - a sharp rap with a mallet did nada. On to plan #2.

base attached the chest

Screwed, no glue, the chest to the bearers.

hide glue

Just in case I or the next owner needs to replace/repair the bottom. 

fitting the moldings

My mini mitering jig - right and left hand moldings can be shot on it. It will also do 90° and that is the one thing I would change. If and when I make another one I will make the 90° bigger. As is I can square stock about 1 1/4" wide and the next one will be around 2".

switched

A 120 grit sanding stick instead of the blockplane. A little slower but no blowout from the blockplane to deal with.

done

Used super glue and yellow glue to attach the moldings. Where I could nail the molding was too thin even for a pin nail. I didn't have a warm and fuzzy about that being secure. An hour later the moldings were stuck tight still.

helping hand

I wasn't thrilled with wee bit of glue surface for the plywood bottom. If I had thought ahead more I could have secured the bottom with just these. Nailed on with no glue - again to facilitate repairs if needed.
 

last stencil came today

This is the one I'll use on the white spice rack. Perfect size and it was the only 4" stencil with a flowery motif that I could find.

fingers crossed

Hopefully this is the last coat. If it is I'll let it cure for a week or so and ship it out to Jessica.

two coats

I found enough shellac flakes to make one cup of a 2 pound cut. That should be sufficient to finish the chest. For all intents and purposes this done except for oohs and aahs.

I ordered another pound of flakes and the price went over $11. I was expecting it to be much worse. With S/H it was $70. Ouch 

accidental woodworker

after dinner work

Finished the pins and checked the base for square. Check. Put the chest inside the base, check. It fit with less than a 16th all the way around. I'm not that fond of these skinny tails. They may look visually good but to me I see a tenuous fit that looks fragile. I should have go with one tail based on the width but I didn't.

fixed

The half tail on the left broke off while cleaning up the half round. It felt secure this AM and the base was ready to glue up.

I showed it who was the boss

When I sawed out the base I removed the labels at the corners. I applied glue to all four corners before I saw that brain fart. The first time, I put two corners together, the other two wouldn't. Broke it apart and tried another combination that didn't work neither. When I tried to break it apart (long side) it split into two. 

I (usually) don't go nutso anymore when I make a bad me-steak but today I lost it and went postal on it. Just as well because this base was questionable. One rap on a long side (to the left of the mallet) and it snapped into two. Not even a hard rap. That and a big red knot lent credence to  destroying this one and making a new base.

sigh

I didn't want to but I had to use a cut off (that I didn't want to use) to get the stock for the new base.

single tail

I felt better making the new base with single tails. I think it is a better fit with the width of the base.

I can learn still

I didn't make the same me-steak this time. I labeled all the pins and tails this time where they won't disappear. I didn't do it on the first base because I thought I didn't have to.

ta da

Base #2 has the same slip fit that the first one had. 

base cut out

One inch fortsner bit drilling a 1/2" on each one. Wash, rinse, and repeat for the short sides.

glued and cooking

I didn't bother to check the diagonals on the base. It had to fit as is so it didn't matter that it was square.

hmm.....

Cut this down from 2 1/4" to 1 1/2". Visually the 2 1/4" height looked too tall for the scale of this. Next up was what to do with the ends. Angled, left as is, or round overs? Then the profile, chamfer or something with an electric router.

ready to glue on

Rounded the ends and routed the same profile on it as the lid edges.

moldings

I have more than enough for the top of the base. It was a toss up between this cove molding or a 1/4 round. The cove one only because I can nail it more easily than the 1/4 round molding.

needs one more coat

Still not done and after painting the last coat I let this cure for a couple of days. I wasn't happy with how it felt after I sanded it. It felt cold and clammy but today it feels warm and dry. I'll put on another coat (final coat hopefully) in the AM.

bearers done

Glued and nailed rather then glue and screws.

finishing the base

Bases are easy to do - you don't have to do any clean up on the interior.

)@&%)*@_%(_)+5()^*&^% gaps

Mixed hide glue and pine sawdust to make my own wood putty. Two corners (tails) needed some help. I thought I had closed them up on the glue up. Used this because I am using shellac as the finish on this.

no mortise hinges

These hinges are easy to install because they don't require a mortise. However, they leave a gap between the lid and the chest which I don't like. I made the notch for them to be within a frog hair flush.

looking for screws

I don't understand how or why hinges are sold without screws. That is like selling a car without tires. I don't have any #5 or #6 screws long enough. I do have some but they have oval heads and I need flat head. I'll make do with what I have until I can order some.

glued and cooking

I'll be heading back to the shop after dinner tonight. My wife is away at a dead people's event and I will no have no adult supervision until saturday. There isn't much more to do on this chest. Attach the lid, the bottom, and screw the chest to the bearers, apply shellac and ooh and aah.

accidental woodworker 

 Time to make a start on these big logs.

