in/out thingie part 19 ?......

I worked on couple of the projects I got my plate today (sunday) and this is what I got done with the in/out thingie. The big news is that I changed my mind on the in/out box on the top. Surprised? So am I. I just couldn't seem to make that part work for me. No matter how much I played with it or whatever brain storm I came up with, it still looked like crappola to me. So it's history.

Since I am the creator, I get to make these earth shattering decisions. I am going with a solid top on it. This project looks like a small bureau and the solid top fits in. If someone wants to put a in/out box on the top I think it will fit.

base of the in/out thingie

This is the first time I used my home made grippy discs with my router. I was going to do a 1/4" round over on 3 edges. I would have done that if I had grabbed the 1/4" round over bit. What I grabbed was my 1/4" beading bit. Didn't know that until I routed the first edge.

got a shoulder with my round over

The grippy discs did their job. The base didn't slip at all while I routed this profile. Not the profile I wanted but it'll work for this project. I might do the same on the top.

base cooking away

Running out of room in the phone booth. I had to put the base on the shit can to cook.

the top cooking

This is the going to be the top for the in/out thingie. I did another first for me here. I glued up this top with hide glue. With the base and the top both glued with hide glue I'm going to let them cook for 24 hrs at a minimum.

The feet are next and I'm hoping that I find the pattern I made for the mirror project. If not I'll have to make another one.

accidental woodworker

cabinet #6 pt 14.....

I have been thinking about this operation I did on #6 all day at work. There aren't a lot things that I do slowly but chiseling the extra epoxy is something that has to be done slowly. I played it out in my mind and when I executed it, it came out ok.

starting chiseling slowly - small bites

almost done

done with the chiseling

This operation took me about ten minutes. I would take a few light swipes with the chisel and then strop the chisel on my honing thingie. Take a few more swipes, hone, and repeat. I just have to sand/scrape this and it'll be done. Might have been like hunting squirrels with a bazooka, but this worked for me.

this is about 4 feet away

this is about 18" or so away

I am pretty happy about how this turned out. To me it looks like a cherry pitch/gum pocket. I think that because it isn't a straight line but has a little bulge on one ends helps to sell what I want it to be.

I have had enough excitement for today. I'll do the sanding and scraping all at once. Since I like to sand and scrape about as much as I would like a third eye in the middle of my forehead, I'll put off the s & s till maybe the weekend.

accidental woodworker

cabinet #6 part 13(?) almost done......

I am closing in on the finish line with this cabinet. I started it last July I think. It's the second longest time I've taken to do a project. The first longest is a shaker sewing cabinet I was going to make for the bride for our first wedding anniversary (still not done and it's been many years). I have the frame all done and the parts to it are in the black hole. I think I might pick it back up someday and finish it.

I have to fix this first - (lower left bottom)

worse than I thought

When I flipped this over on the bench I got this surprise. There isn't a whole lot holding this on and the break is bigger than what you see when the cabinet is upright.

some hide glue and blue tape for clamping action

halogen work lamp

I use this lamp to heat things up in the shop during the winter months. Now it's being used to warm up the hide glue and the epoxy that I'm going to use next.

digging out an area for the epoxy to sit in

dyeing the epoxy black

I searched the internet for a week or so reading all I could find on dyeing epoxy. I found everything being hawked from india ink to food dyes. There are specific products available that are made just for the purpose of dyeing epoxy. One thing I couldn't find was using this "dye" with this type of  "epoxy". I got the impression that epoxy is a generic term to mean all epoxies. The second impression I got was that just about anything could be used to dye epoxy.

I used some minwax ebony stain as my dye. I shook and stirred it and put a couple of drops into my epoxy before I mixed it. I used an acid brush to get my drops in the epoxy and then used it to mix/apply the epoxy.

dyed 5 minute epoxy

I put a healthy blob of epoxy in what I dug out. I don't expect this to shrink but I don't want any surprises neither. It's 5 minute epoxy but I am going to let this set up until tomorrow. I shined my halogen lamp on it for ten minutes to help it along.

