Woodworking 101--Tools and Tips

[Bigmichaelkim]

Just managed to get my hands on a 5 1/2 corrugated plane stanley type 9. Can I use this as my main jack plane? I was also wondering due to its slightly larger profile if it can serve as a jointer plane? Is this wishful thinking? Did I make the wrong purchase and should I have gotten a dedicated number 5 and a larger 7?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[jimreed2160]

BigM--Type 9s were built well and are great user planes. It shares the width of the 6 & 7 and is only an inch longer than the popular #5. Although it is a bit too large for me, it will probably fit you well. It carries some heft and will muscle through wood with ease.

For jointing, I like my #7 but the #5 1/2 would be a good substitute. They are the same width and that helps. I like to skew my plane when jointing and the #5 is just not wide enough to really cover a 4/4 board. Skewing makes the cut easier and helps me keep the plane level.

As a side note--I once rehabbed a plane for a friend and co-worker. He got it from his dad and it originally belonged to his granddad who worked as a house framer. This plane needed some serious work because it had been used, not abused and was the only Stanley plane in a box of woodies. And their go to plane was ---wait for it--- a #5 1/2.

 

[jimreed2160]

Desk trim

I guess I am the only person in the world who likes the badge and I don't like it enough to make it for real. The only thing to do is continue with trim. I need a piece that is about 35 inches long and 1 x 1/2. Here is the stock I found.

The picture shows the rough board along with two pieces of trim stretched out to about 36". OK then, gnawing this trim will make some sawdust.

The first order of business is to trim it to length. I will make the trim about 40" so I have some room at each end. Time to dust off my sawbench. If you do not have one of these, you should. It was made for handsaws but works for powered saws just fine.

The box at the end is my board "Bud". Sawbenches like this were commonly used by house carpenters during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. My addition is the little offcut stand. My dad liked to build things and he always recruited me as his (sometimes willing) assistant. I frequently found myself holding offcuts while he crosscut framing pieces. He always called me "Bud", so when I found myself in need of an assistant, I made one.

So I marked the cut with a square and got ready to cut. The sawbench is made low so you can use your foot to hold the board in place. This works really well with handsaws.

And Bud keeps the offcut from binding.

I used my #7 to level the board on both sides so I could use one against the table saw fence.

And a few rips later, I had my trim.

I will finish the post later. My kitty is crawling all over me looking for love. Must attend to that before she blows a fuse.

 

[jimreed2160]

Desk base trim continued

Here is a picture of the earlier trim I made. It has a simple roundover that I put on it with a hollow #4 plane.

Of course, this cherry is figured and laughed at the plane. It was tearout city and I had to resort to using the oscillating spindle sander. While I was at it, a divot popped out in the center.

I kept going. Here is the trial fit. Notice the divot in the center.

Here is a good shot of what I am trying to cover up.

I glued the divot back in place.

Once the glue dries, I will continue with sanding/shaping. The high temps today are limiting shop time.

 

[jimreed2160]

Staining the trim

The divot was clamped a few hours and it can continue to dry overnight. I need to do some finish sanding and staining. I have the extra pieces that I was going to splice on the front but will stain all of them and pick the best two. Here are the pieces before staining.

And after staining.

The front piece has really nice figured grain.

And here is the divot after staining.

The minwax stain needs a day to dry before poly. Maybe I can sneak that in tomorrow afternoon. Getting closer and closer.

I appreciate the feedback on the shield trim. This front piece turned out nice and will look great on the desk.

 

[cheechi]

what about a real simple 'half rosette' type accent there jim? I'm no furniture expert but something too ornate wouldn't look right. However, I think something round maybe with an inlaid 'bottom of a fleur de lis' type number might be decent even if it breaks some kind of furniture styling rule.

I do however think if you were going to badge it with an A then it should have been red.

 

[jimreed2160]

I do however think if you were going to badge it with an A then it should have been red.

 

[jimreed2160]

Desk trim

Time to put some finish on the desk trim. I found an old tablecloth that belonged to my mom. It is too far gone to use but makes an excellent drop cloth with memories.

I put amber shellac on the birdseye to yellow it a bit first. Then everybody got poly.

Next step is mitering and attaching the trim. This project should be wrapped up by early next week!!! Must schedule delivery.

 

[cbacres]

Desk trim

I guess I am the only person in the world who likes the badge and I don't like it enough to make it for real. The only thing to do is continue with trim. I need a piece that is about 35 inches long and 1 x 1/2. Here is the stock I found.

