I'm Still Here -- Just a Waiting Game

     Ever find yourself busy but not sure where the time goes?  It's been about a week and a half since I wrote my last blog.  I've kept myself busy working on the plans and the bid/estimate for a set of bookcases.  They're based on the Barrister style where the fronts are glass and lift up to slide into the top recess of the case.  The purpose of them is to keep dust out and you know that we have plenty of that here in the desert!  I'm referring to this project as "faux" Barrister bookcases.  Traditionally they are separate units that stack on top of one and other.  Barristers (lawyers) would buy additional cases as they needed them to house their law book collection.  This unit is just under 7' tall but will be made in two pieces.  The largest section will be for a turntable.  I have some concern on having a door of this size; 25" wide and 18" tall, the mechanism that allows these doors to slide up and over is nothing more than some 1/4" dowels that ride in dados.  Even at their more standard height of 12"-13" they can bind if they're not pushed up evenly.  I've made a mockup out of MDF and we'll just have to see what happens.  I meet with the potential client next Tuesday morning to see whether or not they'll like my plans and price.
     I was asked to do a demonstration at the next meeting of the Sin City Woodworkers this coming Wednesday and agreed to do one on half blind dovetails.  It'll be good practice for my upcoming class in September.  In my preparation for that today I discovered that my chisels could be sharper!  Seems as if sharpening is a never ending process when it comes to working wood.  Without a doubt though, when your tools are sharp the work goes so much better.  It's a valuable part of woodworking and well worth the time and effort.  My general procedure is to look over my sharpening notes but here's a link to really good video on YouTube by Lie-Nielsen tool works .  Using his advice, I flattened my stones after using both sides once and just as advertised it went well.  In the past I'd only flatten after a complete sharpening session, this way is quicker and insures that the stone will be flat for each tool.  Here's a picture of all that action:

Left to Right: 4000/8000 Stone, 220/1000 Stone, Flattening Stone

     This is the messy part of the operation so it's done in an old baking tray to contain it to some degree.  I use a Veritas honing guide which works well for all but the smallest chisels, those need to be held by hand.  The stones are 3M that are fairly new and I do like them better than the old ones.  They had lots of spider web cracks that didn't seem to affect the sharpening but the 3M stones seem to cut faster and the scratch pattern is very easy to see.  The appearance of that scratch pattern changes whether you're using 1,000; 4,000; or 8,000 grit.  Once there is a uniform scratch pattern on the entire cutting edge it's time to change to the next grit.  This time I put a micro bevel by taking about five strokes, pulling back only.

Ready to go to Work!

     One of the things that always pops up in my head when sharpening is the phrase: "if you can see something then you have nothing".  Meaning that the cutting edge should be invisible, if you see anything at all it's probably a nick or blunted edge that needs to be taken care of.

The chisel on the far left is a Lie-Nielsen special they call a Fish Tail, kind of obvious how that name came about!  A while back I mentioned a pair of Japanese skew chisels that gave me some problems -- tips breaking off are a problem!  Those were sold on e-bay and I did show the damage.  This fish tail chisel replaces the pair and I really like using it to clear out the sockets for dovetails.  Decided to sharpen the marking knife as well.
     I still need to cut the taper on the legs for the contemporary designed tables for our family room.  Seems as if every time I start to do that something else pops up!

Class Cabinet Complete

 

WoodItIs! Hand Tool Class Project

     The cabinet is complete and I just had to hang it on a piece of plywood to get the full effect and see how it will look from different angles.  This will be the project for the class at WoodItIs! that is scheduled for September 6th. through the 22nd. on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons.  Making the project and the plans has really gotten me excited about teaching it.  Although I've given one on one lessons in my shop, having more people adds that interaction which makes a class enjoyable and challenging.  Like Jamie stated in the class description I do have a real passion for woodworking and hope to pass it on to the students.  Even though this wood is a substitute for Mahogany (plantation grown, eco friendly to keep up with the latest trend!) it works differently. In an earlier post I'd mentioned how the grain seduced me into buying this particular piece and it really finished nicely, beautiful glow and the color is pleasing to the eye.  I hope that by showing the students how a simply made scratch stock can add that subtle detail to the sides they'll make one for themselves rather than grabbing a router.

