one done, three to go......

Today I finally finished one of my projects. It wasn't the cherry cabinet (#6) that I have been working on since July nor is it the mirror project. That one and the perfume caddies are neck and neck for whats next. What I finally got done was the clock.

I had few hiccups toward the end I but I managed to finish without screwing up. The first hiccup was trying to figure out the "dots" that clock print lady sent with the dial face to secure it. These "dots" are 1/4" diameter double sided adhesive coated thingies that you use to glue down the corners of the dial. It took me a while to figure out how to separate them and how to apply them to the dial. Made me feel as smart as a box of rocks.

The real hiccup was the hands that came with the movement. The hour hand fit but the minute didn't. It was too damn big for the shaft on the movement. Lucky me I have a box of extra clock parts and I found a pair of hands in it that fit. How can you send hands for a movement that don't fit?

A&C Clock

I hadn't planned it this way but the color on the dial blends right in with the color of the clock. I doubt that I'll fall into something like again.

back view

side view

The other side view had too much camera flash reflected so I didn't use it. A photographer I will never claim to be.

Did some work on the #6 cabinet drawers. I was a little hesitant about doing the dovetails on these drawers because it's been a few weeks since I last did them. These are small drawers so I only did one big tail on each side. I didn't forget how to do them and only one pin socket came out gappy (had to shim that one). That was because I cut on the wrong side of the line. I'm very happy that I didn't lose much in waiting so long to do dovetails again.

Usually when I mark my dovetails I do it with a pencil. This time around I used marking knife. The saw just seems to fall into and follow the knife line like it has a mind of it's own. I'm going to have to buy another knife just for marking dovetails. The one I have now isn't small enough to mark small pins off the tails (too thick).

lrg & sm  small drawers

I've been finding myself reaching for this #3 plane a lot lately instead of my block plane. I usually trim my tails/pins with my low angle block plane but I did these drawers with the #3. It is very easy to control with one hand if need be like a block plane.  It's proving itself to be a versatile and valuable addition to my hand plane collection. And it's a damn good smoother for using on small stock.

I'll be applying a piece of cherry on both of these drawer fronts that will cover up the slot for the drawer bottom. It'll still be on the back but who opens a drawer to look at the back of it?

I ordered the 4th set of knobs for the mirror project and I should get them by thursday. In the interim while I'm waiting I'll keep applying some wipe on poly to the frame, carcass, and drawer fronts. I already have three coats on all and if I continue with one a day, I'll be up to at least 6 which should be adequate for providing protection against foo-foo juice.

Since I don't like to sand, the perfume caddies will most likely be the last hit on the big parade. I can almost do 99.9% of cabinet #6 but I will need one more piece of cherry for a drawer front for the big drawer.

I will have enough stuff on my plate to keep busy for at least another week. I'm going to have to start thinking about what I am going to make next.

accidental woodworker

practice and try it time......

Lowe's opens at 6 on saturdays where I live. And since I had been up since oh dark thirty, I headed there for my citrustrip. I also got some TSP to wash everything off with after the striping. I happened upon some rags (t-shirts) that Lowe's was selling @ 1/2 lb for 1.98 so I scooped up two bags. I like falling into a bargain like that.

starting on the back

I am using this stuff based on a recommendation from Sir Matt Cianci. I've used this before many moons ago but I'm trying it on metal for the first time. It seems to be relatively benign product although they do say to use eye and hand protection. It has a nice orangy smell and you can use it indoors (big plus). I'm going to let this cook until tomorrow.

drawer stock

I was going to plane down some 1x12 pine stock I had to make the drawers for the cherry cabinet. That is until I saw these. This is some 5/4 stock that was left over from the mirror project. If I cut these down the middle I'll end up with drawer stock that will be about 1/2" thick.

I was going to try and cut all the drawer stock by hand. Just use my xcut and rip saws and clean up with my handplanes. Planned it that way but it didn't happen. Two things stood in my way. The first was I cut the stock to the rough lengths I needed for the sides/front/back of the drawers. The second is that a european style bench sucks for trying to rip small stock. If I had left the stock long I might have been able to rip it on my saw benches.

cabinet #6 drawer stock

I cut this stock on my tablesaw and I ended up with a thickness of 7/16". This is more then adequate for the two smaller drawers. I can now take the 1x12 pine stock and plane that down to 5/8" for the one big drawer.

stickered - I'll make the drawers tomorrow

my rehabbed #4

I took my extra blade for the #4 and put a camber on it. The blade itself looks like crap but it makes nice curly shavings on the length of this piece of pine. I don't think that I put enough of a camber on the blade because I can feel/see plane tracks. A square on the blade shows a camber but it's too little. I'll have to expend a few more calories in getting a tad more camber on this blade.

