First Class Meeting 5-9-2013

     After all of these years teaching there's still a bit of apprehension whenever I start a new class or meet a student for the first time.  I've told myself that's a good thing; having had complacent teachers that "just go through the motions" and as a rule, didn't get much from their class.  Woodworking is a passionate endeavor for me and I want to share that.
     There's an even mix of male/female in this class with four of each.  Skill levels range from novice to those with quite a bit of experience that want to add some hand tool skills to their repertoire.  The goal for the first to sessions is to try to keep the class pretty much at the same place on their project which is this bench hook:

De-Constructed Bench Hook

    My aim is to familiarize them with marking techniques, chisel, plane, and dovetail saws as they build this project.  It's one they'll be able to use in their future work.  Class started with a demonstration on how to lay out the dovetails -- then they were on their own.  Once all the layout was completed another demonstration showed cutting and chopping out the waste.  We accomplished quite a bit with all getting the tails laid out and cut.  First thing next Thursday will be transferring them, cutting the pins,  and hopefully completing the project so we can start work on the tool tote.  Here's some candid shots of them hard at work.  It's interesting to see the different approaches and body stances they use.  They're definitely concentrating on their work -- looking forward to see how the fitting portion of the joint goes.  One thing I've stressed is that cutting the joinery in 3/4" thick material is much more difficult then when we use the 1/2" thick material for the tool tote project.

What -- Making Candy in the Shop?

Candy Thermometer but no Candy

     First of all the exciting news is that my entry of the Sapele Hall Table was excepted into the Design in Wood competition sponsored by the San Diego Fine Woodworkers Association.  Here's a view of the table, actually one of the pictures I submitted:

Sapele Elliptical Hall Table with Drawers

     There was one slight problem and that is that the caning on the bottom shelf began to waffle!  My suspicion is that the cane was so dried out from being in my 100+ degree  shop in the summer that it was unable to re-hydrate and stretch tight.  It was fine for a few weeks but as it became accustomed to the indoor conditions the waffling began.  I had already ordered replacement from Frank's Cane before the table was accepted -- couldn't stand seeing the waffle, seems as if my eye went right to it!
     Of course that meant I needed to disassembly the shelf, bring it out to the shop, and remove the existing caning.  Even without the pressure of the upcoming competition I wasn't looking forward to this needed task knowing that one slip of the chisel and we'd be back to square one.
     I had used Old Brown Glue for the cane so wanted to double check with Patrick on the website to get his advice on the best way to rehydrate the glue.  That brings us to the top picture and the candy thermometer.  For some restoration work I'd used a water and vinegar solution but his suggestion was water and a steam iron to about 150 degrees.  Didn't want to use a steam iron and risk raising the grain so did the compromise thing and heated the water instead.  The small bottle was used like a syringe to suck up some heated water and then squirt it where needed.

Removal in Progress

     My first thought was to remove the reed that holds the cane in by stripping sections out as I went.  I figured that the more layers of reed I removed, the easier it would be for the water to penetrate and dissolve the glue.  That was a good start but I discovered it worked better if I elevated the shelf so the water would run downhill at the bottom of the groove.

It's Working!!

     This allowed me to pry it out and pull up at the same time.  The tool I'm using is one of a set of those high quality carving tools offered by Harbor Freight for less than $10.00 for a complete, professional set!  There was a sign to tell you more water was required, a cracking sound that sounded just like I imagined the wood would make if it was splitting.  Kind of alarming but it turned out to be the glue cracking because it was too dry.  More water = no more splitting sound.
     Here you can see a before and after cane removal.  The plan is to let it dry completely until Monday, then I'll make a thin scraper that will just fit inside of the groove to remove any residue and re-cane.

One Down, One to Go

Getting Ready for the Hand Tool Class

      As of today there are 7 students enrolled in the Hand Tool Woodworking class that starts this Thursday at Wooditis here in Las Vegas.  I've spent much of the morning preparing the stock for the two projects.  Jamie bought the materials we need and brought it over to my shop so I could prepare it for the class.  Our first project will be the bench hook that I refer to as Project Overkill.  Bench hooks are really a pretty simple shop made appliance but very useful.  I designed this one to incorporate dovetail and tongue and groove joinery -- all hand cut!