Look at all that lovely, fresh oak flesh.

Should get some wide panels out of these.

It can take a while to get the split started on these big logs....and then pop, the sound of it giving up....music to my ears.

There's a bit of twist along the 7ft length, but I'm mainly interested in wide, short panels from this, the fattest part, so I can live with the twist.

Her hands handled things differently this time. She’s taller, stronger, more able and fully aware. That’s because she’s on the cusp of being seven in a few days time. There was an inner expectation that what she was about to do would work for her the same as it did for me; three years ago,...

Source

Something you do not see every day, a gilded throne heading down the road.  Image courtesy of my son-in-law.  Just gotta wonder what the back story is.

 

caught it

Glad for muscle memory and doing dovetails the exact same way each and every time. Initially I laid out the tails the wrong way and caught it when I flipped the board to lay out the tails on the opposite end.

wee bit off

The opposite face on the joint line was almost dead on flush. It took less than 5 minutes to flush this face.

off the saw

Each corner went together with a few gentle taps with a mallet.

frustrating

I went back and forth on trying to square this up before I finally got it. The seesawing just pass equal diagonals had me seeing stars and wishing I could give this box flying lessons.

glued and cooking

Finally got it after applying glue. First it was an 1/8" off and then a 16th and then a few frog hairs. Ten minutes after this I checked the diagonals on the opposite side and they were off a 1/4". Resolved that without going nutso which surprised me. After this 2nd round of squaring I got the top and bottom diagonals to agree within less then a 16th.

hmmm......

Got a pitch pocket to fill with a dutchman. This will be facing the interior of the chest with the lid closed.

Lie Nielsen #3

This smoother is the last step. Removes plane tracks like a dream. No sandpaper regimen can hold a candle to it.

almost gone

This pocket wasn't that deep and I recall seeing some of these pitch pockets going from face to face.

profile

I didn't want to put a chamfer on this. This is an ogee (?) profile I think. Just enough detail without being over the top.

yikes

This is the profile I wanted - my favorite Preston wooden molding plane. This was the first try and the 2nd one was on an off cut from the lid. It was just as ugly looking.

working again

Smoothed the pins and tails with this arrangement. Thinking maybe I should try to make a low workbench for hand planing? This worked but it did tend to want to walk forward with the planing strokes.

tails

It cleared the top edge by an inch. I'll drill some holes in the uprights so I can move the platform up.

wee bit of twist

Both the top and bottom had a little twist.

base

Got one corner done before I killed the lights. Glue up in the AM. Rethinking the bottom 1/2" plywood as overkill. I'll make a road trip to Lowes and get a 1/4 panel of birch 1/4" plywood.

accidental woodworker

 Got a request for a box from a family member. Me, being me, I suggested instead of a box I make a miniature hope chest. Not much more difference between making a box and the chest. So before I get started on the next project I'll be whacking this out.

hmm......

This is all I have left from last trip to Gurney's sawmill. I was eyeballing it to ensure I had enough to make the double glass door cabinet.

back of the spice rack pic

This is the pic that drove me nutso. As far as I can tell from the pic the back is one piece of something? Another point of contention are the hangers positioned at the top. They will cause the front of the spice rack to tilt slightly forward and down. I will make sure that Jessica doesn't hang her spice rack from the top rail.

double door cabinet

Figuring out what I need to glue up and how many. I am making this to be a dresser (?). I don't like a depth of 11" (1x12 stock) and I didn't want the depth to be a normal dresser depth neither. I settled on 16" deep so it could also be used as a bookcase or a storage/display cabinet.

the miniature hope chest

All of the stock for this box is coming from off cuts from previous projects.

lid

The lid stock (two boards) had a slight cup to them. Before I glued them up I flattened the concave side of the board.

glued and cooking

One face is aligned pretty good on the joint which will be the up face. The other side is off a couple of frog hairs on the joint line. I'll deal with that after the lid comes out of the clamps.

one miniature hope chest

Overkill but the bottom will be 1/2" plywood. I don't have any 6mm plywood and with either one, it won't be visible. I have some 1/4" plywood but it felt too flimsy and I don't trust it for a bottom.

dutchman needed

Big ugly looking pitch pocket that I will hide with a dutchman. This is the before pic.

dutchman pocket done

I would have had to go deeper to fully remove the pitch pocket but this was sufficient. It is roughly 3/8" deep as is.

fitted

The length fit but the width was way too tight. I shaved off the long edges until it was a snug fit.

glued and cooking

This is one of the long legs for the bottom base. The dutchman will be placed on the inside and at the top.

