Woodworking 101--Tools and Tips

[Alchymist]

My first project was a Paul sellers style saw horse. The fit and finish was quite horrible due to me being totally new to hand tools and sawing. But one of the legs at least fit flushly so I did feel a little bit of pride on that bit. Anywho I am trying my hardest to scribe the legs so that they all seat on the floor flatly, but for the life of me I can't get them all to seat flatly on the ground. Any tips for a newbie?


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Set it on the floor, put a shim under whichever legs need one to make it sit level. Then take a scrap of 3/4" stock, lay it on the floor next to one side of one leg. Draw a line on the leg where the stock meets the leg. Repeat for the remaining three sides. Do this to each leg, then carefully saw them all off.

 

[ez-duzit]

...take a scrap of 3/4" stock...saw them all off.

Only if you want the horse to be 3/4" shorter. Otherwise choose the minimum thickness scrap that will do the job.

 

[Alchymist]

Only if you want the horse to be 3/4" shorter. Otherwise choose the minimum thickness scrap that will do the job.

Judging by the picture and the left leg, it will be 3/4".

 

[jimreed2160]

Pencil holders

Wow! We woke up to a nippy 66 degrees this morning in North Florida. The Queen and I both needed to go in for routine fasting bloodwork. That always calls for a sausage biscuit treat. After a leisurely breakfast, I hurried into the shop before it got too warm. I started by sanding the pencil trays. Turns out that my oscillating sander drums worked just right.

I made some measurements and did a test fit on a model. It fit well.

The next procedure was to plane the surface of the trays.

It may be hard to see in the picture, but the trays are slightly out of square on the board stock. It amounts to a full 1/4" difference over the length. I need to fix this before I cut them to size.

I used a straight edge lined up with the edge of the cove.

Then I used Mr Bandsaw to split the line.

Next I planed the edge straight and ran both sides through the tablesaw.

So far, so good. The edges look even and square. There was more trimming later when I cleaned up the sides.

I found the original board and cut end grain pieces. Then I glued them on the pencil holders. It pays to have lots of clamps.

Here is a close up of one of them. It still needs a little trimming after the glue dries.

And here is what is left after all the operations. Seems a shame to toss these pieces out. Maybe I can find a use for them.

Man, does it feel good to make this kind of progress after such a long layoff.

 

[jimreed2160]

Pencil trays continued

So I slipped into the shop after dinner and finished up the pencil trays. They survived their glue up and just need a little trimming and sanding.

I trimmed off the ears carefully with the bandsaw. Here is one on a trial fit.

After final sanding, I applied some stain. Looks like I have a little glue squeeze out to deal with. It does not look too bad. I will wait for the stain to dry and then scrape it off for a restain.

I am planning to put two dowels in the bottom to keep each in place. But I may need more. Still noodling on the final solution. Stay tuned.

 

[shortykorte]

Jim
I'm thinking you could build another desk like from scratch so we can learn. Once completed, I'll come by and free up some garage space ....wink.


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[jimreed2160]

Jim
I'm thinking you could build another desk like from scratch so we can learn. Once completed, I'll come by and free up some garage space ....wink.

 

[jimreed2160]

Desk pencil holders

One of the roadblocks to this project was figuring out how to affix the removable writing surface interior. I finally decided that two dowels would be a nice start. I needed two holes in each one WITHOUT the annoying blowout so I decided to use the drill press. I moved the fence in place only to find that the handle was obstructed by the fence screw. Ugh.

Nothing that a spacer won't solve, so I am back in business.

And the four holes are drilled (to an exact depth) without incident.

Now is the time for my next frustration of the day. I was happy to be able to use my centering dowel markers. Not a frequently used tool but quite handy. BUT only if you can find them. I finally gave up searching and used nails instead.

As you can see, the mark is easy to see.

At least I got to do this in the shop. I cut four dowel segments and glued them in.

Will continue tomorrow. If this works OK, then I can attach the back and start working on the crown. WooHoo.