#4 and #7 shavings

I rounded the corners on the extra blade I had for old salty (my #7). I gave it a workout on this piece of pine after I tried the #4 on it. Old salty removed the plane tracks left by the #4 and it didn't leave any of it's own. I didn't put a huge round over, it's a teeny one. I just rounded off the very edge. I can see it easily just by looking at it.

Of the two methods I like the rounded blade a whole lot more than the cambering. I will try to increase the camber for the #4 and see if I can plane with no plane tracks. After that I think I'll square it up and round the corners. I still want to compare the two methods.

my Lee Valley skewed rabbet plane

My previous tries at using this plane weren't too good. I couldn't get my rabbets to come out square. I am going to try and get it right today.

first try - angled rabbet - not what I wanted

second try - joy in Mudville

third try - the mighty Casey struck out

On the second try I concentrated on looking at my shaving coming out of the plane as I moved it. By gauging how wide it was I able to see when I was titling the plane inwards and I could correct for it. On the third try I was doing the same thing but the rabbet came out like this - not square. So the shaving look at thing was a waste.

will this help?

 I remember reading about this on Alf's Cornish Workshop website. I also had to straighten out auxiliary fence I have on the plane. It had a belly that I took out with old salty. I don't think this 1/4" dowel has to be that tall but that's the length I started with.

lots of toys to check for square

The stick worked. I was able to see when I was out of square. One thing, the stick was too damn high for me. I wear glasses and they are no line bifocals. It worked out that I was looking at the stick right at the no line portion of my glasses. Made it a tad queasy trying to focus on the stick. I cut it in half and it made a big difference.

I'm going to have to practice a lot more with this. Making a square rabbet is a fundamental woodworking joint. It doesn't matter whether you make it with a machine or by hand as it has to be square. I am not there yet. I need to practice a lot more than I want to admit to.

For now I'm out of knot free/straight grain scraps. I'll have to pick this up later.

accidental woodworker

the wow factor continues......

The miter box clean up continues. The news and pics are still good. This evapo-rust is some awesome stuff. I can't say enough about it.

the brown-reddish crap is rust

compare the decal 

the wow factor continues

Not only did all the rust get zapped away, look at the paint and decals. The decal is intact and the paint is a little vibrant now? All the little rust pockets on all the painted objects are gone. The triangular plates had all the brown reddish rust crap from the pic above. This stuff is great.

While surfing the WWW at lunch time I found a miller falls catalog that details how to put your 74C miter box together. From reading that I found that I am missing more than the one screw and nut from the leg assembly. The box will work without them but they would be nice to have items. I'm missing the two depth gauges for the saw and what MF is calling the end bracket. I'm going to have to troll a little to see if I can find them somewhere.

attaching the top

I could barely get my meat hook hands with the screwdriver in here to secure the screws. I used sheet metal screws here rather then wood screws because the sheet metal screws are easier to do in this rock hard oak. The screws at the back are straight in and the ones in the front are in slots so the expansion will take place at the front.

I was having trouble trying to figure out why the subsequent coats of shellac weren't covering well (on the mirror and clock projects). I finally figured it out and it turned out to be steel wool. I had been using 400 grit sandpaper. The sandpaper wasn't knocking down the ridges and runs like the steel does. Once I went back to 4-0 steel wool the laying down of the shellac was markedly different. Go figure on that. 4-0 steel wool vs 400 grit sandpaper and the loser is the sandpaper.

This will make 3 coats of shellac on the clock to this point. I think that two more steel wool rub downs  followed by a coat of shellac after each rubbing and it'll be done.

I'll start getting the movement ready to install and think about the best way to get the dial face onto the dial board.

accidental woodworker

short time in the shop.....

After work today I played some more with my new miter box (the parts of it). I went scouting around the shop and came up with a bigger container to put the bigger parts in. I was able to find something and I got everything in there except for the main miter box body.

all the biggies in here

The one part sticking up is going to have to be done twice. Once it's done this way, I'll submerge the periscope. The front L shaped support at  bottom of the pic is almost done. Now I'm doing the inside of the round part. This stuff has another good point - it doesn't do anything to the paint. We'll see what happens to the decal.

