JaLatham's Blog at LumberJocks.com http://lumberjocks.com/JaLatham/blog Sat, 30 Mar 2013 13:05:15 GMT Chest of Drawers #2: Chest Done http://lumberjocks.com/JaLatham/blog/35303 Wow. I hadn’t realized how long it had been since i had been on here. Newborns will do that I guess. Nevertheless I have actually completed a lot of projects this year. Anyway, without further ado, the chest.

As you can see, the chest went to my daughter instead of my newborn (now a year old) son. I decided to give it to her because when I finished it, it just so happened to be right before her third birthday. So, now she will always have something to remember her third birthday with. As for the boy, I think a campaign chest of oak is in order. Thanks for looking y’all.

]]> Sat, 30 Mar 2013 13:05:15 GMT http://lumberjocks.com/JaLatham/blog/35303 JaLatham JaLatham Chest of Drawers #1: Carcase Construction is Quick! http://lumberjocks.com/JaLatham/blog/29229 Last year when my wife and I learned we were going to have our second child, natuarlly we were thrilled. Then, it dawned on me that this was also a perfect opportunity to start work on a chest of drawers for the boy to be. Well, I decided that before I built that chest, I should build a chest for my tools before spring came with the rains and the humidity got to my tools that were more or less in the open in my garage. Definitely glad I did that. Anyway, now to my sons chest. I actually started a couple of months ago after I finished my toolchest, and had lots of pictures of me starting this construction, but that computer died so I kind of have to start here in the middle. I glued up the sides, and bottom two boards wide (about 20”). Then joined them with stopped tapered sliding dovetails. I then rabbeted the rear of the sides for the back to be nailed to, and made a stopped rabbet for the top. Next, for the drawer runners I cut a 1/8” deep dado.

For the rails that divide the drawers, I will use a short sliding dovetail. I had planned on the drawer dividers all being tapered sliding dovetails, but after the four I cut earlier I decided I should find an easier/faster way. I will say thought that none of this is any more difficult than cutting regular through dovetails. I was really surprised at that, especially since this is the first time I’ve done any of this. It really isn’t as hard as you may think, you just have to do it.


The mockup.

My little helper. This is one of the reasons I love hand tools.

]]> Sat, 31 Mar 2012 18:45:20 GMT http://lumberjocks.com/JaLatham/blog/29229 JaLatham JaLatham Tool Chest #4: Chest Done http://lumberjocks.com/JaLatham/blog/29226 Its kind of a jump from my last post, and I had tons of other pics of the construction. But the computer with all those pics died. So these new ones are what I have left. THe rest of the build was pretty staightforward. I dovetailed a narrow skirt around the lid. Then used a chisel and router plane to make the mortises for the hinges. Then with the lid on, I nailed in drawer runners, and made three drawers to fit. For drawer pulls I got some steel rings and cotter pins from a big box store, put the rings in the pins, and drove the pins through a pilot hole. Then I clenched them on the inside of the drawer. I’ll tell you what though. I had never really cut dovetails before this project. After all of them in this project, I think I feel more comfortable with them (haha). After working out of it for a few months now, I’m absolutely convinced it’s better than the wall cabitnet I used to use. I love it. I’m still not sure if I’m going to paint it, or just leave it as is. It really doesn’t bother me that its been unpainted for months, but maybe I should paint it anyway. I’ve got some brown paint laying around somewhere…

]]> Sat, 31 Mar 2012 17:33:32 GMT http://lumberjocks.com/JaLatham/blog/29226 JaLatham JaLatham Tool Chest #3: Almost A Lid http://lumberjocks.com/JaLatham/blog/26864 Laying out lid parts for marking.

Marking from the piece being used, instead of measuring and worrying about numbers allows you to be way more accurate.

Squaring up the panel.

I cut right on the line this time. Practice really does help!

“Scrubbing” the panel to width with my fore plane.

Jointing the edge.

Plowing end grain is no joke!

Boring holes in the frame fore drawboring with my little helper.

Almost a lid! Just need to make a skirt, attatch hinges, and a chain, then I can build the trays on the inside.

]]> Wed, 07 Dec 2011 06:15:05 GMT http://lumberjocks.com/JaLatham/blog/26864 JaLatham JaLatham Tool Chest #2: Starting The Lid http://lumberjocks.com/JaLatham/blog/26811 Ripping stock to size. I really don’t know why I was staying so far from the line. Not that it matters. Apparently my sawing has been getting better. I stayed away from the line to allow for wandering of the saw blade, but it tracked so straight that I think I can stick right next to the line next time.

Jointing sawn edges.

While I know that the shavings aren’t what is important, seeing the difference in the shavings of my jointer plane(on top), and my fore plane(on bottom), let me know I have their irons set correctly so that I can work as fast as possible.

Testing the groove in groove for the raised panel in some scrap.

Grooves in frame pieces done.

The maiden voyage of my new marking guage.

Three more M&T’s to go. I can’t wait!

]]> Sun, 04 Dec 2011 04:06:19 GMT http://lumberjocks.com/JaLatham/blog/26811 JaLatham JaLatham Sleigh Bed #1: Picture Story http://lumberjocks.com/JaLatham/blog/26755 This is what started me and my wife into woodworking. We couldn’t find the bed we wanted in a king size so…

Ready for inspection.

I think it passed.

]]> Wed, 30 Nov 2011 23:27:27 GMT http://lumberjocks.com/JaLatham/blog/26755 JaLatham JaLatham Coffee Table Refinishing #1: Pride http://lumberjocks.com/JaLatham/blog/26754 A few months ago, a friend asked me if I was good enough at woodworking to refinish a coffee table. So, I of course took the challenge and thought piece of cake. No planning, no milling, no joinery, no assembly, no problem. HA! And any of you out there who have ever refinished anything are probably laughing too. Never again -Lord willing- will I be so prideful. Soon after I scraped the first application of stripper on one side, I realized what I had gotten myself into. So, I trudged along, side by side, breaking the piece down into manageable sections so I wouldn’t get discouraged by the size of the thing. Then after much scraping, wire brushing, scraping, and sanding, I started entering familiar territory.

Phase 1 Complete! One step closer to the goal. Now comes the easy part (Ha). Matching this table with the rest of the furniture in the room. Time to order some dye. I order what looks to be a close match (from looking at the colors on the screen), and not having any similar colored scrap, tried it out in a place I know won’t get seen much.
That’s when I realized (again) this wasn’t going to be as easy as I thought.

Now, seeing as how the rest of the furniture in my friend’s livingroom is not orange, I knew I definitely need to mix in a different color. This, after I had been knocked down a couple notches, is where things started to go incredibly right. Everything sort of fell into place, and aside from some runs in the laquer (which I don’t think they noticed), I think it turned out not too bad. Lesson learned.

]]> Wed, 30 Nov 2011 23:04:00 GMT http://lumberjocks.com/JaLatham/blog/26754 JaLatham JaLatham Tool Chest #1: Dovetails Done http://lumberjocks.com/JaLatham/blog/26753 Lately I’ve been working on a toolchest. So far, I’ve cut my first dovetails by hand, cut my first tongue and grooves, and assembled the case.

What looks like a gap in the back right corner is actually glue squeezout I haven’t cleaned up yet.

Next comes the lid, and my first raised panel with no power. Sweet.

]]> Wed, 30 Nov 2011 20:41:10 GMT http://lumberjocks.com/JaLatham/blog/26753 JaLatham JaLatham