 

[mefast]

I haven't had a chance to work on any projects lately, but I've almost collected the entire 3000 model series of Beaver power tools:

View media item 73129
If you follow the stands/benches from left to right, it's the 3300 Band Saw, 3700 Drill Press, 3800 Jointer, 3100 Scroll Saw and 3400 Lathe.

 

[turbowoodworker]

Wow, loving that well used workbench the scroll saw is sitting on. Any more pictures of that?

 

[jimreed2160]

Me--That's a fine collection of tools. Time to knock out a few ww projects.

 

[mefast]

Wow, loving that well used workbench the scroll saw is sitting on. Any more pictures of that?

Turbo,
The only ones I've taken so far are already in this thread back on Page 76 (post #1509), Page 77 (post #1533) and Page 83 (post #1643). I'll take some more this weekend for you though as they aren't the greatest photos.

Jim,
Thanks for the kind words and I'll do my best to accomplish something shortly.

 

[Bigmichaelkim]

As a hand tool woodworker is a bench grinder really necessary? I don't mind sharpening and feel it is a necessary skill set to learn to enjoy this craft but after picking up an old type 11 Stanley no 4 hand plane and trying to square the plane iron blade, which was quite out of square, on a diamond stone I felt quite exhausted. This was with a honing guide mind you, I literally spent hours trying to get the blade square and I still don't think it is, even though it's better. I couldn't help but think that a bench grinder would speed up this process, and seeing as how I would continue to like picking up old woodworking planes and fix them up, I personally think this would be a good investment. For those hand tool woodworkers can you give me any advice on whether or not you have a bench grinder and if so what brands are highly recommended? I am currently seriously eyeing either the WEN slow speed bench grinder or the Rikon slow speed bench grinder to help suit my needs. Or could I even go with a dewalt standard speed grinder? Any advice would be appreciated and sorry for the long winded post.


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[ez-duzit]

Bm--if you have a belt sander you can get away without a bench grinder, though having one is desirable.

 

[Bigmichaelkim]

Bm--if you have a belt sander you can get away without a bench grinder, though having one is desirable.

No belt sander either. Embarrassingly my garage is rather quite empty of a lot of tools...


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[ez-duzit]

You'll definitely be needing a belt sander, something like the Bosch 3" x 21".

 

[My Old Tools]

As a hand tool woodworker is a bench grinder really necessary? I don't mind sharpening and feel it is a necessary skill set to learn to enjoy this craft but after picking up an old type 11 Stanley no 4 hand plane and trying to square the plane iron blade, which was quite out of square, on a diamond stone I felt quite exhausted. This was with a honing guide mind you, I literally spent hours trying to get the blade square and I still don't think it is, even though it's better. I couldn't help but think that a bench grinder would speed up this process, and seeing as how I would continue to like picking up old woodworking planes and fix them up, I personally think this would be a good investment. For those hand tool woodworkers can you give me any advice on whether or not you have a bench grinder and if so what brands are highly recommended? I am currently seriously eyeing either the WEN slow speed bench grinder or the Rikon slow speed bench grinder to help suit my needs. Or could I even go with a dewalt standard speed grinder? Any advice would be appreciated and sorry for the long winded post.


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Yes, a grinder is a time saver when sharpening or rehabbing blades. It is far faster to sharpen a hollow ground blade. That said, you don't have to go with a power grinder. You can still find hand or foot crank grinders that work quite well if you want to maintain your hand tool status . Slow speed has some advantages, but a good wheel on a high speed works just as well.

 

[ctb]

I don't have a grinder either but begged a small piece of granite from a masonry yard. I put an engineers square across the blade and with a felt tip marker marked a line parallel to the side. Then taped 60 grit sandpaper to the granite and freehanded it back and forth, until the line was even, checking with the square. I then put the blade in my old eclipse sharpening guide and using the same grit paper put a bevel on it. Changed to 100 grit, then 240 then broke out my waterstones to finish. Start to finish wasn't a half hour.

