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Woodworking 101--Tools and Tips

ez-duzit

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You can easily hold those pieces in a woodworkers vise while routing the recess using a pattern follower. Absolutely no need for a router table, which is much more dangerous in this case.
 
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ztorres

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I’d hog out as much as possible with a combination of different forstner bits before I went to the router. Less stress in the router


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rlitman

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You can easily hold those pieces in a woodworkers vise while routing the recess using a pattern follower. Absolutely no need for a router table, which is much more dangerous in this case.

Well, that works if you clamp two handles together and cut both recesses in one plunge. That will keep you from having to use a sacrificial piece, or cutting into your vise jaw.

That is what I just said.

Ok. I kind of read it to mean keeping handles together lengthwise, but I see how it could work both ways.
 

chrislehr

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Well, that works if you clamp two handles together and cut both recesses in one plunge. That will keep you from having to use a sacrificial piece, or cutting into your vise jaw.



Ok. I kind of read it to mean keeping handles together lengthwise, but I see how it could work both ways.

Oh, I see the misunderstanding. I intend to keep a flat end on each side of the cut for the screw for mounting. Otherwise, I'd absolutely have made a 6 foot board, routed the whole thing in one cut, and then chopped to five inch pieces. The back piece in my pic is my desired outcome (but is missing the mounting h/w and rounding some edges)

I think the pattern and a bushing on my router is going to be the best fix - and can see when going this method I don't have to rely on my very large bit (1.25") to get the radius I want, so then the "hogging out material" with a forstener bit makes more sense too (since I doubt I have bushings to that size!)
 

ez-duzit

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... I intend to keep a flat end on each side of the cut for the screw for mounting. Otherwise, I'd absolutely have made a 6 foot board, routed the whole thing in one cut...

You misunderstand. You simply stop the cut wherever you want, leaving parts of it not routed.
 

chrislehr

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You misunderstand. You simply stop the cut wherever you want, leaving parts of it not routed.

I feel like the board being long doesn't make that cut any more safe however. The entrance and exit of the large bit in a small piece is the part I am hoping to avoid.
 
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jimreed2160

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Chris--Nice handle design. Please don't hurt yourself making them. I would make them by sneaking up on the final product. I think it would lend itself to repetitive, yet safer, operations.

1. Cut a long piece a little oversized so you have about four of them in a row. Just think of it like a group of linked sausages.
2. Make a dual sided template and mark both sides for the relief. Drill out the rounded portion with a forstner bit on your drill press.
3. Cut to the hole with a handsaw, TS, or bandsaw. Then use the bandsaw to cut out the interior.
4. Make a 1/4" veneer strip and glue it across the front.
5. Trim the top and bottom sides even using a handplane, jointer, or table saw.
6. Cut them apart with a saw.

Safe and uniform with simple steps. I realize you have already cut them to size, but I think they are too small for safe hogging operations.
 
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jimreed2160

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Working with drill rod

Drill rod is sold by industrial supply houses and is very handy around the shop. It is O-1 steel rod that has been carefully machined to size and polished to a high finish. I use it to make parts for planes. One of the most common projects is making custom fence rods for a Stanley #45 combo plane. The rod comes in 36 inch lengths and I cut it with a cutoff wheel in an angle grinder. But that leaves the ends nasty. Dressing the end would be easy if you had a lathe, but don't despair. This work can be done on a grinder.

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Just chuck the rod into your drill and spin it against the spinning grinder wheel. Opposite directions works best. Move it about until you have a nice rounded dome on the end. Then repeat on the other end.

CAUTIONS
Respect your grinder. Do not stand in front of the wheel. Do not use a tool rest. Do not use the side of the wheel. Let the rod drag on the wheel--don't try to grind upstream as the wheel may catch your rod and fling it around with an amazing amount of force. Wear breathing protection. Wear eye protection.
 
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jimreed2160

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Repairing a saw horn

Let's face it, vintage saws are inexpensive. And broken vintage saws are cheap. That's why I like 'em. Here is a saw repair from a few years back. The hardest part is finding genuine apple wood. Once you have a suitable piece, clean up the landing zone and glue them together.

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I know it is a big stick, but if I cut right I can have a large piece of scrap.

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Start to cut it down.

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And nibble away at it with any tool that seems reasonable.

