Sometimes its just plain fun to do a quick and satisfying project. This is a great weekend project made with some scrap and extra material sitting around the shop . . . a great way to answer the “time to clean shop” request from my wife!

Comparison of Planter box (left) finished with Krylon Spray Stain and Unfinished Planter Box (right)

This set of planter boxes was built with two 1×6x8 and 6 1×4x8 pieces of cedar, a half sheet of ¾ CDX exterior plywood and a half sheet of 3/8 clear cedar soffit. Assembly was simple and fast frame and panel construction using the Kreg Jig.

The Kreg Jig

Applying the finish was also simple and fast using Krylon Spray Exterior Semi-Transparent Stain which is a new product by Kryon.

Planter box (left) finished with Krylon Stain & Asphalt Emmulsion Unfinished (right) planter box

The interior of the planter boxes was waterproofed with asphalt emulsion. Since this is an outdoor project, final touches include wire screen covered drain holes and TiteBond III Exterior glue.

It was a pleasure to get a chance to try out Krylon’s newest product. A number of other Internet woodworkers had the same opportunity. You can check out their awesome reviews by the links below.

• Matt’s Basement Workshop
• Scroll Saw Workshop
• Sleepy Dog Woodworking

Well, this project was a sorely needed distraction. It was fun to build something quick and fast with some immediate gratification in less than a weekend. This weekend I have no excuses so its back to work on the engagement chest!.

To help inspire your own planter box, a set of SketchUp plans for a deck planter box and a window planter box are available for download.

• Deck Planer Box Plan
• Window Planter Box Plan

UPDATE: The Planter Boxes delivered this weekend.

Related Links

• Kreg Tool Company
• Krylon
• Krylon Spray Stain

Some additional projects built with the Kreg Jig

David
The Folding Rule Blog

Additional Hide Glue Links

Make Your Own Hide Glue Brush!

A Hide Glue Primer

Repairing an Old Drawer with Animal Hide Glue

Last night I was startled awake from a woodworking daydream by a loud crashing sound from our home office. The side and bottom fell out of drawer of our antique oak desk when Beth was trying to get a box of staples from the rear of the long drawer. Sounds like a repair brewing! Well this desk is an older “antique” oak English library desk. Beth and I bought it 25 years ago from Square Nail Antiques in Santa Cruz, California. It is a great desk, but honestly it is nothing super special . . . just a good sturdy desk that has served us well.

Now there are many ways to approach this repair. Given my interest in “blended methods”, I chose a traditional method using animal hide glue. It was very interesting to examine the (machine cut) dovetails, drawer bottom groove and the 3-ply drawer bottom. To get things going, I gently scraped away the old glue and brittle shellac from the dovetails and drawer side.

I was met by a surprise when I retrieved my hide glue jar from the refrigerator. A small patch of mold had begun to grow along one edge of the glue. Serves me right! It had been awhile since I had fired up the glue pot.

I quickly mixed up a fresh batch and got to work repairing the drawer.

In no time at all the drawer was in the clamps and I had a fresh batch of hide glue for up coming projects.

Exploring Design Considerations

This was an interesting project to build despite its small size. This was a small commission piece to display a bronze of General Ulysses S. Grant for a Civil War aficionado. As a woodworker, the most interesting aspect was to witness the evolution of the design from an initial sketch that arrived via FAX to the final full size construction drawings that made it out to the shop.

More photos in my final project posting.

David

The Folding Rule Blog

I recently stopped at Hardwood Components Inc., a local family run hardwood mill that specializes in native Oregon hardwood species. Stopping by this mill has been on my “to do list” for some time so I am glad I finally got a chance to poke around. I ended up purchasing a small load of Oregon wild cherry. This mill will be on my materials short list for future projects. There is something very satisfying about supporting a small local business and using native wood species.

David

The Folding Rule Blog

Leg Leveler Detail – Top View

Leg Leveler Detail – Bottom View

Leg Leveler Detail – Layout Mock-Up for 2” Leg

Leg Leveler Detail – “The Parts”

Leg Leveler Detail – Mock-Up Top View

Leg Leveler Detail – Mock-Up Bottom View

David

The Folding Rule Blog

I just completed the art print bin being built for The Clearwater Gallery in Sisters, Oregon. This was a commissioned piece to hold shrink-wrapped art prints in the gallery. The owners felt that a wooden print bin would fit the character of the gallery better than a commercial steel bin. Music to this woodworker’s ears!

Completed Print Bin

The design was worked out with SketchUp and finalized with a mock-up built with pine and MDF using a Kreg Jig and pocket screw joinery. The only change from the original design was to increase the height of the back support and to add a set of lower supports between the legs.