 

[jimreed2160]

BigM--You can work around it, but I think you need a grinder. Get at least a 6" one so you can find the proper wheels. Use the grey wheels for grinding scrap steel for practice. Once you get good, graduate to white or pink wheels--one coarse and one fine. Also get a diamond wheel dresser--one of the tee shaped ones that go for about ten bucks.

Keep a Cool Whip container of water by your grinder and quench your blade frequently to maintain temper.

I find that a light touch works best and never remove much steel. You will know you have arrived when you can grind out nicks, square up a blade, and sharpen it in less than five minutes. Good luck.

 

[jimreed2160]

Desk

I sowed some grass seed this morning to take advantage of the rainstorms this week. Hope it does well. But after my nap with the kitty I went to work on the desk. I drilled holes in the desk support, using the holes on the writing surface as a guide.

And then attached the pencil holders. They hold everything in place but are really tight. After I finish them I will work on making it a loose fit.

Then I attached the back panel.

I was elated to get that panel back in place and get the desk buttoned up. It was a great milestone. By then I was full of energy and plowed ahead. BIG MISTAKE.

Time to tackle the hinges, says me. I am on a roll. What could go wrong?

How about a broken screw?

Or two?

DRAT! And to top it off, the hinge spacing is off. I need to fiddle with it to make the lid close properly.



Well--tomorrow is just a day away.

 

[Bigmichaelkim]

BigM--You can work around it, but I think you need a grinder. Get at least a 6" one so you can find the proper wheels. Use the grey wheels for grinding scrap steel for practice. Once you get good, graduate to white or pink wheels--one coarse and one fine. Also get a diamond wheel dresser--one of the tee shaped ones that go for about ten bucks.



Keep a Cool Whip container of water by your grinder and quench your blade frequently to maintain temper.



I find that a light touch works best and never remove much steel. You will know you have arrived when you can grind out nicks, square up a blade, and sharpen it in less than five minutes. Good luck.

Gotcha thanks for the advice everyone. A lot of people seem to highly recommend a jig with a grinder. Is the wolverine jig necessary or just really a luxury?


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[Bigmichaelkim]

In the process of building a Paul Seller's inspired bench. And planning on slightly altering his design and making one of his small joinery benches so that the bench is overall around 5 feet wide and around 2 feet deep. Space limitations in the garage does not allow me to make the bench any deeper. Anywho currently I am planing the stud grade Douglas fir 2x4 and noticed the sides are not square but slightly rounded, apparently all 2x4s in America come like this. I was wondering if I could laminate the pieces and then remove the rounded sides by planing the top or if I had to plane the face area down to make the side square before lamination?


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[Craptain]

Gotcha thanks for the advice everyone. A lot of people seem to highly recommend a jig with a grinder. Is the wolverine jig necessary or just really a luxury?


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For many of us a jig is the only way to get consistency and accuracy. I don't have a jig, but I work slowly and patiently. I prefer to forego the expense and hone my skills. Just my opinion.

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[Craptain]

In the process of building a Paul Seller's inspired bench. And planning on slightly altering his design and making one of his small joinery benches so that the bench is overall around 5 feet wide and around 2 feet deep. Space limitations in the garage does not allow me to make the bench any deeper. Anywho currently I am planing the stud grade Douglas fir 2x4 and noticed the sides are not square but slightly rounded, apparently all 2x4s in America come like this. I was wondering if I could laminate the pieces and then remove the rounded sides by planing the top or if I had to plane the face area down to make the side square before lamination?


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I think what you are seeing is construction grade lumber. You will find it is not really 2x4 either. That was before it was "finished" Go to a real lumber yard and you will have better options.

However as you already have the lumber you want to make it work. If you plan to laminate then you need flat square surfaces to join, which means getting rid of the rounded corners before gluing.

Keep posting this project and you will get lots of useful feedback and tips.