Once this sets up, I'll chisel off a majority of the epoxy and then hit with my plane and flush it up. That's the plan for now. Film and follow up on the 11 o'clock news.

cooking the epoxy for ten minutes

 My daughter is chemistry major and she told me that a little heat will help the epoxy set up. I have also read on a couple of blogs about how warming up the wood helps the epoxy to infuse into the wood. I just want this to look like a cherry gum pitch pocket.
 
After I get this epoxy thingie fixed I'll be ready to scrape, sand, and put the finish on the cabinet. I'll have another project to put in the boneyard.

accidental woodworker

frame and panel video......

This is the last video review from the 3 videos I bought from Lee Valley. This video is the shortest of the 3 and it is the oldest too. This video was shot in 2000 and is done in black and white. I bought this based on the books I have by the same person who did this video. The name of this video is Frame and Panel Construction with Graham Blackburn.

This video is presented in two parts. In the first part Graham talks about the frame for the panel. In the second half of the video he talks about the panel that goes in the frame. Even though this is a relatively short video presentation, Graham does a good job of telling and showing you what you need to know about frame and panel construction.

There is not a single frame of wasted footage on anything. Graham has a nice easy manner and conveys what is needed to understand what a frame is and it's purpose. How the parts are interrelated and how they function together. He does the same job just as well in the second half on panels.

What you don't get with this video is a whole lot of this is how to do this. Look at this pretty tool. Let me explain all the parts ad nauseum ad infinitum. And while I'm doing that let me waste a ton of footage showing me planing a groove. If this is what you like in videos this one isn't for you cause it ain't happening.

Graham does explain the ABC's of frame and panel construction in the time the video runs. I didn't have any questions after I got done watching it. For a newbie, this would be a good informational video. Graham gives you what you need to know and it's now up to you to go out and practice what you saw and heard.

If you are looking for a video on a lot of how to and one with lots of tips, you'll be disappointed with this. This video is more of a condensed version of how to do frame and panel construction. There isn't a lot of meat to sink your teeth into here.

I like Graham Blackburn the author. I think the 3 books I have by him are all home runs. However, Graham Blackburn the video host is a walk on balls. It's ok but I think it lacks substance. It has the makings of a good video but fails to fill in the voids.

Maybe it's time for Graham to do a sequel.

accidental woodworker

single drawer done......

Yesterday I got 6 coats of shellac on my single drawer thingie. My shop was a little cool and I noticed that it was taking a little longer than usual for the shellac to dry. Cured that by shining two halogen work lamps on the drawer thingie as it dried. Just enough warmth to dry the shellac. Without the lamps I would still be putting on the finish.

last coat drying on the box - drawer is done

stern view

got a scratch on this side

 I couldn't scrape this out and it's better than when I first started. The scratch goes all the way through the top veneer into the cross banding beneath it. I didn't notice it when I grabbed the plywood scraps to make this.

I think a brass knob would look better

I got this idea for the single drawer thingie from a Lie-Nielsen video on lock drawer chisels by Christian Becksvoort. His drawer box was dovetailed cherry and so was the drawer. My take on his idea with what I had on hand.

ready to store treasures

When I first tried to put the drawer in the box it didn't go smoothly. I had applied shellac around the front, sides, and bottom for about a 1/2". The build up of the 6 coats was enough to cause it to bind as I tried to close the drawer up.

Solved that snafu by planing the shellac off just the bottom. This was enough to get rid of the binding. I put some wax on the bottom and she rides in/out smoothly again.


accidental woodworker

ready for the finish......