The picture shows the rough board along with two pieces of trim stretched out to about 36". OK then, gnawing this trim will make some sawdust.

The first order of business is to trim it to length. I will make the trim about 40" so I have some room at each end. Time to dust off my sawbench. If you do not have one of these, you should. It was made for handsaws but works for powered saws just fine.

The box at the end is my board "Bud". Sawbenches like this were commonly used by house carpenters during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. My addition is the little offcut stand. My dad liked to build things and he always recruited me as his (sometimes willing) assistant. I frequently found myself holding offcuts while he crosscut framing pieces. He always called me "Bud", so when I found myself in need of an assistant, I made one.

So I marked the cut with a square and got ready to cut. The sawbench is made low so you can use your foot to hold the board in place. This works really well with handsaws.

And Bud keeps the offcut from binding.

I used my #7 to level the board on both sides so I could use one against the table saw fence.

And a few rips later, I had my trim.

I will finish the post later. My kitty is crawling all over me looking for love. Must attend to that before she blows a fuse.

I like the big old vise on the floor!

 

[jimreed2160]

I like the big old vise on the floor!

That would be this one.

 

[cheechi]

I like that too. where you going to mount it and when?

 

[jimreed2160]

There are no current plans for mounting. It is a quick release but I got it cheap because the leadscrew would not turn. I opened up the nut and cleaned the threads and now works great. It still needs a little cleanup and some dry lube. Previous owner attached handle to leadscrew with a bolt and I need to replace that with a suitable pin.

Morgan made quality vises and this one is no exception. With some wooden jaws and a new handle, this would make a fine user.

 

[jimreed2160]

Desk bottom trim

Time to break out the big guns.

It is a miter trimmer with super sharp blades.

First I used the miter saw to cut the miter. Then I shaved it with the trimmer.

The before picture shows a little roughness.

Just hold it steady.

Here is the first slice. It is a little shy.

The full cut does the job. Those splinters at the end are fringe. It is kinda like the curly metal that forms on the edge of a blade.

A slight brushing with sandpaper removes the fringe. The test fit is right on.

All I need now is a little glue. The Queen is at her beauty appointment that is almost over so I need to break for pickup and lunch. I am anxious to attach this trim so the afternoon is full of promise.

 

[jimreed2160]

Secretary desk finale

You know it is a special day when you have a compressor in your living room! One big takeaway from this project is to finish in your shop or you will drag every tool you have into the house (and make a mess).

I smeared a little glue on the trim and tacked it to the frame.

The tiny gap you see is intentional. Remember that the base removes for transportation. It sits on the base and the trim is on top of the base in a rabbet. It sits about 1/16" away from the desk--just enough to collect a little dust. But it does hide the unsightly joint.

Here is the desk--FINALLY!

This project started in 2002 when I found the board. The main structure was built in 2003 just before my granddaughter was born. It took most of the summer to put the finishing touches on it. Delivery is soon.

Thanks to all of you who watched and sent encouragement. One project down, dozens more to go.

 

[jimreed2160]

Greene and Tweed hammer

Well it is not really a fine woodworking project but I have started rehab of a basa hammer.

Check out the "Green & Tweed Defense Hammer" thread over in Vintage Tools if you are interested.

 

[dadsEH]

This whole thing is a joke ...right?

 

[jimreed2160]

This whole thing is a joke ...right?

I honestly do not understand. Please explain your pronoun references.

 

[jimreed2160]

New project--picture frame repair

So there was a crash in the night and it turned out to be cats jumping on a mirror. I had it secured to the wall but it had a heavy plate glass mirror AND a jumping cat. The nail pulled out of the sheetrock.

This is an old frame that my parents bought sometime in the late 1940s and had a mirror set into it. It is stripped pine and was probably veneered and/or ghesso coated. There are a few repairs and I think it was probably made sometime between 1850--1880.

So it is not a rare and valuable piece but does have lots of family history. My mom loved this thing and she would certainly expect me to take care of it.

There is a break at an old repair. At one time it got bashed and someone let in a Dutchman.

There is some damage on most of the corners.

The first order of business it to take it apart. Some of these repairs will be extensive.

Some of the corners are easy.

But some are a nightmare of old repairs. I can sniff out traces of my dad and his repair efforts. He was a ww and amateur cabinetmaker/carpenter but he had a tendency to be ham fisted. The handful of 1-1/2" finish nails look like something he would do. Not bad repair efforts, but a real pain to remove.

