woodworking tools tips

we just finished a project for a local interior design firm that involved making 12 new feet for 2 big couches whose feet were not really in proportion to the rest of them, or to the room where they went ... the new feet are 7" in diameter, 7" high. we glued up some blocks from8/4 and made a sample and a template for the duplicator and had at it. before will could start turning them, i cut them to length and round for him. will had recently tuned up the bandsaw, adjusted the guides, etc. etc., but i didnt realize what a good job he had done until i cut the blanks ... square ... straight ... cut after cut, through 7 " of maple ... click the photos to enlarge them ..

in response to the comment below, i am posting a link to the bandsaw blades we use. THE most important part of the tune up is a new blade from doall. weve tried many brands i wont name, but these are, in our opinion, THE best. i have to go to the shop to find the exact info ... next is to adjust your guides close to the teeth and square your fence to the table and the blade ... fussy stuff but worth the effort. see the last photos below.

this is how they lined up across the top of a stack 3 high ... barely a 32nd difference across the tops.

the chips flew during the rough out stage ...

and made quite a pile ...

first coat of stain ... after distressing we used a second coat of english brown mahogany lockwood water stain. then a coat of oil/poly, then gel stain on the lathe spinning on low speed. the final coat of satin poly was brushed on with the feet on the lathe, and then they were transferred to the finish room to dry where you see them below.

all in, all done ... they will be installed to the couch frames with 2 - 8" timberlock screws per foot

in the photo above, you can see a stack of 9 - .1" veneers cut sequentially and sanded after from one piece of 8/4 walnut. and 4 - 10.5" wide curly hard maple slices also from one board.

A couple of recent tool purchases have changed the choice I do work, and as the song goes, youre getting to be a habit with me. I first received the Evenfall Studios Shooting Board a month or so ago and other than just trying it out, I really didnt have a project that would require its use. While working on the project you see below, I bought Capt. America, a beautiful 16" tenon saw made Bad Axe Tool Works at the WIA this year, used it cut tenons of course, but also to x-cut the frame pieces. This is where things changed for me, an epiphany of sorts.

Though I have tried in the past to make my own shooting board, I never could quite get it right, some things are best left to the professionals. I have alchoices made my x-cuts on my table saw thinking the blade was square, it is close, but not close enough. I used my #3 Stanley souped up with a Hock blade, and it squared up the ends of each piece perfectly. Works great, I have also used my low angle block plane on this board.

The project is three tables for a clients sewing room, I have delivered one, working on the second, and one more of these to build. It is now almost second nature to reach for the saw, instead of the table saw, cut the piece, square it up, move on. One step closer to going "cordless". :)

Evenfall Studios Deluxe Shooting Board and the Capt. America
16" Tenon Saw from Bad Axe Tool Works

Bottom frame drawer support

Selasa, 01 Maret 2016

psychology getting their heads on straight

well, this was fun ... we got to do a little psychological repair work last week, you know getting their heads on straight ...
this is actually a pretty amazing story. my friend lisa bought this special shona sculpture called (i think) the family, for her new husband dave on the occasion of their marriage and the joining of their boys from former marriages into a new family. it resided in a special spot on their lawn for several years, and then one day about a year and a half ago, it just disappeared. gone ... not a trace ... poof! granted, it was on their lawn, on a quiet dorset street, but you wouldnt think a 3 or 400 pound sculpture would just vanish, but it did. it stayed missing for about 5 months, and then last thanksgiving day they got a call from the poultney police saying a deer hunter had found their sculpture on the edge of a field. back it came with some scratches and the two heads that were broken off, but it was back! .. they asked me to help them fix it this spring, and eventually, i did. a little special stone epoxy from eastern marble and granite supply, a couple steel pins, and a couple deep breaths while i was drilling ... good to go ... click the photos to enlarge them ..

getting the holes to line up in the matching pieces took a little trial and error, but the epoxy allowed for a little wiggle room .. above, we employ one of our best clamps, 1.5" blue masking tape.

with lisa, smiling achoice

and back together again ...

youd hardly know on this one, but the other head will require a little paint touch up

rover approves

Jumat, 12 Februari 2016

Getting the Big Walnut Table Together

We got the whole claro walnut table together for the first time today .... Theres other stuff going on in the shop but Ill have to write about that later . Were off to see Iris DeMent in Middlebury in a couple of minutes ... click the photos to enlarge them ...

Heres the process ... We made jig for routing for half the base, routed inside that and then flipped it to complete the pocket ... The slab was too big and heavy to get upstairs to the cnc ... Anychoice, it was dusty, but fine and the base is incredibly rigid ...

All bolted down to flip over ...

Flipped over .... with one of the ladderbacks from a November post that were finally getting around to making ...

With some people for scale .... Its a big one .....

Rabu, 03 Februari 2016

More Metal Doors

Sam has another little door project for Peter Moore Masonry. Similar to the last one that covered a digital thermometer in a traditional brick oven, these incorporate parts of the logos of the owners companies ... Love the pulls ....click the pictures to enlarge them ...