Original SketchUp Rendering

SketchUp Working Perspective

Pine & MDF Mock-Up

Final SketchUp Rendering

The project was built with Wild Oregon Cherry that I got from a family run hardwood mill. I showcased Hardwood Components, Inc. in Episode #86 on my blog The Folding Rule. For storage and portability, the design features a knock down system using black oxide allen-head cap screws, brass washers and threaded steel inserts. The print bin shelf is veneered with rift sawn cherry and covered with black commercial carpet to provide support and traction for the art prints.

Leg Detail

Leg Leveler Detail

Carpeted Shelf Support

The support legs have an adjustable leveler to help remove any rocking on uneven floors in the gallery. The floors are wonderfully finished original wood with a lot of character, including a couple of bullet holes from a prior conflict when the gallery was a store that catered to early loggers working in the nearby forests.

A Brass Makers-Mark Completes the Project!

Delivery to the gallery is scheduled for tomorrow.

David
The Folding Rule Blog

A Six-Tube Scroll Saw Blade Holder

This was a quick and fun shop project. The material came from a small 2/4 board of gum cherry that was left over from another project. It took care to wrap the grain with respect to the sides and back. I almost missed this and had a “T-Chisel” event which caused me to re-do part of the project. Well, actually I had no choice, as I know the recipient has a critical eye!

This is a six-tube scroll saw blade holder designed for a woodworker that will be doing a fair amount of scroll saw work for marquetry. It was specifically designed to accommodate a small assortment of saw blades, drill bits and an Archimedes drill necessary for efficient marquetry work at the scroll saw. I initially considered applying an antique patina to the copper drill holder. Given the sailing bent of this woodworker, I elected to leave a brightly polished tube reminiscent of the bright copper and brass work found on sailboats. All in all, a nautical theme and an excuse to incorporate metal in a woodworking project.

The small pieces were cut square with my new crosscut sled. I used SketchUp to make and adhesive drill guide template to accurately drill the ¾” holes for the scroll saw blade storage tubes. The copper drill tube was fashioned from standard off the shelf plumbing parts polished with a series of charged buffing wheels on the drill press. A small test tube sits in a ½” hole for drill bit storage. The finish was my standard cherry finish, two ½# cut coats of clear shellac to prevent blotching followed by 6 coats of thinned WaterLox finished with two coats of hand rubbed clear wax. The final touches are my brass makers-mark and 4 thin silicone rubber feet.

This project is now in the mail on its way to an exciting shop! I’ve included a set of links for materials, supplies and inspiration for this project. A set of plans is also available to help generate ideas for your own scroll saw blade holder. Organization and readily available tools always makes for more efficient shop production and, hopefully, more inspired work!

Useful Scroll Saw Blade Holder Resources

Six-Tube Scroll Saw Blade Holder Plan Set

Crosscut Sled

Brass Makers-Marks

Shellac Part I

Shellac Part II

Archimedes Drill – Garrett Wade

Sloan's Woodshop - The Scroll Saw Store

WaterLox

Using SketchUp to Make Project Templates

I just finished a project that required boring a series of eight accurately spaced holes. I did the original design work for the project using SketchUp. Now, at best, I am a fledgling user of SketchUp. After all, I’m excited to say I just figured out how to use the “Follow Me” tool. It is a great tool and I eagerly soak up any information I can which helps me become a better and more facile user. One thing I do know, just like any other activity (i.e. cutting dovetails) the more you practice the better you become.

I used one portion of my SketchUp drawing to make a drilling guide template. I’ve done this before with great success, most recently using SketchUp to design the curve profile for a corbel that supported a cedar outdoor towel rack. Using SketchUp to make a project template gives me the chance to work out design options and accurately locate center point placement.

If you haven’t yet given SketchUp a test drive, consider doing so as it will most definitely become a valuable tool. Its great for doodling sketches of future projects and finalizing the design of the next project you take to the shop. Just remember, the more you use it the better you will become!

Some Useful SketchUp Resources for Woodworkers

Google SketchUp

Fine Woodworking Design, Click & Build Blog

Fine Woodworking Article - A Quick Course in SketchUp: This powerful 3D drawing program is easy to use-and it's free. Tim Killen

Dave Richards Very Cool Lumberjocks SketchUp Blog: Dave's SketchUp Blather

The SketchUp Show Podcast

Steve’s Cutlist and Layout Plugin for Sketchup

I am interested in hide glue for a number of reasons. The first of which is the “romance” of using a traditional method that has its foundations as far back as Ancient Egypt and the cabinet shops of Colonial America. I also appreciate the pace of using hide glue . . . slow while getting set-up and quick when applying the glue. I also like the reversibility of hide glue and the fact that it accepts stain and finish without leaving telltale glue marks like that pesky spot of PVA that you missed during final clean up. All that said, hide glue is not the main glue in my shop, but I am adding it to my shop armamentarium. You can experiment with this fascinating and historic glue inexpensively. Trust me, you won’t regret the adventure!

