Woodworking 101--Tools and Tips

[jimreed2160]

Another Christmas project

The 50ish degree temps in the shop preclude loads of QST today but it does not deter me from pursuing a project or two. Especially if that project is holiday related.

Last year I picked up a ginormous roll of wrapping paper from Costco. I got into it and found that one end had been soaked and later stuck together. But it was late at night and I had lots of wrapping to do so I just worked around it instead of returning it.

But it came up on the project list today. I felt pretty good about saving it so I cranked up the bandsaw and had a go at it. I made a pretty aggressive cut and lost about 2-3 inches but seemed to overshoot only by 1/2 of an inch. Best part is that the paper is free now and I can get on to my wrapping.

Of course, I had to show everything to The Queen and she agreed that having a workshop was the greatest thing ever.

Well, I might have overstated her enthusiasm but she WAS pleased.

 

[drivesitfar]

Jim: nice save!!

my bride has a few of those EXTRA LONG wrapping rolls that always seem to be falling off of the shelves cause it won't fit in her huge wrapping box. I don't have a bandsaw, but if she gives me the ok i'll cut with my sawsall and maybe make her happy i own a few tools too.

I stickered all my 2 by's about 24 inches apart cause i'm going to run short on stickers for fence boards if i did them only 18 inches apart. i hope that doesn't cause a problem. STAY TUNED!!

yep the key to having energy is to just KEEP MOVING and of course try to eat something and drink something that doesn't make you want to sit down and sleep.

 

[rlitman]

Another Christmas project

The 50ish degree temps in the shop preclude loads of QST today but it does not deter me from pursuing a project or two. Especially if that project is holiday related.

Last year I picked up a ginormous roll of wrapping paper from Costco. I got into it and found that one end had been soaked and later stuck together. But it was late at night and I had lots of wrapping to do so I just worked around it instead of returning it.

But it came up on the project list today. I felt pretty good about saving it so I cranked up the bandsaw and had a go at it. I made a pretty aggressive cut and lost about 2-3 inches but seemed to overshoot only by 1/2 of an inch. Best part is that the paper is free now and I can get on to my wrapping.

Of course, I had to show everything to The Queen and she agreed that having a workshop was the greatest thing ever.

Well, I might have overstated her enthusiasm but she WAS pleased.

Well done. Yeah, I've used the bandsaw to cut paper before. I once had a jig to cut full reams at a time from letter sized into squares to make flyers.

For a roll like that, I'd probably have used the chop saw. It leaves the end squarer, with less tearout, though tearout isn't much of an issue on wrapping paper, since you always fold the edges in anyway. Of course, cutting round things on the chop saw presents some safety issues that I'm sure you're familiar with (but perhaps not everyone else here).

 

[chrislehr]

Finally sucked it up and cut up the most expensive plywood ive ever bought to make drawer fronts.

$90 sheet of 3/4 birdseye maple ply

 

[nmcqueen469]

Been lurking in this thread for quite some time, very impressive knowledge and skill sets here!

Nothing earth shattering here, but here’s a quickie Christmas gift I made for the wife today.




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[jar944]

Jar--I wish I had your clamps. Man, that's a cr*pload of clamps holding sections of a looooong table. Can't wait to see the final top. But that should be REAL soon now. Keep moving, there is still time to make the deadline.

Ha, I had to go out and get some more clamps today. I picked up 5 10' sticks of 3/4 pipe and found 4 of the 10 pipe clamps I need. I'll pick up the rest tomorrow.

I didn't get as much done on the top as I had hoped today. Though the three sections are ready for jointing and cutting the holes for alignment biscuits/dominos.

 

[ez-duzit]

A few pre-owned machines I picked up this weekend, all in near new condition, for $1650. Performax 22-44 Plus drum sander, Delta 14" wood bandsaw with Kreg precision fence and 6"riser block, Tormek WM200 sharpener.

Wanted a wide belt sander but can't afford one and don't have enough power for a large one. So the drum sander will have to do. It has an open stand with casters.

My 20" Agazzani bandsaw I like to keep setup with a 1" carbide blade for resawing. So the 14" Delta will wear a narrow one. Already ordered a mobile base from Rockler (on sale for $60).