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I end up with sandpaper. At times like this, I wish I were more of an artist.

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Then I rough sanded the whole thing. Not a lot but enough to remove the old finish.

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I always wet the handle with turpentine to see the color and stain accordingly, taking care around the join lines and try to feather it in.

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Pretty good, huh? Even if it does not come out so good, the horn is nice to have because it supports the web between your thumb and forefinger.
 
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jimreed2160

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Big tree

One day my woodworking buddy was over at the house and said we should cut down the cherry tree for lumber. It was only then that I found out I had a large cherry tree in my yard--and a leaner at that.

It really did need to go and Reid had a sharp eye. This dang tree was about three times the height of the house and too large for me to get my arms around it. I estimated a conservative 900-1500 bf of nice clear cherry.

Well I procrastinated too long. Reid got ALS and died before we could share the wood. And the tree suffered a similar fate. I had the crew cut it into 9 foot sections so I could haul it to the mill easier. BUT it was rotten from the top and those sections had a big hole. Rot was also active from the bottom and those large sections were worthless.

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At the end of a long day, I had a yard full of rotten tree with A SINGLE 9 ft log from the center. Although it was nice, the juice was just not worth the squeeze. Once I paid for transportation and milling I was into it for more that it was worth. Sigh. I lost the tree and my buddy. Didn't care much about the tree but I sure miss Reid.
 

turbowoodworker

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Never too late to save a thumb!
I would do as EZ suggested. Take a longer board, wider too and do the router work. Then rip to proper thickness and crosscut to length.
 

cheechi

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Jim I'm genuinely surprised you either don't have or don't use a metal bandsaw to cut the tool steel. Honestly I'd use a hand hacksaw before an angle grinder, in the end still less time and effort when you factor in how much you are doing to clean up the cut after.
 
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jimreed2160

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Jim I'm genuinely surprised you either don't have or don't use a metal bandsaw to cut the tool steel. Honestly I'd use a hand hacksaw before an angle grinder, in the end still less time and effort when you factor in how much you are doing to clean up the cut after.

I am sure a metal bandsaw would make a cleaner cut but it would also be square and need to be finished. My guess is that the time would be about the same. But it sure would be nice to have a metal bandsaw around.
 

chrislehr

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Chris--I love your air filter and have been considering one. Which model did you get? How do you like it so far?

Jet - seen in pic. Used, and it works just fine, but seriously... buy a caulk gun, a squirrel cage fan and build a box and you have the same. I like this one for the remote and three speeds, so if I am occasionally using a tool here and there I can set it to low. Resawing Walnut, CRANK IT UP.
 

tombell572

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Jim-please clarify for me: in your post on the repair of the saw handle with finger hole, your last picture is of a different handle although you indicate it is a shot of the repaired handle. Or am I missing something obvious--not unusual,

Tom B.
 
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jimreed2160

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Jim-please clarify for me: in your post on the repair of the saw handle with finger hole, your last picture is of a different handle although you indicate it is a shot of the repaired handle. Or am I missing something obvious--not unusual,

Tom B.

Congratulations! You are the winner of the EAGLE EYE PRIZE!

In my late night haste I managed to scramble the pictures. But I am blaming Photobucket. :dunno:

But seriously, thanks for your catch. I edited the pictures and fixed my booboo. Sometimes it takes a village...
 

R_einan

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Nice work Jim! Your skills at old wood working tool rehab are excellent and it’s wonderful that you are able to put these nice vintage tools back into service. I might have to bend your ear when I find some old planes to rebuild.

I’ve also been considering an air filter system for me shop, to help keep the airborne dust from settling on everything while sanding. None of my sanders have any form of dust collection and I refuse to replace them. I’ve looked at the jet unit, as well as Rikon and wen which are lower powered but more cost effective. I’ve also considered building my own unit, as a friend offered me a fan he used in his greenhouse, but I haven’t seen it to know if I can make it work.
 
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jimreed2160

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Nice work Jim! Your skills at old wood working tool rehab are excellent and it’s wonderful that you are able to put these nice vintage tools back into service. I might have to bend your ear when I find some old planes to rebuild.

I’ve also been considering an air filter system for me shop, to help keep the airborne dust from settling on everything while sanding. None of my sanders have any form of dust collection and I refuse to replace them. I’ve looked at the jet unit, as well as Rikon and wen which are lower powered but more cost effective. I’ve also considered building my own unit, as a friend offered me a fan he used in his greenhouse, but I haven’t seen it to know if I can make it work.

