Woodworking 101--Tools and Tips

[Gator-J]

WEST epoxy laminated 1/16+" thick x 5" wide teak trim for a new head sink counter in my boat. Bend radius 6-5/8". Bending jig laminated from mostly 3/4" plywood using Titebond and staples.

I know this is wookworking and all but that is a pretty 10EE in the background.

I have a mixed shop of wood & metal machines as well. What do you do about fine dust on the metal machines?

 

[ez-duzit]

...that is a pretty 10EE in the background.
...What do you do about fine dust on the metal machines?

Thank you. I wipe the dust off once in awhile.

 

[ez-duzit]

Today I was finally able to epoxy into place the sink counter. The laminated teak rim is let into the door jamb. There will be a row of tiles to trim where the counter fits against the bulkhead and upper cabinet.

Also built the fixed panel (blank) for the base cabinet; Formica'd a piece of 1/2" Baltic birch ply and epoxied it to a chunk of 8/4 teak I had rough shaped into the corner post. I'll do the 1-1/2" radius corner rounding after the epoxy cures.

 

[RickP]

Today I was finally able to epoxy into place the sink counter. The laminated teak rim is let into the door jamb. There will be a row of tiles to trim where the counter fits against the bulkhead and upper cabinet.

Teak looks really good installed -- the curved edge is definitely needed in such a small space.

 

[ez-duzit]

Teak looks really good installed -- the curved edge is definitely needed in such a small space.

Thank you. The whole interior is teak; even the floors are solid teak (with holly strips). So there is no other choice but to continue with teak.

Yesterday I got the shaping done on the base cabinet panel's corner post.

 

[ez-duzit]

Today I fitted and installed the base cabinet's panel. That is the Formica'd one which has the rounded corner post attached, located below the sink counter. The corner post was shaped mostly with a hand plane, as I desired a 1-1/2" radius, and my largest round-over bit was 1" r.

Assembly was done with just a few screws and 3M 5200 adhesive to bond it in place. There is a piece of plywood clamped in place just to locate the corner post parallel to the forward bulkhead. That piece of plywood will later be made into the door to access the space under the sink.

Just prior to installing that panel I made an appropriate cutout in the outboard panel, under and behind (outboard of) the sink, to provide clearance for the soap dispenser's reservoir. Things are pretty tightly spaced, but it was essential to get the soap dispenser in so I could eliminate the potential unsightliness and mess that is inevitable with a bar of soap on the counter.

 

[ez-duzit]

My bullnose tile came in for the backsplash.

 

[ez-duzit]

Been moving out of my old shop to the new shop and storage garage, so have not had time to make any progress on the head project.

 

[RickP]

You've been in that old shop for a long time I think?

Bummer that you're having to move all that equipment, not to mention figuring out where everything is in the new place.

 

[turbowoodworker]

Not always a bummer to move. Yes it is hard work, but I’m betting EZ has learned what works and doesn’t, and unless this is a forced downsize that I missed, EZ will come out better. I’d offer to help but I’m not in LA anymore. Best wishes.

 

[NBraun]

Alright, I'm dumb.

Using this as inspiration to build our own Island. This will be the first cabinet I've constructed. I understand general Cabinetry but have no practical experience.

I'm trying to figure out the method they used to build this. I'm unsure how the base was constructed. I'm thinking its a piece of plywood with the sides pocket holed on? It doesn't appear to have a face frame. Are the sides a singular piece of ply that they cut out for the doors and drawers?

I am not a bright man, and generally need to learn by doing.

 

[turbowoodworker]

From one picture, can only see two of four sides, but here goes how I would build it:
1. Front side is face frame with single raised panel, drawer and full inlay cabinet doors.panels
2. Left side is face frame, raised panels on slides for trash can.
3.Guess that opposite side would be raised panel faux cab doors or drawers with face frame.
4. Guess that end is similarly done in FF and raised panels
5. Base is likely double layer 3/4 ply with edging
6. Likely a purchased end grain butcher block top

 

[ez-duzit]

Not always a bummer to move. Yes it is hard work, but I’m betting EZ has learned what works and doesn’t, and unless this is a forced downsize that I missed, EZ will come out better. I’d offer to help but I’m not in LA anymore. Best wishes.

You've been in that old shop for a long time I think?

Bummer that you're having to move all that equipment, not to mention figuring out where everything is in the new place.

Thanks fellas. Been in that old shop for over 40 years. My landlady plans to turn it into a high-end apartment. All my machines have already been moved to the new shop, which is three times the rent I was paying. Additionally I had to rent two small storage garages elsewhere as the new shop is not large enough to store everything I've collected.

Attached is a photo of the new (750 sq ft) shop taken shortly after moving all the machines into place.

 

[turbowoodworker]

Well I stand corrected…that is a bummer!
But it looks like you’ve got a very efficient space there. Cant imagine rent costs in or near Marina delRey!

 

[turbowoodworker]

I really like using the side by side TSS and out feed table. Smart.
I presume you keep them set up for individual tasks, ie, rip, crosscut, dado?