Bench Hook Material

     We're using Alder for the base and Poplar for the two hooks.   You can see the deconstructed one in the back ground.  Alder is a good material to make your first dovetails in and they're fairly large so students have to deal with small pins or tails.  I'm a tails first guy so the Alder is the first material they'll work on.  The Poplar is a bit harder which is a mixed blessing; yes it takes more effort to saw but tends to pare and chisel smoother.  Of course, just when you think you know how a wood will react it throws you a curve ball.  I'm planning on being able to complete this project during the first two class sessions.
     The other project is a tool tote inspired by the one in Jim Tolpins book, The New Traditional Woodworker. This will take the remaining 4 weeks of the class.  I've modified it some as you can see in this photo.

Tool Tote Material

     I made the prototype out of Alder but Jamie and I decided that the Poplar, being harder, would chisel and cut more cleanly for them.  Sometimes the Alder seems to just fold or dent when paring, even with an extremely sharp chisel.  It's hard to see in the picture but I've also designed it with dovetails on one end and pegged lap joints on the other.  This way they'll get the chance to experiment with both types of joints.
     All that remains is to run off my hand out for cutting dovetails and make a detail drawing showing the layout for the tails.  Looking forward to this class, teaching is always rewarding.

FOUND -- The rest of my Mallet!

Easier With a Handle

     If you read my last blog you know my mallet that I've had for 40+ years finally decided it had done its last joint and broke at the handle.  I considered taking the Dutch way out and trying to repair it but that would have just been a temporary fix at best.  So I bit the bullet and went shopping on the net.  I  prefer to buy from like minded folks like me, those small shops making hand crafted items because that's what they love to do.  Diane and I fall into that category with our Etsy stores.  Anyway, I found a seller on Ebay that goes by New England Hardwoods, here's a LINK to his store.  I shared that gorgeous flame Birch mallet on facebook and it's a beauty!

Too Thick in the Middle

   




     Of course, I had to perform a Pegandectomy to put this mallet on the wall.  Hey, I'm a teacher and part of my credential allows me to make up words as needed!  This mallet is a bit fatter than the old one.

Out With the Old

     The first step to a successful Pegandectomy is to surgically remove the old peg.

Replacement Peg being Bored

     This is followed by carefully boring another hole to compensate for the larger girth of the replacement mallet.

Looks Like it Belongs

   



    The new peg is carefully sized and inserted with compatible glue and allowed to dry.  No stitches or sutures required if sized properly!  As you can see, the entire Pegandectomy operation was a success and the flame Birch mallet has found itself a new home!

Where's the Rest of Your Mallet?

Half a Mallet

     You may have seen my Facebook entry where I purchased a new mallet made of flame Birch but until I get it there's still work to be done!  Not only am I working on the second series of boxes for the Etsy store but we reached the required enrollment for the hand tool class that starts on the 9th. of May.  That means I need to finalize the projects for that 6 week course.



     More on that later but in case you missed it, here's what happened to my original mallet:

Hmm, Jungle Rot?

     It is a mallet made of Lignum Vitae and if you're interested at all in this wood here's a link to some information LINK on it.  It's a very dense wood and one that won't float!  Another name for it is
"The Tree of Life" but not sure if it's from the original Garden of Eden!  It's been used in bearings for submarines so that lets you know how hardy it is.  I bought this mallet along with a set of Marples carving chisels back in the early 70's from Popular Mechanics magazine so I've definitely gotten my money out of it!
     The new series of boxes is shaping up and I've begun with the slanted dovetail design as mentioned in my last post.  Not only are these unique, I want the wood to be exceptional.  One of the woods used is Australian Lacewood.  It has some spectacular rays and I've never attempted to dovetail it before.  The first step to working this out was to cut a shallow tenon similar to the Stanley 140 trick.  Instead of using a skewed rabbet plane I use the tablesaw and a tenon jig.

Powered Stanley 140 Trick

     This creates a shoulder which helps make a cleaner inside corner on the boxes and also aids lay-out of the dovetails:

Walnut Side Pieces

     I was pleasantly surprised to find that dovetailing this species of wood wasn't too difficult.  It does want to splinter on the large flecks but it was manageable.  To remove the waste between the tails, I always cut a shallow notch by setting the chisel in the marking gauge line and then removing a "chip" from the waste:

Initial Cut

     You can see it better here:

"Chip" removed

     When cutting these tails that are almost  1 1/2" long there's no need trying to remove the entire length.  By cutting this chip section out from both sides of the boards the entire length comes out once both sides meet in the middle.  The thickness of the sides are 1/4"+ so it doesn't take too long.  The difficulty comes in removing the wood from the pieces they dovetail into.  Look at the picture above that shows the Walnut sides and you can imagine how much has to be chiseled out of them to fit the tails.  Makes for a unique and interesting piece so it's worth it to me.