Find those planes and let's put them back to work! And you are correct, those air filters are just a fan in a box. I guess put a filter in front of a fan and get some relief. Any filter would work and just get better with age as it filled with stuff. I worked in a lab where we had class 10 clean rooms. The filters worked better after running--in fact, they were at their best the day they were changed out.
 

rlitman

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Make a downdraft table or construct a portable one that connects to your dust collector. Works much better than a fan.

Easy to make one out of scrap materials that you probably have laying around the shop.

.

.

I made something similar for photographic printing. The vacuum table would hold the paper flatter than an easel, because it held the center down too, and had the advantage of not covering the edges.

I would suggest though starting with sanding equipment with integral dust collection. Not just for the obvious reason, but also because removing dust from under the paper makes the machine work better by keeping the abrasive from clogging, and keeps the paper running cooler.
 
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jimreed2160

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A try square with a twist

These tools keep finding their way to my shop--and that is a GOOD thing. Today's arrival is a try square with a twist. All ww have, or should have, a try square. In fact, I keep them all over my shop. It is a mixture of vintage and new. One is by the grinders to help me square up blades. One is by the sharpening plate so I can check square. One is under or beside each bench. And some are stored in such secret places that I may never find them again.

This one is unique. I think I got it for a song because it was not shiny and did not look like its other cousins.

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Yes, you are correct. It is a try square and bevel gauge combo tool. There is no makers mark that I can find but it has the look of US made tools made from 1880--1920. The main blade is rusted and heavily pitted but the rest of the tool is in good shape. Both measuring bodies retain about 90% of their original japan finish.

The nice thing about this tool is that it has a square for reference built in. I am sure that would come in handy at times. But I have never seen one like this so I think it will go inside for better climate controlled storage.
 
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jimreed2160

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Mirror repair continued

We left the mirror with glue drying on the veneer strengthening strip. Today's task is to trim the strip. I used the bandsaw to miter the ends, but needed to devise a holding plan so I could plane the edge.

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I cut a 45 block for something and threw it in the scrap bin. It was just right for one end. I guess I need to make a few more and keep them handy for stuff like this. The other end got a shoprag. It should hold OK because I will be planning from that end and toward the block.

Well, it didn't take long to true up the surface of the veneer and get it even with the edge of the frame.

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There is a defect on the front. OUCH! Sorry for the fuzzy picture.

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I revised the holding plan.

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And found a donor board. My dad set up his first garage workshop during the 1950s. We moved in 1957 and that old shop was moved into the new basement. It was a large glorious place about 24 x 14 with a closet and two windows. I spent many hours down there. He later expanded by enclosing a carport and adding yet another garage. He broke up the shop when they moved into assisted living in 2003. Long story to say that one thing I got at the break up was some scrap pine shelves from the original shop. Maybe scrap to others, but old growth heart pine to me. He was a scrounger and this wood was probably cut in the 1940s. It will match the old frame perfectly when it gets a little finish.

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I needed a long triangular sliver. And guess who came to my aid--it is our friend the new try square!

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It was perfect for the job. Then I needed another try square so I could transfer the measurement.

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Well that was neat. Now for some cutting and trimming.

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It is ready to go.

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With glue and clamps.

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Once the glue dries I can trim it and shape it so it will look like it has been there forever.

There are lots of other ways to have fun but none of them beat this day in the shop. I used a piece of my history to repair another piece of my history. AND I got to put a unique tool to work. :beer:
 
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jimreed2160

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New project--Desk box

I picked this thing up many years ago. It is a mahogany desk box--English I think. Ca 1900. It had a few issues so I got it with a steep discount.

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Nice dovetailing on the drawers.

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When I got it, there was a big boo-boo on the lower door where someone pried it open, broke the corner of the inside door and tore off four or five inches of trim on the outer door. It looked a mess. I fixed the trim using a hollow plane. It came out well. I also patched the door but did not do so great there. What can I say, it was a while back and I was still learning.

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The previous pictures have clues of the other issues. I am using folded paper to hold the doors in place and they swing inward too far because the door stop is missing.