 

[ez-duzit]

I really like using the side by side TSS and out feed table. Smart.
I presume you keep them set up for individual tasks, ie, rip, crosscut, dado?

Thanks.

The double table saw is 1 Unisaw with a carbide rip blade plus a contractors saw with carbide (1/2" usually) dado.
The single is a Unisaw with carbide crosscut/combination blade. I literally never have to change blades. On this unit is also a 3-1/2 hp router table which shares the Unifence.

 

[RickP]

Been in that old shop for over 40 years. My landlady plans to turn it into a high-end apartment.

I was afraid your move was being forced on you -- sorry about that.

I've seen photos of your old shop and it looked like you'd found the perfect place for everything after all that time, which of course allowed you to pack ten pounds in a five pound box...

 

[ez-duzit]

It's pretty jammed, but I have since proven that the cramped layout is actually workable. Have, since those photos, put up a lot of shelves and cabinets for storage. Will get some photos of that one of these days. Every week a little more gets crammed in as I move the last of my stuff out of the old shop. This past weekend we moved the last of the metal that had been stored, plus a bunch of wood, mostly teak and mahogany shorts and leftovers, and some plywood I couldn't see letting go.

 

[loganb]

Thanks fellas. Been in that old shop for over 40 years. My landlady plans to turn it into a high-end apartment. All my machines have already been moved to the new shop, which is three times the rent I was paying. Additionally I had to rent two small storage garages elsewhere as the new shop is not large enough to store everything I've collected.

Attached is a photo of the new (750 sq ft) shop taken shortly after moving all the machines into place.

Lot of good stuff in there...well thought out layout and minimizing setups, quality tools...sorry you had to move but well done on the new setup

 

[bugnut]

@NBraun

I am not a bright man, and generally need to learn by doing.

You are way ahead, you have asked questions and for help before you start. Most folks jump in thinking they can learn to swim once they are in the water struggling!

I found for my rookie skills a guy like Steve Ramsey @ "woodworking for mere mortals" extremely helpful!

As skills improve there are various others!

 

[Woody1320]

Alright, I'm dumb.

Using this as inspiration to build our own Island. This will be the first cabinet I've constructed. I understand general Cabinetry but have no practical experience.

I'm trying to figure out the method they used to build this. I'm unsure how the base was constructed. I'm thinking its a piece of plywood with the sides pocket holed on? It doesn't appear to have a face frame. Are the sides a singular piece of ply that they cut out for the doors and drawers?

I am not a bright man, and generally need to learn by doing.

You've come to the right place. I've done that on a few projects, and this forum was a huge help. I can guarantee everyone here wants this undertaking to be just as successful as you do. Also, that looks like an awesome project. Good luck.

 

[ez-duzit]

...I'm thinking its a piece of plywood with the sides pocket holed on?...

That would be a horrible way to build it. Forget about pocket holes in the edge grain of plywood.

A much better way would be to screw and glue the plywood base to a sub-frame (below) of solid wood. Then screw and glue the side face frames to that.

 

[ez-duzit]

Finally had some time Thursday (had trouble with emailing the photos to myself due to changes in Yahoo mail system until today) to get the head support fitted and epoxied into place. The "shelf" to which the head will mount will sit on the 1" stainless tube and pivot out for service, as it is in such a tight spot.

First photo shows the workpiece roughed out to support the tube.
Second shows how much I had to take off to get it to fit tightly against the inside of the hull. I first sketched its location on the hull; then transferred that info onto the workpiece; then bandsawed the bulk away before doing the rest of the fitting at the boat using a handplane.
Third photo shows it epoxied into place.

 

[RickP]

First photo shows the workpiece roughed out to support the tube.
Second shows how much I had to take off to get it to fit tightly against the inside of the hull. I first sketched its location on the hull; then transferred that info onto the workpiece; then bandsawed the bulk away before doing the rest of the fitting at the boat using a handplane.
Third photo shows it epoxied into place.

That looks like a ton of work!
Fitting a lot of stuff in a tiny space takes time.
No wonder boat interiors are so expensive!

 

[ez-duzit]

Rerouted the green bonding wire for the sink drain sea **** so I could begin fitting the sub floor fillers, which are a double layer of 3/4" plywood. The surface to which these will be epoxied is extremely irregular, so a lot of trial and error fitting was required to get them to set down tight against the existing sub floor, where it is glassed to the hull.

 

[Woody1320]

Small project that I worked on yesterday and today. This was basically to fill in the windowsill in our "office". It'll keep us from having the drywall under it fixed yet again because the dog loves to jump up and bark at all the delivery drivers. I used a 2x3 to help push the edge of a 1x12 piece of rough sawn pine to hang about an inch and quarter over the edge of the sill. I used my big no. 7 router plane to put a slight bullnose on the pine. The fit and finish could be better, but this is basically sacrificial wood in the long run lol. I smoothed the pine with my jack plane and smoothing plane then hit it with my sander to get it ready for trim paint. I added the window trim beneath it so it somewhat matches other windows in the house.