Walnut Pull

      Another thing to share is being able to take scraps and odd pieces of wood to make your own handles and pulls.  This just adds another touch to it and is well worth the time and effort in my opinion.  This is a piece of Walnut with carved indentations for your finger to latch onto.

In Use

     So, what can you use this cabinet for?  Any number of things really.  Here I just put a couple of books on it, you could use it to display a couple of pictures.  The drawer is a place to put your keys, writing supplies, secret stuff, or whatever.  My goal for the class is that everyone in it learns new techniques and an appreciation of wood and it's beauty.  My philosophy has always been trying to teach ways to do woodwork without spending a fortune on machinery.  I may sound like a Renaissance man but I figure if it was done with stunning results before we should be able to accomplish it now as well.  It's only when we add the commercial aspect to this process that the pleasure of working with our hands diminishes.

Dry Heat, Monsoon Humidity, and tales of Cupping

     Before I get into the technical stuff, I put the first coat of Watco oil on the hanging shelf this afternoon so let me show that first:

This Cumala  is a different type of wood.  Billed as an alternative to Mahogany it has some of the characteristics and coloration but doesn't really work the same.  Quite a bit softer which requires very sharp tools to cut cleanly, it's also somewhat punky.  I selected this piece because of the coloration which I think is probably a mold, disease, fungus by the way it smelled when it was cut.  It does add interest to the piece -- you know me, it's all about the wood!  The drawer sides are  some wood I had left from another project, the Cumala I had set aside to use for the drawers was just too unstable.
     In an earlier post I had mentioned a cupping problem.  I was taken by the figure and color of this board when I should of been checking the end to see which part of the tree this particular board came from.  When I bought it the weatherman was saying that we had 1% humidity and it may have gone up to our normal 6-8% while I was preparing the stock.  Well, a day or so after cutting the dado and beginning work on the dovetails we had a monsoon move in and boy, did the bottom and shelf section cup.  The outside edges turned upward so I was hoping that when the dovetails were assembled it would be enough to keep things in place.  Here's a fairly good shot of how it looks:

This is when I was planing the dovetails level with the sides, look close at the end grain of the pins, maybe you can make out the grain.  It's kind of like a smile!  The ends are tight but the middle has some gapping.  You know what though?  I wouldn't be at all surprised to see them flush up once the weather dries out again.  Yesterday I fit the drawer front for a good fit.  Then today it's been raining (high humidity) and I also oiled it (more moisture) and guess what happens next?  The boy from next door likes to come over so I had just finished the oiling and he asked how it looks with the drawer -- it has expanded enough to where it was tough putting it in!  I learned a lesson when we first lived in Boulder City.  During the monsoon season we couldn't hardly get out of the front door because it would swell up and bind.  Being the woodworker I am, I took it off, planed the edge and it worked just great.  Yeah, until the summer hit again and then we had a good 1/4" of space.

 One last thing about the cabinet.  Usually when you cut a dovetailed drawer you need to put in stopped dados for the bottom and plan carefully to the dado doesn't exit in the tail.  Using this router bit eliminates that chore and will make it much easier for the class.
Glad to have this almost complete so I can go on to another project.

First Look

     I've mentioned that I'll be teaching a hand tool class at WoodItIs!  which is a woodworking school here in North Las Vegas.  It's run by Jamie Yocono, if you're not familiar with her and are interested in learning about woodworking she offers many classes as well as an open shop Saturday where you can utilize her space and expertise.  All students do have to take a mandatory class before enrolling in any other class she offers.  Here's a LINK to her website.

     Ever since she approached me about being a guest instructor I've been pretty excited and really looking forward to it.  The class will be limited to 8 people and teaching and working with adults who actually want to be there will be a treat.  Far cry from working with 12-18 years old incarcerated boys although that was a good way to end my teaching career.  Here's the first look at the project for the class:

Just glued it up this morning and hope the glue will be alright in spite of the 90 degree temperature.  For dovetails and finger joints I like using liquid hide glue because it cleans up easier than others but it is pretty sensitive to temperature.  As you can see, it's a fairly simple design somewhat inspired by James Krenov's work.  The challenge will be completing all of the dovetails in the allotted class time but I'm confident it can be done.  I'd like to expose the class to as many techniques possible including the use of a scratch stock to add a detail on the front edge of the side pieces.  Next comes the drawer with its new challenge of half blind dovetails.  The particular piece of wood (Cumala) I selected for this piece was quite the challenge, it cupped big time after it was surfaced so will lead to one of my "teachable moments" and a discussion on how to counter-act that!