I think I can kill two birds with one stone by adding a suitable stop at the top along with a magnetic catch. Then I can find, or fashion, a key to serve as a knob.

This project should have a quick turnaround. The desk is pretty handy and holds all sorts of odd stuff. In fact, I found my passports inside. They may need to go in a safer spot.
 
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jimreed2160

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Desk door stop

I found a nasty piece of walnut leaning against the wall. It had rough log wanes on the reverse and lots of sapwood. Just right for a mostly concealed doorstop.

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So whittled a small square stick using the ts and then planed the important surfaces.

I drilled a hole for the inset magnet.

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But the provided screw was too long. I checked out my supply at ScrewTown and found a more suitable shorter screw.

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Then I opened up the hole because my new screw was too fat.

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Looking good.

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But I removed the tip to make it a bit shorter.

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Installed it flush and added the magnet to the cup.

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And applied Minwax Red Mahogany stain.

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It needs to dry before the poly.
 
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jimreed2160

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Frame repair continued

The glue was dry so I continued with the frame, using the LN small shoulder plane to trim.

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I also made a few passes on the reverse side to take down the veneer a bit. Then I used the old rag with Red Mahogany stain. It matched pretty well and should look OK with the amber shellac.

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Whew! Time to go watch some football.
 

ez-duzit

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Bad decisions are sometimes unavoidable. It's important that we then make the next decision a good one.

Once you set yourself up with a pattern following router bit, and learn the utter simplicity of creating a pattern for that bit, you will never again waste so much time and materials on such complications as that.

The pattern is precisely the same size as the feature you want to produce. It can be clamped, double-stick taped or brad nailed to the workpiece. And it can be made from a scrap of 1/4" Masonite or 1/2" plywood, depending on the depth of the desired cutout. For a shallow finished cut you must use a thicker pattern, so the follower bearing remains on the pattern.
 

turbowoodworker

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Chris, you came up with a good fix for a common problem. Now you know how to keep your router safe (and your fingers). That tool and technique will serve you well for production work. Nice job.
 
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jimreed2160

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Chris--Mistakes happen. Thanks for your picture--glad you avoided injury. Hope your drawers escaped misfortune also.

Mistakes in ww are just part of what happens with tools and machinery. It is a good time to test safety measures. I threw a workpiece into a window once by ignoring the direction of the cutter. Wow! What a wakeup! After that I taped green safety ribbon to the switch of every power tool in the shop. It was to remind me to be safe and alert when I flipped the switch. We all know that accidents happen when fatigue sets in and there were several instances where I saw the tape and stopped. It helped me learn when to turn the lights out and stop.

Also glad you figured out how to make the handles. Every time you open one of the drawers you will remember this project.
 
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jimreed2160

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Photo archive fun

Back in the day I made lots of blades and cutters for handplanes. Here is a batch of cutters for the Stanley #46 skew plane.

IMAG0296.jpg
 
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jimreed2160

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Too many babies!

My granddaughter at age three was asked what she thought about her new twin siblings. Her comment was, "Too many babies!" Sometimes I feel the same way when the procurement department goes overboard. Here is a gaggle of Stanley #66 beading planes.

IMAG0343.jpg
 
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jimreed2160

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Cutting brass

It is possible to cut brass with your table saw. The key is doing is safely. First you get a non ferrous blade with carbide tips. These saws have low or zero rake which makes the cutting action more like scraping. They are less likely to grab the workpiece. It also helps to have a slow feed rate. And of course, the workpiece must be held tightly. Very tightly.

I made fences for about a dozen of those #66 beaders in the previous picture. I started by making slight rip cuts on the bar stock to remove waste. Here is what resulted along with a real fence.

IMAG0423.jpg


I planned to finish them with files. But before that I had to cut them apart safely. A metal bandsaw would have been great but I did not have one. Instead I hot glued the brass bar to a scrap of 2x6 and cut the edge. Worked like a champ.

IMAG0424.jpg
 
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jimreed2160

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Special bead cutters for Stanley #45

I made a batch of bead cutters for Stanley #45 combo plane. These things are not easy.

IMAG0220-1.jpg


It was always an exciting day when my blades came back from the heat treater. It cost about $100 to treat a batch, so I liked to make batches of 100 blades. Professional heat treating for $1 per cutter seemed reasonable to me.

IMAG0301.jpg


This is a group of new arrivals.
 
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