I also need to remove the hanging wire. That needs to be redone and updated.

And then there is the divot repair.

There is a large crack under the divot.

Here is the damage behind the Dutchman. The original accident damaged the thin moulding and it needs repair along its length.

So I will start with the divot. It was a challenge to clamp it but everything seems tight now.

I need to somehow reengineer that moulding and make it stronger. Need to noodle on that fix. It does feel good to get my shop back. I finished the desk at last and the weather is getting cooler. That means that I can chip away at the long projects list.

 

[ez-duzit]

Tip #1--a nail in sheetrock is not sufficient for hanging heavy objects.

Tip #2--at some point old worthless stuff that has been repaired over and over is no longer worth repairing.

 

[ScottsGT]

Pics of dead cat not loading.....

Oops! forgot to add:

 

[jimreed2160]

Tip #1--a nail in sheetrock is not sufficient for hanging heavy objects.

Tip #2--at some point old worthless stuff that has been repaired over and over is no longer worth repairing.

#1--To clarify, I used a 50 lb picture frame hanger for a 15-20 lb item. The hanger held but the nail did give away under stress. My solution is to double down and use two 50 lb hangers next time. But maybe I am missing something. How do you hang your heavy frames?

#2--But that strategy would pretty much clean out my projects list.

 

[jimreed2160]

Pics of dead cat not loading.....

Oops! forgot to add:

They call me Gabby. I like to explore.

 

[rrich1]

Got some work done the last few days. Got the dad's cut in the gaming table aprons. Got the first coat of oil on a cutting board I showed earlier, and I got the holes drilled in the workbench legs for the dowels. Really trying to get the work bench as finished as possible before the screw gets here.

I cut the leg chop down to a more manageable size while trying to decide on a final design. How far down is the screw for the leg vise on your work bench?

I also picked up some new toys this past week. Woodcraft had a sale and my wood store matched it. Only have done a few test cuts but so far so good. Mobile base arrives tomorrow. 13" resaw capacity and 1.5hp should do me just fine for quite some time.

Also I am really wanting to build a hand tool cabinet and try dovetailing for the first time. Figure I would get some good tools to try it out.

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

 

[jimreed2160]

Drool, drool...Nice bandsaw.

 

[rrich1]

Drool, drool...Nice bandsaw. [emoji106]

Thanks. It seems like a quality product so far.

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

 

[ez-duzit]

1--nice buying spree!

 

[56vette461]

Jim, Just FYI

(. But maybe I am missing something. How do you hang your heavy frames?)

I worked with a fellow who did specialty work with heavy old canvas and frame pictures and mirrors. His method was to tape out the width of the frame centered where it was to be placed. Divide the length across the frame into 4ths. Place the heavy duty hangers level across the tape at the 1/4 th and 3/4ths marks, and then stretch the wire across the two hangers. He hung a 4' x 6' long old mirror using this method for a display in a community hall and it stayed solid for the three years it served as part of decor. what you choose to use for the hanger is determined by the weight of the frame
Good luck

 

[bdelmar2]

I once worked a job that required me to hang a lot of antique mirrors/frames/lights and what have you.

We used decking screws directly into a stud - but never drywall screws.

Even if what you were currently hanging was cheap and light, the next thing that got hung from that screw might be heavy and expensive, maybe really expensive, and might be being hung by someone not paying attention to the screw itself.

At this job I did a wide variety of things and it was hard telling exactly what I might have on me at the time it was necessary to hang up an item. (Which might entail moving several other items)

So if I didn't know the qualities of the screws I happened to have at the time I would test them by running them into a 2x at about the depth and angle I needed and then whacking them with a hammer in what would be a downward angle if they were in their actual position.

If the screw snapped off, no good (common drywall screws will snap). If it bends over enough you can hammer it flat without breaking it then its good (most decking screws will bend).

Another possibility is that the whole screw rips out of the wood without bending or breaking, in which case its too short, not in deep enough, or just a strong hard screw. If its a really strong hard screw it will also be fine.

Mostly though they will either bend or break.

 

[jimreed2160]

56 & BD--Excellent tips. Thanks for sharing. I never had a failure but this experience has exposed flaws in my picture hanging techniques. Your ideas seem much stronger.

 

[shortykorte]

Jim, Just FYI

(. But maybe I am missing something. How do you hang your heavy frames?)