The pic of the offcut and the main piece of pine show before and after planing. Huge difference. It looked great.

 

[CRSINMICH]

Woody: That was a good solution to canine exuberance.

 

[Woody1320]

It looks better painted. I'll caulk the gaps to make it look a bit cleaner, as well. I've got around 32 bucks in it materials wise. And it's easily (and cheaply) replaced. And based on the marks I saw (thanks to my dog, Ozzy) prior to painting it earlier today, it's already working.

 

[CRSINMICH]

Small End/Coffee Table & Plant Stand​

Two more hand-tool-only projects that were meant to use up scraps.

Tabletop was made from mahogany left over from previous table projects.
Table legs are maple from a 30+ year old laminated cutting board.
Table aprons are white oak hand resawn from a beam that had once had a hand cranked drill press mounted on it.
(It was so old that it actually measured 2 inches by 4 inches)


The Plant Stand was made from poplar that had been in the way for a long time.
The sickly greenish yellow of the wood was colored with Brown Mahogany gel stain.
The copper tray is a Humidity Tray. It's supposed to be filled with water to create a
micro-climate around the plant. (The humidity tray had also been laying around for years)

The plant is a Calathea ornata

 

[ez-duzit]

C--nice work.

 

[Woody1320]

CRSINMICH: Those both look awesome. Fantastic use of spare materials to create two well finished projects.

 

[ez-duzit]

Made some progress this week. Replaced a fiberglass patch over a plugged hole where an abandoned seacock had been removed. Got the subfloor and the teak overlay installed. The teak overlay will get a bit of shaping before varnishing.

Made up the toilet platform from teak and holly plywood, and edged it with solid and laminated teak. The platform will later be cut into 3 pieces before installation (shown by the pencil lines). Additionally I fitted and installed a small piece of Formica'd plywood, rather a challenging bit of work because of the extremely acute angles of the mating surfaces (shown just to the right of the lower end of the stainless tube). This small piece is simply to cover the rough weave of the fiberglass hull.

 

[ez-duzit]

Today I made some progress. Planed down the teak overlay on the floor. Fitted and installed the support cleats for the head base. And installed the base using epoxy and white 3M 5200 (where the base meets white Formica). I chose to install this in one piece to keep everything perfectly aligned, as there are slight variations in the level of the supports. Notice that I've cut about 2/3 of the way across, using the Japanese saw, so that, after the epoxy cures, I will be able to finish the cuts without also cutting into the supports. The center portion of the teak and holly base, to which the toilet attaches, will stay attached to the toilet when it is removed for maintenance.

 

[ez-duzit]

Had some time to make small progress on the head installation. Added the toilet mounting brackets and the shelf retainer. Dry fitted it all so I could check the access before I epoxy and varnish.

The spacer under the shelf is the same thickness as the stainless tube on which the shelf sits. And is located such that, when the head is in its normal operating position, the head is held tightly against the cabinet, and so cannot move inboard or outboard. The thin shim between the shelf and spacer was used to accurately adjust the vertical position of the shelf. The 1/4" aluminum plate attached to that spacer captures the 1" stainless tube and thus prevents the head from moving up. This is all bolted through the shelf and the toilet attachment brackets to which the toilet attaches.

Photos show the toilet in both its normal operating position as well as tipped inboard for service, in which position the plumbing and electrical connections are relatively easy to access (the whole purpose of such a complex mounting arrangement). The removal of a single screw, which attaches a stout teak block under the inboard edge of the shelf, allows the head to pivot inboard and be lifted off the pivot tube.

 

[cycle61]

Clever, and nicely done!

 

[fartymarty]

Are the plywood edges sealed with epoxy as well? If not, shouldn't they be?
It's just a curious question, not critical, as it's beautiful work and design. I just
thought that boat wood work has a total encapsulation mantra for epoxy work. No?

The one screw block underneath is smart thinking. Functional and good looking.

Might be a difficult task, but I'd love to see a photo of the whole thing sink and all.
Maybe a free photo stitching program would make it happen. I find Microsoft ICE works pretty good
but then I do mostly landscapes not boat heads.

 

[ez-duzit]

Thanks fellas.

All woodwork will be sealed using WEST epoxy before being varnished. But it is necessary to do all this fitting beforehand.

The idea behind this entire installation is that, whenever there is a failure or maintenance to be performed, the entire head and shelf easily lift off so the work can be done in the cockpit or on the dock, rather than in the extremely cramped space which is the head.

Note: working on marine toilets is often an extremely unpleasant task.

 

[BobLon]

I've been following along and I must say you do some beautiful work.

And that's without considering the gawd awful curves, angles, and cramped spaces.

Well done sir

 

[ez-duzit]

B--thank you. This kind of work is quite challenging for this 79-year old. But it is important to keep your head in the game.

 

[turbowoodworker]

Jeez, EZ! You’re 79? I’m 65 and if I got down on my knees in some those tight spots you’ve been showing us, I’d never get up. More power to ya.