Last night after work I went to the shop and worked on my single drawer project to the point where it was ready for finish. The finish will be shellac, 5-6 coats, and I'll get to that tomorrow.

front mitered strips

rear mitered strips - not as wide as the front

I made the back strips thinner because if I had made them the same width as the front, I would have had to cut up a piece of cherry that was 3" x 24". I want to save this for something else so I scrounged up some thinner stock for the back. Who looks at the back anyway?

box all glued up - ready to fit the drawer in it

I started on the width first

doing the left side

same side of the drawer

The grain on the this side runs into the middle from both ends. After I planed from both ends, I checked to make sure I didn't plane a hump in it by laying the jack across the side from end to end. I made sure that when I planed the front (with the cherry) that I did it from outside to the inside so I didn't blow anything out.

almost got the width done - next is the top/bottom planing

used my block plane to shave the drawer down

almost there

This was an exercise in plane a little, check the fit, and plane some more. Repeat a lot times until it fits. I actually like this part. I find it relaxing and I get a lot of satisfaction out of the trial and error of fitting.

fitted

I am not entirely happy with the reveal on this drawer. For some reason when the drawer is pushed in all the way it shifts and the reveal goes out to lunch. This is my best fit after fussing with it for a half hour.

some bevels

The drawer worked a lot better after I planed some bevels on the side and back.  I also applied some wax to the bottom. The combination of both actions makes the drawer slide in and out like it's riding on air.

block plane first

I closed the mouth up pretty tight on my block and ran it around the edges flushing everything up. After this I sanded the box with some 150 grit sandpaper. On the drawer front I took a few swipes  with my 4 /12 - no need for sandpaper on that now.

sheetrock blade scraper

I scraped all the plywood with a sheetrock blade. I used my benchcrafted carbide scraper to get all the edges between the plywood and the applied strips.

filling some cracks

I got this tip from watching Andy Rae's drawer video. I usually use sawdust and hide glue to fill the cracks. He uses sawdust and a couple of drops of shellac. I am giving it a try to see how it works. I have never been happy about how sawdust and glue looks under the applied finish.

knob for the drawer

This is a knob from all the extras I bought for the in/out bureau. I'll put that on after I get the drawer front finished.  I ran over the box with 220 grit to sand out the gaps I filled with sawdust/shellac.

last step

Now I'm ready to apply the finish. I vacuumed and then tacked cloth the box and drawer. On to the shellac. Should be posting a finished box tomorrow.

This post was supposed to post automatically but it didn't. I had it set for 6:00 this morning and I can't see anything obviously wrong in the settings. Oh well, here it is now.

accidental woodworker

Andy Rae video.....

A couple of blogs back I did a review of a video by Doug Stowe. When I bought that video, I had also bought two others. This is what I thought of the one done by Andy Rae on drawers. I'll give my dribble on the last video later this weekend.

 First up is the distractions. This guy has a shop where 3 pickup basketball games could be going on at the same time and still have space for an gigantic workshop. The next big distraction comes from behind Mr Rae as he presents his take on drawers. It's the humongous I got to have one of them stand up tool chests right behind his bench. With all kind of drawers that I can only imagine what the hell is in them. Add two open doors with tools hanging on them I couldn't really concentrate on what Andy was saying and I had to rewind a few times here. The eye candy alone is worth the price of admission to me.

I had to  pause the viewing a billion and fifty times to check out the distractions. If you're not like me in this respect, you won't have the problems with these distractions. It's a habit I can't seem to get rid of. My curiosity about other woodworker's shops just over takes me. I spend almost as much time looking at what's in the background as I do watching the video.

Andy does a pretty good job of explaining drawers. I like that he presents his view on it and doesn't come across as do it my way or the highway. He goes over 3 styles of drawers - overlay, lipped, and flush.  And with each style of drawer he covers different ways of constructing the drawer box itself.

He takes a little over an hour to give you what he has learned over the years. There was one aha for me during this video. That was Andy's recommendation that drawer bottoms be thicker than a 1/4". He recommends 3/8" or 1/2" and I am almost persuaded to change from using 1/4" drawer bottoms.

There was one surprise for me in the video dealing with plywood drawers. I wasn't expecting anything on plywood in the video except for maybe drawer bottoms. Andy doesn't devote a lot of frame footage to this topic but he does cover it adequately. I took away from this presentation that solid wood is the preferred use for drawer construction.