And I've long lusted after a Tormek sharpener so, when the same seller offered me this one for $200, I figured it was the right time. Been using a belt sander for shaping blades and Japanese water stones for sharpening.

We'll just call it an early Christmas at my shop.

 

[jimreed2160]

EZ--That's quite a haul you made there. Nice tools. The BS has a riser and is just like my Jet so I know you will love it. The Performax is just outstanding and you will love it also. And the Tormek is just the best. Great score.

Jar--Nudge your shop assistant and get him to empty the dust collector bags.

nmcq--Welcome to the thread. You already know that we love pictures. Nice project. Thanks for posting and keep us updated with progress shots.

 

[ALinCarolina]

Nice grab on that Tormek. You're going to love it. It really excels in quick sharpening and stropping straight edged things like chisels and plane irons. I also like their jig for sharpening turning gouges.

 

[bj383ss]

Jar - that is alot of clamps Holy Cow Batman. I hope you finish in time.

EZ - that is a great score. I would really like to get a drum sander or possibly make one. I have an extra tablesaw that I might use to make one.

Drives the snowmens hats are out of proportion on purpose. They are suppose to be whimsical. They came out of the paint shop last night. Two coats of shellac. They will be wrapped up and put under the Xmas tree.

20171210_193516 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

A set of trees I made for a buddy at work who wanted to pay me to make him a set like the ones I made last year. Instead I just made them secretly and dropped them on his font porch. Made out of old pallet wood.

20171207_095116 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

I made my mom this rustic box that will hold 2 mason jars. My wife still needs to paint and decorate them. Also used some pallet wood. It was really hard to make a project that I didn't have to sand and make smooth.

IMG_20171126_143924_022 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

Bret

 

[jimreed2160]

BJ--Best use of pallet wood I have seen lately. Well done.

 

[jar944]

Jar--Nudge your shop assistant and get him to empty the dust collector bags.

I better nudge him soon, it's already full again.

Didn't bet anything done on the table today, but I did knock out 10 curved and 10 straight clamping cauls as well as the jig to cut the curved cauls on the table saw.

 

[jimreed2160]

jar--tick, tock...

 

[BMR24]

I couldn't help myself, and had to pick this guy up when I saw it in an antique shop. They must not have known what it was, usually ones in worse condition are about 3x the cost. It's a Stanley 45.

I had to spray it down with penetrating oil to get it apart, it's missing a few things but I only needed the death stop for plowing grooves and that came in the mail yesterday.
I'd like to remove the handle so I can clean the metal up better, but I don't know what is underneath the wood so I don't know yet what I'll do to reinstall the handle when I'm done. If anyone can post a picture of a Stanley 45 without the handle I'd really appreciate it.
It looks like a type 7 or 8, were those japanned or nickel plated? Will a wire wheel on a bench grinder ruin the finish? Thanks for your input.

 

[jimreed2160]

BMR--That #45 looks like it will clean up well. My advice (and I have had over 100 of these) is to leave the handle alone. It is pinned in the middle and you have to drill the pin out. Then you have to replace it with a larger pin. It is a tricky operation and is much better to clean with the handle in place. Looks like your fence needs a round ball to use as a handle. That version had a rosewood ball that screwed into a threaded boss at the end of one of the arms.

Good luck with your clean up.

 

[BMR24]

Thanks for the input, while buying the depth stop I saw a rosewood handle too, but for $30 I figured I'd do without. Maby I'll make one someday.

The handle is cracked, gives a little wobble but not too horrible. Any thoughts on using a wire wheel?

 

[BikerDad]

I made my mom this rustic box that will hold 2 mason jars. My wife still needs to paint and decorate them. Also used some pallet wood. It was really hard to make a project that I didn't have to sand and make smooth.

IMG_20171126_143924_022 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

Bret

Well Bret, we all appreciate you doing the boring and thankless work of providing unsanded projects as a benchmark for the rest of us.

 

[jimreed2160]

Thanks for the input, while buying the depth stop I saw a rosewood handle too, but for $30 I figured I'd do without. Maby I'll make one someday.