A Hide Glue Primer

Properties of HideGglue

1. Hide glue is thermoplastic – softens to a liquid state when warmed and solidifies when cool

2. Hide glue is hydroscopic – in other words, it has an affinity for water which means, for wood working purposes, it responds to some degree with changes in relative humidity just as wood does and more importantly, a hide glue joint can be “reversed” with warm water

3. Hide glue is an animal protein (collagen) – when hide glue cools (dries) the protein structure contracts (on a molecular level) which has the effect of clamping

4. Hide glue grading – hide glue is graded in terms of “gram strength” (GEEK FACTOID: gram strength is a measure of how many grams of force it requires to depress a 1/2” plunger 4mm. into a 12.5% protein solution of the glue at 10° C). Hide glue gram strengths range from 85 to 379. The important point to know is the higher the gram strength, the quicker the set. The general recommendation range for for woodworking applications is 135 – 251 gram strength (192 or 195 is considered the all around glue for most woodworking applications).

Some Work Flow Considerations for Using Hide Glue

1. Mix a large batch of hide glue and pour into a set of ice cube trays. Store the premixed “hide glue cubes” in the freezer. Add the cubes to the glue pot as needed to keep a batch of working hide glue ready at the bench.

2. The general rule of thumb for mixing hide glue is one cup of dry glue to one cup water, vary the amount of water depending on the desired consistency. Add the glue to the water and allow to soak for 30 minutes. Stir occasionally while gently heating to 140 F°. Be careful to not “cook” the glue as this will weaken the glue by breaking down the protein molecular chains.

3. On a day when you are planning on working with hide glue, the second thing to be turned on after the shop lights is the glue pot!

4. Your glue pot can be covered with plastic wrap and stored in the refrigerator overnight. After a week of use (heat-cool-heat) it is best to discard and start with a fresh batch.

Modifications to Hide Glue

1. To make hide glue liquid at room temperature (longer open time / slower drying) add approximately 5 tablespoons of urea for each cup of dry glue.

2. To make hide glue be made waterproof add 1/2-1% aluminum sulfate.

3. To make hide glue flexible add approximately 5% glycerin (based on the weight of glue), with increasing increments of 2-3% to achieve greater flexibility.

4. To increase the ” wetting properties” of hide glue add approximately 1% vinegar.

The Basics of Hammer Veneering with Hot Hide Glue

Both surfaces are brushed with glue and placed together. The top veneer surface is also coated with glue to act as a lubricant. The “hammer” is then pushed across the veneer surface from the center outward to force out the excess glue. The glue will begin to cool and gel immediately and holding the veneer in place. For large work surfaces, make sure the surface is warm. Have a heat source (heat lamp) nearby for a longer working time.

Hide Glue & Veneering References

The definitive hide glue resource and “hide glue guru” is Eugene Thorndahl of Bjorn Industries in North Carolina. Eugene has the most experience with hide glue. Bjorn Industries has the widest variety available of hide glue gram strengths.

Bjorn Industries
(704) 364-1186

This link provides a good photo essay of mixing up a batch of hide glue on the Frets.com website.

Interesting Hide Glue & Veneering Resources from Fine Woodworking.com

• Resource #1
• Resource #2
• Resource #3

Great source for the “gold standard” for glue pots . . . Hold-Heet Glue Pots

1. The Best Things

Hide Glue Brushes

1. Solo Brushes
2. Tools for Working Wood
3. Demco
4. Indiana University

Make Your Own Hide Glue Brush!

Don’t want to fuss with a glue pot? Then check this out! Patrick Edwards - Old Brown Glue

The focus of this blog is to show an inexpensive alternative to an expensive glue brush. Perhaps just enough to experiment before making a decision to purchase a brush or continue to make your own.

To make your own hide glue brush, all you need is an inexpensive chip brush, a sail needle, and some waxed sail cord. Start by removing the metal ferrule and drilling 3/16 holes in the indentations left by the ferrule. Next, sand the bristle bundle flat so it will mate up with the end of the brush handle.

The following photos show how to stitch the bristle bundle on to the end of the brush handle. It is pretty easy to do with a sail needle . . . just take your time and keep everything snug.

The next step is a bit more complicated. However, if you have the courage to remove the metal ferrule and sand a bristle bundle flat than you are up for whipping the handle end! Whipping is a type of knot that secures the end of a rope and is perfect for finishing your glue brush. For the sailors and Boy Scouts in the crowd this will be a snap!

This is the result when you are done . . . a perfect brush for use with hide glue. Now all you need is some hide glue and a glue pot!

Good sources for additional information can be found on luthier websites and library / archiving websites.

David
The Folding Rule Blog

Some Interesting Glue Brush Links

Solo Horton Brushes

Tools For Working Wood - Glue Brushes

Demco

Indiana University Libraries Preservation Department