3 hours later

To think I once dreaded trying to use a dutchman. Easy peasy and please don't bite me on the arse now.

3 stencils came

I don't need the 4th one. I am planning to use only the middle and far left one for the white spice rack.

it is close enough

I got this one because it is small and it has a curve to it. I am thinking of putting this stencil on each end. I can reverse the stencil to do either side. I will have to cut some off the bottom of the stencil to fit in this spot.

center stencil

Not sure which is the top and bottom on this stencil. I am positioning so it flows upward. Like the other stencil I'll have cut some off this stencil too. The pattern is 4" and the space available it 4 3/4".

tails are ready

Using the Moxon vise a lot more lately. Bending over at the face vise is becoming problematic for me. My back doesn't like bending over that low to saw tails and pins. Wish I had a 12' bench and could mount this permanently.

quitting time

Got into a rhythm and lost track of time. Mickey's big had was on 3 and his small one was on 4. I find dovetails to be soothing to do especially more so that I can do them reasonably well. There is something meditative about the whole process that appeals to my OCD. Glue up in the AM for sure. 

accidental woodworker

I have had these small sayings posted in the shop for a long time. I look at them often for their help. The one from the late Sam Maloof, above, is on the door of my drafting setup. I really need that advice! In the photo below, it is from the late James Krenov. It […]

I’ve been making wooden hay rakes today, which has given me the opportunity to try some new techniques. Here is a short video about making the rake tines using an old method that’s new to me. (Is this is my first foray into vlogging?): 

You can watch the Romanian rake maker where I learned this technique here.

The post Rake Tines that Stay (yet are easily replaced) first appeared on Elia Bizzarri - Hand Tool Woodworking.

As a child, I loved journals. I bought many. Each had so many pages with so much potential. I still have them to this day. But aside from my name, they remain untouched. That’s because while I loved the idea of creating a record of my thoughts and ideas, the challenge of filling it with content worthy of the journal was too much for me.

What went wrong? I misunderstood the purpose. The journals were tools for me to record my thoughts and ideas that may or may not one day be realized into something larger. They were not meant to be great themselves.

The idea of creating something perfect was getting in my way of creating anything at all. My vision was preventing all productivity.

Now, when creating anything, I will start anywhere. Write a few words, draw a few lines, make a few cuts, swing an axe. Just make it bold and make it permanent.

No pencils here. No undo button. These allow for revisions and second guessing.

Once the first stroke has been done, I can assess my progress. Do I like it? Should I include or exclude it? This is how some of my best work is done.

Sometimes many revisions are necessary to arrive at the end result, but if the previous revisions don’t survive (e.g. were erased/undone), there is no way to study and learn from the them and understand why the end result is as good as it is.

Right now, this is a blog post. Yesterday it was an idea (actually, it was a different idea). Tomorrow it could be a book, or a billboard, or a tattoo.

Didn't get much shop time today. Spent most of it getting the furnace going which made my wife happy. I patted myself on the back that I had paid for an automatic water level gizmo. Well worth the extra $500 (IMHO) it cost. Turned on the thermostat and the water level automatically filled. I vacuumed the furnace inside/outside and the dust collected on the piping wasn't that bad. Considering how close it is to the shop there wasn't a lot of dust on it.

done

I was surprised by how well this went. The moldings stayed in place after pressing down on them for a few. I was able to get all four on and nothing slipped or shifted when I applied the clamps. 

hmm......

One thing I plan on doing is buying more threaded rods and cutting them down. All the ones I have are 24" long and the router box is roughly 12" x 11". Thinking four rods 12" long and four more at 18" should do the trick. Amazon has 12" rods in a four pack for >$10 but I couldn't find 18" or 36" lengths.

sigh

It is going to take another coat - a 3rd one. I sanded it down with 320 and wiped it with a rag and vacuumed it. I rolled on the 2nd coat and it laid down much better than the first coat which was brushed on. It probably would have been better with a 2" roller but I couldn't find any. I had to use a 4" roller and it was awkward trying to roll the interior of the spice rack.

happy face on

5 hours later and the moldings look good. Especially the bead portion on the miter toes. Clean, with the profile intact. I will have to slap a couple coats of shellac on them before I can call it 100% done.

accidental woodworker