The handle is cracked, gives a little wobble but not too horrible. Any thoughts on using a wire wheel?

If you have a lathe, you can make a nice fence ball from walnut. The last one I made was oversized and easier to hold. If you do not have a lathe, use your pocketknife to whittle a nice knob.

Wire wheels on planes are the cause of much controversy. I think the passions come from misunderstandings because wire wheels cover a lot of territory. I have seen large aggressive braided wire wheels that could rip thin sheet metal to shreds. And I have small brass wire wheels for my Dremel that can be used to polish fingernails. I use a simple rule of thumb--if I can touch my thumb to the wheel and avoid injury, then the wheel is gentle enough to remove rust without damaging the plane. If I dare not touch the wheel with my thumb or finger, then I dare not touch it to the plane. Right now I use a short bristle ss wire wheel on a cheap electric drill. It removes rust but does not leave large scratches.

 

[BMR24]

Thanks for the advice, I'll have to pick up a brass wire wheel sense I now have an excuse for it. Just out of curiosity, if the handle ever were to break or something and need to be replaced, could a new one be attached by drilling through the handle and casting and then pin it all together like knife scales?

 

[hunterguy86]

I couldn't help myself, and had to pick this guy up when I saw it in an antique shop. They must not have known what it was, usually ones in worse condition are about 3x the cost. It's a Stanley 45.



I had to spray it down with penetrating oil to get it apart, it's missing a few things but I only needed the death stop for plowing grooves and that came in the mail yesterday.

I'd like to remove the handle so I can clean the metal up better, but I don't know what is underneath the wood so I don't know yet what I'll do to reinstall the handle when I'm done. If anyone can post a picture of a Stanley 45 without the handle I'd really appreciate it.

It looks like a type 7 or 8, were those japanned or nickel plated? Will a wire wheel on a bench grinder ruin the finish? Thanks for your input.

Good info here on the 45 and all other Stanley's as well.

http://www.supertool.com/StanleyBG/stan6.htm




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[jar944]

Got the top glued up.

 

[jimreed2160]

Jar--You work fast. I like the shot of the clamps all lined up like little tin soldiers under the tree.

 

[jimreed2160]

Thanks for the advice, I'll have to pick up a brass wire wheel sense I now have an excuse for it. Just out of curiosity, if the handle ever were to break or something and need to be replaced, could a new one be attached by drilling through the handle and casting and then pin it all together like knife scales?

That is a great concept on the handle. They are attached like a pair of knife scales only the wood is a single piece. It would be possible to drill out the pin. I have never been successful in driving one out because it is a really tight interference fit. Just as with a pocket knife, the drilling would have to be precise. I will look around in the shop tomorrow and see if I have a naked one for show.

 

[hunterguy86]

I made my first attempts at box joints. It went ok I think. I made a YouTube inspired jig for the router table to cut them. On the next ones I do, I'm going to make more passes, increasing the bit height each time until I get to the desired depth. Hopefully this will help the end result.






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[jimreed2160]

Brrr. It is pretty nippy in the shop today--something in the 50s. Maybe not cold by yankee standards but certainly frigid to me with my north Florida thinned blood. But I did get a chance to rummage through the boneyard for a broken #45.

BMR--Here are your pictures. I found a #45 and a #46, along with a #41. The handles are exact copies in this Stanley series. They take a solid block of rosewood and drive a pin through the wood on one side and 1/2 of the way on the other side. I had to drill out this pin because they get rusted in place. It is also common for the existing rosewood handle to crack where the pin is. I am sure that it is easier to make a new handle than to scavenge an old one.

Hope these pictures help. Good luck fixing up your #45.

 

[BMR24]

Thanks jimreed, hopefully it won't come down to replacing the handle, but I'm glad to have a contingency plan.

 

[jar944]

I think I've sanded hardwood floors that were less sqft than this table top.

 

[BMR24]

Coming along nicely jar

 

[TwoBytes]

Hey Jim,

With regard to losing all your pictures earlier in this thread, have you considered archiving all the earlier posts before they disappear?

Printing the pages to PDF, hosting them on your website and linking to them from the first post here would at least preserve them for posterity.