Clap On / Clap Off

Not really, that's kind of a misleading title but after working on the shelf for the class I'll teach in September out in the shop the heat and humidity has scrambled what brain cells I have left!  Really wanted to complete the lamp before Adam & Nicole came over yesterday and succeeded, here it is:

Lamp On

And:

Lamp Off

Really pleased with how the project turned out.  As I mentioned, we were in Lamps Plus looking for just a shade when this swag lamp caught our eye.  Bits of various glass/stone are wired to it with a fine copper wire.  Their colors (blue, white, copper) match our decor so it was a perfect complement for the room.  I used copper tubing for the support and the column and base are Baltic Birch.  The right piece for the room,  another one of those collaboration projects that Diane and I do to make our house our own.

First Public View

????

     I've mentioned that I was in the process of making a floor lamp and here's the first shot of what's going on with that project.  Talk about a radical departure from the last thing that left the shop -- the Heirloom Marble topped side table, this leans towards the contemporary style big time!  What you're seeing is the base and the top of the column that is now attached to it.  I like using Baltic Birch plywood and using the exposed edges with all of the plies as a design element.  This is 3/4" thick and has 13 plies.
The base is two layers plus the feet and will give me enough room to attach a 5 pound barbell weight if needed to keep things from tipping over.  The column itself is a little over 2" square and was made with tongue & groove construction.  the piece of pipe and the flange will go up through the bottom to add strength.  We found a really cool swag lamp at Lamps Plus and will use that rather than having Diane make one for us.  We were there looking for ideas and this just caught our eye.  When's the last time you saw a swag lamp?, didn't think they were even around anymore!  We're using copper pipe for the lamp support and I almost have that figured out.  The finish is blonde shellac and will really bring out the plywood design elements.  So far there are 3 coats on the project and yesterday I started dissolving more flakes to make a fresh batch.  It's so hot out in the shop that it shouldn't take too long for all of them to dissolve.
     The big AWFS woodworking show was in Las Vegas this week and for a hand tool guy like myself, quite an over whelming display of computerized madness!  Unbelievable to see a full sheet of plywood or MDF put on this conveyor and then feed into the CNC machine.  The result is all of these cabinet parts come out of the other end.  There were two that I saw that created a child size rocking chair that simply slotted together.  Pretty impressive but way to the other side of what I enjoy doing.  I took a couple of seminars that were more up my alley.  One was by Phillip Lowe of Massachusetts that dealt with advanced hand joinery.  He runs a school and is well known for his traditional furniture making.  The other was by Jeff Miller of Chicago on designing furniture and the process he uses.  It's always good to watch and listen to how other craftsman accomplish what they do, seems you always walk away with something new that you can use in your own work.

Ready for Delivery

  Many hours have passed since the Heirloom Marble Side Table went from a conversation with my clients that lead to this:

Beginnings

And resulted in this:

Results

     One of the things I used to stress to my students was that by building their projects they went from an idea that germinated in their brains, to a sketch or drawing of that idea, and then finally to an actual project.  The process of achieving  that took them from to abstract to the concrete -- all with the God given talents that they cultivated and worked on and through!  This process is one that I felt they would use no matter what career choice they followed.  I'm sure that very few are woodworkers professionally but imagine there are those that have kept it up as a hobby, at least I hope so!
     This was a good project to design and build.  I've mentioned several times how this utilized traditional construction.  Joinery like mortise and tenons and dovetails, these have been around for centuries and are well proven construction methods.  Sure they take more time and really don't lend themselves to mass production but for someone with the mind set that it's more about the process of creating these things it's well worth it.  Here's a detail of the drawer construction to illustrate that:

Details

     Combining the amber glass knob, the woven cane shelf, the inset Marble top, with the warmth and beauty of the Walnut finished with traditional oil and about 5 hand rubbed coats of finish resulted in the side table the client wanted.