Andy gives his take on how he does 1/2 blind dovetails. He starts with layout (interesting) and moving on to sawing and chopping out the waste. He has a unique way of marking the tails/pins that involves marking way past the marking gauge line. This was new to me. I have never seen any other dovetail presentation that presents this way.

If there is a knock on the drawer video it's on the part dealing with flush drawers. I don't think that enough footage was devoted to this. Flush drawers are a mother to do and make look good. Andy says this but not in my words. On the other hand for something like this video, it was probably ok. I always want more but I usually don't get it.


A lot of what Andy talks/shows in this video I was already aware of and I have been using a few of the tips in my drawer building. I still think it was worth the pennies I spent on it. Seeing and listening to a craftsman show you how he does something and explains why he does it, has no price.

Although I liked the Doug Stowe box making video better than this drawer video I would still recommend adding it to your video library. It has good info in it and is well presented by Andy Rae. I got it from Lee Valley for about $14, so don't have to pony up a ton of cash to own it. I don't think you will be disappointed in any way with it.

accidental woodworker

the drawer is next.....

I finally got some pics uploaded of the miter jig I fixed yesterday. I didn't take my time in making this and I am still able to shoot dead nut miters with it. I am making another shooting board by Paul Sellers and I got the heads up on from Steve at Close Grain. He blogged about the Poplar Woodworking article by Paul in the Dec 2006 issue. Lucky me I got all the issues from 2000-2008 on CD.

the before pic

after pic - after shooting the scrap piece of pine

100% support for shooting miters now

test piece

I am going to use this piece of pine to check my jig out on. I eyeballed a 45 and cut it off. Next step - shoot it.

Mr Starrett says this is toast

a tad bit out to lunch

Mr Starrett says dead nuts

dead nuts the long way too

I used the shooting jig on the bench with my Lee Valley BU jack. It took maybe 15-20 swipes before I got to this point. Now I'm ready to do my mitering for the single drawer front and back.

got the first strip shot and glued on

The blue tape is like having a second set of hands while gluing up. I especially like that it holds it place while I apply the clamps.

cooking away

Shot the remaining miters and got them glued up. It's ready to be put by the furnace to cook until tomorrow. I can definitely seen this being done by monday at the latest.

The loose bit of trim I had to re-glue yesterday, held. It appears that Franklin hide glue can be re-glued over itself. I tried to pull it off  and I couldn't. So I'm saying it's a go.

accidental woodworker

almost there.....

I thought I was going to be mitering the front and back of my single drawer box tonight after work. I'm sad to say it ain't so. As I was cleaning up the hide glue splooges and flushing everything up I found a piece of trim that didn't glue up the first time.

oops

I haven't tried to re-apply hide glue to a piece for the second time. It's supposed to melt into and re-adhere on to itself. I don't have the warm and fuzzy feeling about that being true with Franklin liquid hide glue but I'm going to find out. I should have my answer tomorrow after work.

my new miter shooting jig

This is the not so good looking but it works miter shooting jig I made a few days ago. I tried to use it tonight and I was blowing out the miters. This is the culprit. There is nothing backing the miter against the wedge and the plane iron is blowing the far edge of the miter out.

The fix was very easy to do. Tap the wedge out of the slot, cut off the offending piece, take a few runs down the wedge with my #3 and insert it back into the slot. Took my jack and planed it smooth and flush to the long edge. I am still amazed at how such a simple device can be so accurate. Even more amazed when I look at my piece of crappola. (the fixed pic wouldn't upload)

bottom of the thingie

Here I'm using my benchcrafted scraper to get rid of the hide glue drips and runs. It works well even on cross grain use. You just have to use a lighter touch. I added a couple of extra pieces on the bottom for stability. My thinking was rather then resting on the four thin strips around the edges, that these two extra strips will help with rocking.

#3 flushing the sides and top

flushing the front and back

I found the un-glued piece while I was doing this action. I don't think I caused it with the planing because I was going from the outside to the inside. It doesn't matter as it is something that had to be fixed before I can do the front and back miters.

I'm closing in on another project. I already got a knob for the drawer and I think I should be able to call this done by the weekend.

accidental woodworker