I thought putting "&showall=1" at the end of the URL would allow me to display all the posts on one thread, but it can't display 4,000+ posts on one page!

I got it to display a maximum of 100 posts by adding "&pp-100" like this...
https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=344153&pp=100

Which takes it down to 42 pages.

If you install the "Photobucket Hotlink Fix" extension in Chrome, it even shows all the other broken PhotoBucket links (for now).

Worth doing?

 

[jimreed2160]

Interesting thoughts about archiving. I guess I should have thought about that earlier and I could have mitigated the PB mess. I noticed that they did not terminate my account like they threatened. But I am sure it is just a matter of time.

There were some spur of the moment things posted here but most of the tutorials were just different versions of things that I have been posting for years. It is not that hard to recreate--just takes time. At least the web site has categories. The posts are chronological and linear, just like this thread. But the posts are also indexed by categories so there is less chance of things getting lost to time.

 

[jimreed2160]

In the mailbox

I found this in my mailbox last night. It is a Ulmia dovetail plane. Pretty cool. It has a bronze edge guide and a lignum sole. The skew blade was sharp enough to shave with so I put it to work right away. It did a pretty good job on the construction lumber. I like the spiral shavings.

Sliding dovetails are not that common anymore but should be. It is a strong joint that provides movement in both directions. It was traditionally used for drawer slides in slab sided Chippendale casegoods. Not only did it provide a stable platform for the drawer, it also helped hold the case together by keeping the sides from bowing. Take that, Mr Dado.

 

[R_einan]

Last Christmas project getting done; an 18.5” lazy Susan for my mom. It was interesting cutting a circle on a table saw, as I don’t have a bandsaw. The jig was simple to make from shop scrap, and seemed easier than a router jig to build. Used some scrap cherry to break up the walnut and the base is cherry as well. Played around with some edge profiles, ended up using a 5/8 roundover on the bottom edge of the top and a 1/8 roundover set deep to put a bead on the top edge.

 

[jimreed2160]

Well it looks like the shavings are flying this Christmas season!

Jar--You work fast. I take back my comments about eating holiday treats off a card table. Looks like you are in the home stretch.

R--Nice lazy susan. I like the contrasting wood. We had one at home when I was a kid. When I tried one at current home, I discovered that The Queen is a hoarder. The lazy susan got cluttered with handcreme and other makeup items.

 

[PelicanPines]

I do 1/4" box joints on my router... things i learned that save on setup and sanding later.

Match the depth to the wood... (don't just do 1/4" height)
CLEAN the table between each and every cut... (one silly little wood chip can mess things up)

 

[bj383ss]

Finished my dog gate I started a month ago. It's made from 100 yr old pine that came off my buddy's Victorian house. It finishes beautifully but is hard as nails.

20171214_104454 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

20171214_104530 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

It almost looks like plywood.

20171210_141536 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

20171112_185748 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

Jar - your table is looking great.

Bret

 

[jimreed2160]

BJ--I love that old growth pine. It really changes when you hit it with finish. Hope the pooch appreciates it. Good job.

It is 59 degrees in my shop and I am a wimp but I did manage to spend a little time out there collecting clamps. My clamp stand continues to evolve as I find clamps in unusual places.

My original storage plan was to store them in nooks and crannies. It saved space but made using the clamps an adventure as I sought out the correct ones to use. Now they are mostly in one place and it sure is nice.

 

[ztorres]

I’d kill for some 59° weather in December here in Iowa


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[jimreed2160]

I’d kill for some 59° weather in December here in Iowa

Well, not to gloat, but it looks like we will be in the 70s today and the rest of the week. I need to get a project into the shop and take advantage.

 

[jimreed2160]

Trammels

Yes, I do have a few. But yesterday I got a new set. It was made by "RB". I really like the size of these so I made a beam and hung them up by the workbench. A woodworker cannot have too many trammels.

 

[Craptain]

Trammels

Yes, I do have a few. But yesterday I got a new set. It was made by "RB". I really like the size of these so I made a beam and hung them up by the workbench. A woodworker cannot have too many trammels.

I only have 1 set of Trammels, but I agree they are a valuable addition to the shop. Mine will also accept a pencil on one end, increasing their utility.

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