Speaking of paint - I got a tip from Sir Matt Cianci. I was going to sandblast the frame but he said to use citristrip. He also gave me a heads up on what type of saw tooth configuration I should have made for the saw for this miter box. I'll order that from LN once I get the box back together.

I put another coat of clear shellac on the A&C clock. I decided that I am not going to use oil on it. It's just going to be the ammonia fumed color and clear shellac.

2 coats of finish - nice chocolate color

top and door

I really like this color a lot. The fuming wasn't that bad to do. And I can no longer smell any ammonia on the clock. A couple of more coats of shellac and I'll be ready to mount the movement and the dial board.

accidental woodworker

good stuff....

Run, walk, hop, drive the family car, or take public transportation, but get to a store and by gallons of Evapo-Rust. This stuff is phenomenal. It does everything that it says it will do. There was no fudging on the specs at all. This stuff did what it advertised it said it would do.

before evapo-rust pic #1

before evapo-rust pic #2

Stand by to say wow.

after evapo-rust pic #1

after evapo-rust pic #2

I can't believe how well this stuff worked. Just compare the flat bar here with the pic above. This is clean and free of all rust. The surface isn't pitted or rough to the touch. The only part that doesn't look 100% is the bars on the part I'm holding. The rust is all gone but the surface is a little etched and rough feeling.

look at the rusted knobie thingie

same knobie thingie after an evapo-rust bath

If this doesn't make you run screaming to auto zone to scoop up a jug of this stuff then you don't have any rusty tools. I really didn't think that this stuff would work on this small part but it did. Even the inside of the parts are clean and rust free. These knobie thingies are used to hold the saw up.

accidental woodworker

I should have done it ......

Instead of doing what I did after work, I should have done the reverse. I meant to do the sanding first on the caddies and then apply the finish on the clock and mirror project. Maybe it was my subconscious kicking in and that's why I did it this way. I like sanding about as much as I would like to dribble a basketball in a mine field. So I got the finish applied but no sanding done on the caddies.

new miter box at parade rest

It's in pretty good shape. Not that I am an expert on rehabbing miter boxes. The rust on the plates is just surface rust that came off with a wire brush. The hardest part to remove was the arm that sets the angle. One screw holding it in place was badly rusted. Finally got that off and looking at the pile,  there really aren't a lot of parts to this box. I especially like the arms that hold the saw. They are much simpler than those in my 2358.

Evapo-Rust bath

I bought a jug of Evapo-Rust at Auto zone on the way home from work.  I spent my lunch time surfing the WWW and more that a couple of write ups recommended this stuff. It was only $20 so I thought I would give it a try. It's got two good points - you can reuse it and it's safe to just pour it down the drain. I'll leave this to cook until tomorrow after work.

A&C clock top

Decided not to put a coat of my garnet shellac on the top. I really like the color that the ammonia imparted on this white oak. It's just getting a seal coat of shellac and then a couple of coats of clear shellac or oil. Don't know yet which one yet.

this color looks good with one clear coat

better pic of the door

You can still see the where the sap wood on the door is. It's a lot a better than it looked before. It's more blended now. I like it. I am not one of those who has to have a perfect color/grain look. I'm fine with this.

Lee Valley A2 blade shaving

I had to try out my new blade. This shaving is right out of the box. I still have to hone and polish the blade. This shaving is full length and almost 100% consistent in thickness from the stern to the bow. On the one use of this blade and the Hock, I can't tell any difference between them. We'll see which one holds an edge the best.

accidental woodworker

new toy from UPS......

Had my latest I've to got have this because without it I'll die toy delivered today. I bought this miter box from timeless treasures in New Hampshire. It's a little more than 1/2 the size of my 2358, a lot lighter, and it should be easier to move around than the 2358.



new object to occupy my time

 This is an Ingersoll Rand (Miller Falls) miter box 74C. I don't know how old it is but there was only one screw and nut missing from the whole box. A few of the parts are badly rusted but they appear to be sound. In about an hour of surfing the web for parts/instruction manuals/etc., I didn't find anything from IG on it. I'll keep looking because I would like to know how old this box is.