I worked with a fellow who did specialty work with heavy old canvas and frame pictures and mirrors. His method was to tape out the width of the frame centered where it was to be placed. Divide the length across the frame into 4ths. Place the heavy duty hangers level across the tape at the 1/4 th and 3/4ths marks, and then stretch the wire across the two hangers. He hung a 4' x 6' long old mirror using this method for a display in a community hall and it stayed solid for the three years it served as part of decor. what you choose to use for the hanger is determined by the weight of the frame
Good luck

I've used this same method for hanging heavy items. Another point I like about using the two hangers is if one fails, the other increases your chance of saving the picture


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Craptain]

Thanks. It seems like a quality product so far.

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

It IS a quality product. Several bandsaws come out of the same factory including my old Craftsman, Jet and Grizzly. But Rikon has the best customer support. Likely the only parts you will need are belts, and they are inexpensive with prompt shipping.

Sent from my SM-G900T using Tapatalk

 

[R_einan]

Garage sale find today, score a nice drill press for $150. I have been struggling with a little 8" bench top unit for awhile, glad to have a bigger unit.

 

[rrich1]

It IS a quality product. Several bandsaws come out of the same factory including my old Craftsman, Jet and Grizzly. But Rikon has the best customer support. Likely the only parts you will need are belts, and they are inexpensive with prompt shipping.

Sent from my SM-G900T using Tapatalk

good to hear. going to use it later this week to cut out the leg vise chop as son as I decide on a design.

 

[jimreed2160]

R--Good score on the DP. Are you going to add the HF table to it?

 

[R_einan]

R--Good score on the DP. Are you going to add the HF table to it?

It sure at this point, I put a shop fox 6" quick action vise that I picked up awhile ago on it and will see how that works out. I have a bunch of melamine that I might build my own from if I want something larger.

 

[ez-duzit]

The drill press is much handier without the accessory table.

 

[jimreed2160]

New project--piccolo

So I just acquired this old piccolo. The Queen played one in the marching band many years ago and I thought she might like one to toot. Anyway, it is marked V. Kolhert & Sons with medallions and a serial number. It is made from African blackwood or rosewood. My research shows that it was made from 1900-1918.

See the mouthpiece--it is the short segment. It is missing a decorative endcap that screws in. That looks like a turning project for me. I have lots of African blackwood. Hope I can turn one that does not explode during the process--that wood is very brittle.

I also need to gently clean the body and the keys. The keys also need lube. I guess I need to research this so I don't use the wrong products.

I pulled this thing out of the packing, put it together, and handed it to The Queen. "Is it all here? How does it work?", sez I. She immediately blew across the hole and played a squeaky tune! I was impressed because those marching band days were a long time ago. I guess the stuff you learn at bandcamp stays with you.

After cleaning I will make a case for it. One more for the projects pile.

 

[jimreed2160]

New project

Sorry for the lack of ww news. I got sidetracked yesterday with this little 3" Athol vise.

 

[cheechi]

any light oil, usually i use mineral oil, should be fine for the keys. you can get 'key oil' from any music store. For my piccolo i usually get one of the plastic/nylon toothpicks and dab it while working the key back and forth. It's an incredibly scientific process.

your comment 'the keys also need lube' tells me you will probably be replacing some if not all the springs and all 5 pads. the springs and pads a music store repair guy is going to be your best option as they will probably have several sizes to try, nobody is going to have a service manual for something that old. if it moves at all the keys probably don't need that much oil if any.

most of the wooden instruments I've seen that have had endcap repairs they have been done by taking a drawer knob you like and turning it down to whatever size you want. My silver plate flute is missing its endcap and I've never over the years put more than one phone call into bothering to find a replacement.

 

[jimreed2160]

Cheechi--Thanks for the tips. I admire those with musical skills. Have you played long? Mr Google says to go lightly so I will start with a soft cloth. It has been well cared for so the box is a must.

As for woodworking, I did a little this weekend. After tripping over the table box for a few days, I decided to get it out of the way. Months ago during one of The Queen's makeup journeys to the mall, I slipped out to Sears and found this table.

It looks great for something like a sander or mortiser. Must clean out a spot.

My early shop furniture was mostly 2x4 quick & dirty stuff. It was functional but a little bulky and inefficient for storage. As I replace it with purchased workbenches and tables, I am pleased with the results because it usually means more room in the shop.