The Finish --- Last Thing Applied but First Thing Noticed

Final Coat Comparison

     As a teacher I'd always stress to my students the importance of taking their time on the finishing process of whatever project they were working on.  My standard reply to their questions about having sanded or worked the oil "enough" was something like: "A excellent finish can make an average project shine but a poor finish can make an excellent project become average."  You can prove this for yourself if you observe people at a furniture store or woodworking show.  Inevitably, the first thing most do is to touch the wood.  I've shared my finish process before on the blog and with countless fellow woodworkers.
     These lids are made of Alder with a lift made of Zebrawood.  The process begins with an initial coat of Watco Danish Oil which is allowed to penetrate into the wood but then I use wet/dry sandpaper to work it into the pores.  It is then completely wiped dry.  A note on the Watco Oil, due to ongoing EPA regulations and VOC compliant rules it is not the same as it was 40 years ago!  From what I've been told by Rustoleum, product shipped to California, some mid-west states, and most of the New England region have been modified to meet those regulations.  Since Las Vegas is right next door to California I'm pretty sure that the oil I buy at Home Depot is blended for California.  It works different, smells different, and just has a different feel to it.  I'm planning to order from Woodworkers Supply out of New Mexico to get the original formula in quarts.  Gallons all have the reformulation but quarts destined for the homeowners doesn't in some areas.  I'm hoping that New Mexico is one of those areas but, sorry; I digress!
     The initial oil dries overnight and then the hand finishing begins.  I use a 3, equal parts mixture of polyurethane, boiled linseed oil, and turpentine which is wet sanded in and wiped completely dry.  Starting with 320 grit, next comes 400, and finally 600 grit.  Each coat is allowed to dry overnight and I do not do the interiors of boxes or cabinets with it.  The question that I usually get is how many coats, well; that depends!  The lid on the left has some interesting grain that soaked up the finish so needed more than the rest of the box.
     The final application is done with a piece of old Levi's.  You use just a very small amount of the top coat and it is rubbed and burnished onto the wood and then dried with an old towel.  This finish has the feel and look that is hard to put into words but I know that my clients have always loved it.  This is the final blog on the box headed up to Toronto.  It's lid is the one on the right, the left lid is for the box going onto the Etsy store once I get it listed later today.

It's All About the Wood

     I spent a couple of hours this morning preparing stock to make more boxes for the Etsy Store.  This is that "grunt work" portion requiring mostly power tools.  It starts off by hand as I plane one working edge to guide the wood safely on the table and band saws.  Then comes the ripping to width, followed by re-sawing to get the required thinner material, which is followed up by a pass or two on the surface planer.  What you're looking at (from left to right) is Curly Cherry, Quarter-Sawn White Oak, more of the Cherry, then Lacewood.  These will become the sides of the boxes.  The roughly formed end pieces are Walnut and Sapele.  I'm completely sold out of this style of box:

     It's been a good seller and is one of my original designs.  I really like the play between the angles of the dovetails and the angles of the side pieces.
   

View from the Outfeed Side of the Saw

     Making the side piece for that style  is somewhat tricky.  The box above is the trickiest because it requires that the rip fence is on the left side of the blade.  That's not the side it's customarily on so it feels kind of awkward!  Definitely need to use a push stick and a feather board.  The off cut piece tends to lodge between the blade and the opening in the throat plate.




     The other style is a bit more straight forward and is cut with a panel raising jig, this time on the customary side of the blade.

Forming the Side Pieces

     You can see the basic profiles created this way.  They will be modified to suit not only my design but mostly to take advantage of the woods beauty.

Side Profiles

     Thankfully, the remaining work on these boxes is hand work.  The profiles of the side pieces will be planed to remove all of the saw marks.  Then all pieces will be cut to size and the hand cut dovetails laid out and cut.  Creative knobs will finish off the lids and these will be ready to add to the store after finishing.
     When we had our discussion at Sin City Woodworkers meeting last Wednesday pricing our work was a big part of it.  In my experience your best bet is to somewhat mass produce the phase of making boxes.  The majority of my work is done by hand which, no matter how you look at it; is time consuming.  I can maximize my time by cutting enough material with the power tools to make multiple boxes.  Then, between students and any other job that may come up, I can spend that quiet shop time carefully creating them by hand --- just as God intended!