Since I've taken this picture I have taken the entire box apart. I took a bunch of pics as I took it apart so I'll have a reference for when I put it back together. I am going to have Lie Nielsen make a saw for it because I just don't like the look of the one that came with this box. The tote sucks. It has no character at all. I didn't even get the saw that came with the box. I had the lady just send me the box.

new A2 blade/chipbreaker from Lee Valley

This blade and chipbreaker is a pretty good looking pair. It matches up with the Hock I just got. It's heavy, thick, and razor sharp; including the chipbreaker. I'll have to clean off the film that covers it and waste a few calories honing it. Now I can start to compare the LV and Hock and sees who wins the brass ring.

installed in old salty

I didn't try to make shavings for two reasons. First,  my workbench is covered with the clock and mirror projects. No room to plane.  Secondly and most important - I have a new toy to play with, my new miter box.

original blade/chipbreaker - LV plane iron screwdriver

I decided that I am going to try some trackless plane experiments with the extra blades I have. On this blade here I am going to file the corners of the blade round. On the blade for my #4 planes, I am going to try the camber sharpening thing with it. I still don't buy the camber plane thing but I am going to try it and at least satisfy my curiosity.

The round wooden & brass thing in the pic is a plane iron screwdriver I got from Lee Valley. I don't have a screwdriver that fits the screw on my planes. This LV screwdriver fits every screw on the planes I have. I checked it on every single one. Very easy to loosen and tighten the screw. For me that makes it worth the price.

accidental woodworker

the hit parade et al........

I was looking over my new Hock plane iron and chipbreaker and the more I looked at it, the more I liked it. It came to me already sharp enough to put in a plane and use. It is a heavy, thick blade along with an equally thick/heavy chip breaker. One thing about it that struck me was that the chip breaker bevel was sharp. It was almost honed and shiny looking. I'm putting this blade to work in my new #5.

Hock blade and chipbreaker

 I'm going to have to get used the square top on these Hock irons. All my other plane irons have clipped corners. So visually, it's a change for me. That aside, it only took me a few minutes on my 8K stone to polish and hone the iron. I also ran the chip breaker over the stone too. I'm looking forward to see how long this blade keeps it's edge.

door for cabinet #6

I made the glass keeper strips for cabinet #6. I got a little cocky and made the first ones wrong. I thought I remembered how I made them before. Well I forgot. The second set came out right.

Question - am I the only person on this planet who has problems with mitering pieces with a rabbet in them? For whatever reason they kick me in the butt. So I sneak up on them. I cut them long, check the fit, trim a little , check the fit, and continue this way until it is done. I'm sure there is some formula for figuring it out but until then, I'll keep doing it this way.

I'm rethinking the poly thing with the mirror project. There really isn't going to be a lot of real estate available for putting anything on it. There are only two spots on either end that offer parking space. It'll probably bite me on the ass but shellac is easy to repair.

One of the upright supports for the mirror moved inward a tad. I could barely fit the mirror frame in between them. I'm glad I checked it now before I found out about it when it was all done. I planed a little off both sides of the frame and I got my loose fit back again.

Of course I had already put on two coats of my shellac on the frame. So I had to start the dance with the garnet shellac again. And I still don't have any seal coat on it yet.

my Stillwater #4 99.9% done

I put the blade and chipbreaker from the #5 I got from Stillwater in this #4. I honed and sharpened the blade earlier(the first S/H the blade angle was 40 degrees). It's ready to use as is and I've got it set for a fairly tight mouth. All that's left is too polish the sole a little. That's the .01% undone part.

#4 - edge shavings on some cherry scrap

#4 - same cherry - face shavings

sole to sole - type 8 #4 and a record #4

Stillwater #5 ready to earn it's keep

I got this all cleaned and de-rusted over a couple of days. New Hock blade installed. Should be good for another 50 years easily.

#5 rear end view

#5 bottom view

There are a few spots here and there that are lightly pitted. Nothing major and what's here I don't think will be a problem. My granite reference block is too small to clean and polish the sole. I am going to by some 25 yd sandpaper strips and use my 3 foot long marble threshold to clean/polish the bottom a little better.

#5 - edge shavings from a piece of oak

#5 -  taking some cherry face shavings

L-R  #5  #4  #4  #3

This is my hit parade. For a little more than a C-note I got four productive planes. I have retired the planes that I was using before I got these rehabbed.  I replaced a record #5 and #4, along with an ECE Primus #4 smoothing plane. They are all in the boneyard. I have a record #6 that will be joining its brothers and cousin soon too.

My plane boneyard now has 6 planes in it that I don't know what to do with them. I've asked around to the relatives and no one is interested in hand tools. They all want my power tools when I get rid of them.

I don't plan on replacing the #6 with a rehab plane at this point in time. For some reason I have a strong yearning to get a #8. I found a type 7 #8 but I am holding out for a type 10, 11, or 12. Why? I don't know. I think I like the cap irons from these types and they have an adjustable frog.

accidental woodworker