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[jimreed2160]

BigM--I have a Veritas jig and a Wolverine. The Veritas is nice and easy to adjust but I really like the Wolverine. It is big and solid. Either one would be a good choice.

As for your workbench stock, doug fir should make an excellent benchtop. I would plane the edges so I could get good **** joints. You can plane the top once it is done. Of course, you only have to work the bottom so it sits flat. The top will take longer.

Good luck and like CP said, post pictures and the tips will follow. Be sure to show your mistakes--we are all human. Making mistakes in ww happens. But mistakes can be good learning exercises.

 

[jimreed2160]

Desk fall front

One thing I have observed over my many years of woodworking is how much of the learning is learning of self. One might think that ww would teach you about wood and tools. It does that but the most powerful lessons to me have been about myself. I learn how I react to success and failure. I learn how to dissect failures so I can avoid them in the future.

One big lesson for me has been learning when to stop. And by stopping, I mean delay rather than quitting. I have learned that I make mistakes when I am tired. These mistakes are bad for the project at hand and also for me because that is when most accidents occur. I have learned to stop when I get tired. I have also learned that I sometimes get excited and rush to finish. This behavior almost always leads to project mistakes--like the broken screws.

When I install woodscrews, I drill a pilot that is the size of the shank and let the threads cut through the wood. This strategy works well most of the time but can fail--especially with brass screws and hardwood. Brass tends to crumble when twisted and hardwoods have very little give. Those two characteristics lead to a broken screw.

So I let the project sit for a day. It gave me time to run some errands and cool off. The break also gave me time to think and come up with a better strategy. When I approached the project today I had renewed enthusiasm. I noticed that one of the hinges was outside the mortice and that needed a little tweaking. Sooner or later ALL of the tools from the garage will be in my living room.

So that went pretty easy. I drilled out the screws with some carbide end mills and made new pilots all around. Then I attached the hinges using STEEL screws. Those screws will cut threads in the hard cherry and will not break. I can replace them later with brass screws. Of course, I know better and should have done this first.

Now the fall front is attached. The hinges work well and this ends work on the main desk.

The next task is to repair the crown moulding and devise a way to attach it. My original plan was to let gravity hold it in place. My housekeeper showed me the problem with that strategy when she attempted to dust it and knocked it off. I need to repair that damage and also find a way to fix, yet remove, it. No need to have it come crashing down on precious granddaughter. Stay tuned for more ww antics.

 

[ez-duzit]

I use Fuller taper drills for wood and sheet metal screws.

 

[Bigmichaelkim]

I think what you are seeing is construction grade lumber. You will find it is not really 2x4 either. That was before it was "finished" Go to a real lumber yard and you will have better options.

However as you already have the lumber you want to make it work. If you plan to laminate then you need flat square surfaces to join, which means getting rid of the rounded corners before gluing.

Keep posting this project and you will get lots of useful feedback and tips.

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Hey thanks guys for all the tips. I wanted to build the bench from the cheapest construction grade lumber possible so that's why I ultimately chose Douglas fir, seems like that's the only wood they carry at the big box stores near me. Anywho, trying to get the surface square with a smoothing plane seems like an awful lot of work and I was therefore wondering, could I use a scrub plane to make this process faster? I picked up an old hand plane from an estate sale that's just sitting in my garage it's a "corsair?" Brand? Pretty sure it's not as nice as a bailey pattern Stanley but regardless I thought maybe I could grind away the plane iron to look like a scrub plane and then hog off some more material? Never used a scrub plane but would not this task fit the bill of when to use a scrub plane?


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[ztorres]

I'd try making a jig for your table saw for it to joint an edge. There's plenty of videos of guys doing this. I think this would be your fastest way if you don't have a jointer, unless you want to do it by hand


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[jimreed2160]

BigM--A scrub plane is one that is specifically made for heavy duty. That is why most scrub planes do not have a blade adjuster mechanism. Scrub planes also have a narrow blade width because digging out a wide splinter is hard work.

In your case, the doug fir presents a great target for a repurposed handplane. You can experiment with the radius but I would start with something like a Diet Coke can. I know that is a tight circle but you want a shaving that is 3/4" to 1" wide and your blade is probably 2" wide.

Use short strokes at 45 degrees and you will quickly have that top flat. Then you can use a bench plane to take out the gouges. Good luck.

 

[ez-duzit]

Bm--rip the lumber on the table saw to eliminate the radius.

 

[Bob Heine]

I'm afraid I'm a little late to this party but my worst fears were realized before I even made it to page 4. About a decade ago I bought a set of Japanese saws for my son-in-law, hoping he would be pleased. I have no idea if he liked them or even ever used them. A post on page 3 convinced me I would enjoy a set so Amazon has them headed my way. I need a vaccination to prevent a Festool infection before I read any further.

I recently sharpened a crosscut saw that has little value except it was a housewarming gift (purchased with S&H Green Stamps) from my grandmother in 1966. The bloodstains came off the handle but I've left the sweat stains on the blade. It cuts amazingly well with just a sharp new saw file and a little shop time.

I am leaning into the hand plane rabbit hole entrance but I'm limiting myself to the Stanley rabbet plane I inherited from my father and the Waltham I inherited from my father-in-law. I feel bad about using those planes for so long when they were dull and poorly adjusted. I thought chips were OK until I sharpened the irons properly and adjusted them to produce transparent curls of wood. Definitely an AH-HA moment.

I found the depth block for the rabbet plane but not the fence. I probably have the fence in a coffee can full of "stuff" but Stanley still sells them so a new fence and associated hardware is on the way. I also seem to be missing the thumbscrew for the depth block. I found quite a few on eBay but they are asking more for the thumbscrew than Stanley wants for the fence. I may end up spending another $20 for a spare fence just to get the thumbscrew ($35 for a rusty one that might not even be the right thread seems foolish).

My fallback plan is to make my own thumbscrew from a washer and that 10-32 screw in the photo. I am also hedging my plane orientation with one on its side and one on its shoe.

 

[jimreed2160]

Bob, welcome to the wonderful world of WW 101. There is a lot of info here and I am sure you can catch up soon since Boca on the outside is surface of sun hot right now. Last time I went, it was July and the freekin parking lot was SOFT to walk on. Whoa! I swear that asphalt was like an extra firm mattress.

Anyway, nice saw for Green Stamps. And good luck with the planes. You need to send a buy order to your purchasing dept.

BTW, the connection is that I worked as a contractor for IBM in Division 19 (Ed & Trn) late in the last century. Hardware Systems Architect. Had fun. My wife, The Queen, was a tech writer and actually worked a contract in Boca. She got pretty steamed in a meeting when one of the lifers mentioned that she "was just a write-ah." Her *** laude master's in English credentials did not help but that 8th grade teacher stink eye she had settled everything down.

 

[jimreed2160]

Secretary desk crown

We are moving on to the top of the project now. It is time to work on the crown. I used biscuits to attach right angle stakes to the moulding and then joined them with a piece of plywood. It has held up pretty well. Here it is upside down.

And here is a better picture of the profile.

But first a little history. This moulding was my first H&R project. The required length exceeded my workbench so I made two separate boards--one for the front and one halved for the sides. Getting them to match was very special. My mind did not grasp the geometry involved and I made a mistake when cutting the front piece. I measured from the bottom and cut from the top. Imagine my surprise when the piece did not fit. It was more like utter despair in the pit of my stomach. I gritted my teeth and **** jointed the piece for another try. Here is my mistake.

I tell myself that it is really not visible unless you look really hard. Self deception is not always bad. So here it is from a few feet away.

Anyway, one of the corners broke during the housekeeper incident.

So I cut a spline using the bandsaw.

And jammed it into the crack.

And used some more thin strips on the back side to make everything tight.

I am working on the theory that I can trim this corner enough to fool most eyes.

A man's reach should always exceed his grasp. How can we know our limits if we do not push ourselves to the discovery point and beyond? Well, this project surely tested the limits of my woodworking skill. I am surprised that I have made it this far without other hacks like this one. Even though I have enjoyed working on it and I certainly hope my granddaughter likes it.

So I am keeping my fingers crossed that I can dig out of this current mess. Stay tuned.

 

[hpw]

jim.......couldn't you have taken the joint apart, cleaned it up and then reapplied? Or am I missing something?

 

[Bigmichaelkim]

Question regarding these gray spots on Douglas fir. I have planed these spots out but they keep seemingly reappearing is this the wood reacting to the air? I just don't want to put my whole workbench together and see these gray spots appear. Would I need to put on a finish to my workbench to not have these spots appear? Has anyone seen this happen to their wood as well?


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[Bob Heine]

Bob, welcome to the wonderful world of WW 101. There is a lot of info here and I am sure you can catch up soon since Boca on the outside is surface of sun hot right now. Last time I went, it was July and the freekin parking lot was SOFT to walk on. Whoa! I swear that asphalt was like an extra firm mattress.

Anyway, nice saw for Green Stamps. And good luck with the planes. You need to send a buy order to your purchasing dept.

BTW, the connection is that I worked as a contractor for IBM in Division 19 (Ed & Trn) late in the last century. Hardware Systems Architect. Had fun. My wife, The Queen, was a tech writer and actually worked a contract in Boca. She got pretty steamed in a meeting when one of the lifers mentioned that she "was just a write-ah." Her *** laude master's in English credentials did not help but that 8th grade teacher stink eye she had settled everything down.

Jim, it's so hot I think my concrete driveway is getting soft. I need to do some work on my cars that would be difficult in the air conditioned garage. First attempt resulted in sizzling sounds when I touched the driveway. Thus I bought a canvas carport to be erected and taken down daily (hey, it's Boca Raton). I felt $88 was a reasonable price to preserve some skin.

I think the saw was made by Disston but with a Warranted Superior medallion.

The Queen was probably suffering the backlash from my group of "write-ahs." One of my departments developed the Help engine and compiler as well as editing tools for OS/2, which Microsoft then used for their Help in Windows 3.1 and its follow-ons. The Programmers hated us because they couldn't find bugs in the software. It was 99 point something bug-free and ran in a 50K module in the operating system. If you ran a compiled help file through the Zip process, it grew in size. Boy did they hate us. I was deported to Australia for my part in the crime (exile only lasted two years).

Is your Queen in any way related to my wife, The Duchess of Boca?

 

[R_einan]

Good to see progress on the desk Jim, seems like you are getting close.

Zach: thanks for the burning walk through, maybe one day I'll try my hand at it.

As for me, my end table is progressing slowly, I was fighting some pockmarks in the finish on the top that I wasn't satisfied with. So I started sanding a bit heavier to get down to the divots, only to find that the shellac was soft and gummy as I sanded further. Came to the relization that I rushed the beginning stages and the oil hadn't cured before the initial shellac coats. Needless to say, out came the 220 grit and orbital and I sanded it all off. Once I was gown to bare wood I gave it a light wipe coat of oil and left it to cure for a few days before starting to build the shellac back up. Currently about 3/4 of the way done building the finish back up. Still struggling with the heat, as we haven't come down below 100 degrees in 2 weeks, so the shop is pretty warm. Once I have a solid build up I'll annoy the wife and bring it into the house for the final wiping coats. I think the lower temps will help the shellac to go down without it drying so quickly and leaving pad marks.

 

[ez-duzit]

...I wanted to build the bench from the cheapest construction grade lumber possible so that's why I ultimately chose Douglas fir, seems like that's the only wood they carry at the big box stores near me...

...I just don't want to put my whole workbench together and see these gray spots appear...

Don't worry about it.

 

[Bigmichaelkim]

Don't worry about it.

Lol, I see your point exactly. Kind of funny now I look at it.


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