I have absolutely no experience in building gates. I have never built anything that was ‘nice’, that was finished and was meant to be looked at. So i was a bit nervous, but decided that i have read enough, watched enough ‘Wood Works’ and good ol Norm to handle this project. I decided that i would have thick rails and stiles with the panel inset. So i got my lumber, let it sit in my shop for about a month and was ready.

Each step of this project has consisted of two stages. 1. spend two weeks staring at the wood, drawing sketches and drink pepsi. Then, when ive figured out how i want to do this step, 2. spend an hour actually working wood. Rinse and repeat.

i jointed and planed all the wood at the same time. The rails and stiles were to be exactly twice the thickness of the panel, so this made it easy.

For the panel, first i routed a chamfer on each edge of the boards so that it would have a decorative look, and hide the areas where i didnt joint properly then i got out my handy biscuit joiner and created my center panel. Then i face glued the rails and stiles. then i spent several weeks thinking.

After i figured out where i wanted the insert, i cut off the top third of the panel and used the bandsaw to cut the curve for the top of the glass. Then i built a jig for my router that let the router float along the curve and create the groove for the glass. I spent A LOT of time thinking about this. I knew once i cut, if i messed up, then id have to start all over, or make some trim to cover the mistake up. But the jig worked perfectly.

At this point, i would like to bring attention to something amazing. I had glued the panel before i found the glass. The glass “IS THE EXACT SAME WIDTH AS THE PANEL”. Divine intervention????? who knows.

Then it was time to create the dado or groove for the panel. It is an inch deep and 1 3/8” thick. I ran the boards through the table saw to set the outside edge of the groove and then cut the rest on my router table. This was a nerve racking part for me. I have never cut a dado, a mortise, a tenon, nothing. but i measured well and it came out nicely.

Then i cut the tenons in the top to fit the sides. And tenons in the sides to fit the bottom.

Then it was time for a dry fit.

And then stood it up.

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Now its time to glue the whole thing together. I would like to finishe this thing having used no metal fasteners. I was thinking of glueing it, and then putting on several coats of a strong exterior clear coating. I do worry that harsh Montana winters and scorching summers will affect the glue though. Should i use some hidden screws or bolts to hold outside frame together? Is there a good sealer that will protect the glue? I used waterproof glue, and we dont get that much moisture here, but i still dont want this thing to come apart. So now i turn to you Lumberjocks to throw some wisdom my way here.

I use a spacer on each side of the jig so that the piece stays flat.

Here is what the carcasses look like.

So everything is going really well.

Then something happened on Tuesday.

I havent spent any time talking about my tools. I plan to go in depth on all of them, not because they are great tools, but because i have had to scrape and claw for each one. I see what people are pulling off of Craig’s list back East, and in the Midwest and it makes me sick. Beautiful, cast iron tools that will last a lifetime being offred all the time, used but in great shape. In Montana it is a different story. Finding a used tool is rare, (the current economy and the availabilit of Craig’s List is improving this though) finding one that is of decent quality is almost nonexistant. Unless you are looking for mid 80’s to 90’s Craftsman tools. If this is what you want, you will be happy.

Being on a budget, i cannot afford to get new tools now, so i have to hunt for used tools. I have hunted Craigs almost every day since July. I need a bandsaw, but none are offered. Most are too small, or they want too much. I come across an 18 inch grizzly, but when i call a couple hours after it is listed, it is already gone. A Powermatic shaper was offered, i called within an hour of it being posted, and i was fourth in line for it. A friend has an old 12” Crapsman, i mean Craftsman in his shop that i find myself actually considering. I know that i am goin to get the Grzz 17” Extreme in a year or so.. but i want something now to cut curves and templates with. What happened was, we were all out to dinner and he mentioned that he had a really old bandsaw he never uses. I ask what size, he tells me 16 inch Craftsman, but its really old. So i am thinking he has an ancient Walker Turner “Craftsman” and get pretty excited, i would love to fix up an old piece of equipment. Then i walk into his garage and there sits a tiny little 12”. My dissapoinment is probably the only thing that kept me from taking that thing. So this brings us to last Tuesday. I look at Craigs List and there is a Transpower 16 inch bandsaw. Looks to be in good condition. It says that the trunions are cracked but the table is locked at 90 degrees. So i call the guy, and he has it and when would i want to come look at it. I leave work and drive the 40 minutes to his house. It is in good shape, has 10” of resaw, has a 1.5 hp induction motor, and aside from the trunions is in decent shape. So he lowers his asking price, i write him a check for LESS than $200 and we load that heavy casat iron beast into my truck.

Does it have some alignment issues? Yes. Are the wheels coplanar? No. Does it have some vibrations problems due to the stand? Yes. But i will knock these out and have a decent little saw. I am goin to have a machinist duplicate the trunions (minus the cracks) and i will be in good shape. So this is what threw my plans off, for finishing the cabinets by Sunday. And i couldn’t be happier.

So i lost a couple days with the bandsaw. But i go some spacers on the bottom wheel and now its coplanar and is tracking just fine. So its back to work time for me. Saturday mornin comes around and its time to get busy. If you look behind me in this picture, you will see where the cabinets have to go.

There is a ton of junk, tool chests, radio cabinets, and a built in 6’X8’X4’ plywood cabinet that is built in. This all has to go. And the garage is already stuffed, cause nothing has a place right now. So i move the tools, and go to work dismantling the existing cabinet. I get all that crap out, and now i have a full truck bed ready for the dump. I clean the area really good. and move the carcasses into place. I leveled and shimmed the cabinets, and added 4 inch wide strips of particle board on the top. Im sure these have a name, but i dont know. I thought of these after the cabinets were put together, so i had to add the pocket holes after. My jig has build in clamp, so i just flipped the jig upside down and easily added the pocket holes.

I get all the cabinets into positon and get all the rails cut. Then i get all artistic and patch the cracks in the concrete walls and pime and paint. Its amazing what some white paint and cabinets do to spruce up an ugly shop.

Now i add the melamine tops.

So i didnt get to the trim and cabinet drawers this time, but there is always tommorow, and the next day. I dont know if i have expressed how exciting all of this is for me. It is something i am truly passionate about. I know that many of you reading this are fairly advanced and make some truly beatiful pieces, but im creating in my own way. I am learning so much by doing it is almost overwhelming. Absolutely everyhing i do adds to my knowledge, and i am constantly making mental notes on what to do next time. I hope this is interesting, not because anyone will be amazed or learn anything, but just to share my joy and my journey. Im a little behind, but i am starting to come around. My wife asked me last Friday when she was going to see some progess and she is amazed right now. The pictures dont really do justice to how bad this area was, and what we have dealt with in this garage. But it is so much brighter and pleasant in there, i probably sat on my new countertop for over an hour tonight, just looking and thinking about what ill do next. So… next segment will be on the drawers and cabinet doors….unless a new tool gets in the way!

Seymore, the German Shorthair ‘Shop Dog’, with paint on his ear to prove his status and dedication. He is from a rescue program for abandoned dogs, so we have to stop work alot for hugs. He loves his new home, and will lay down on his be and sleep, regardless of what tool is being used.

I would like to add how much i appreciate all the comments and reads that i received on the first segment, i would really like this to be a good read for veterans, and a helpful guide for future new workers. Thank you all.

Brian

This garage is not meant to be a shop. It has one outlet, and one light fixture. It is only as wide as the two doors, and the back end of the garage has large, built in storage closets. I am starting from scratch, my only powertools are a circular saw and a cordless drill. My wife and i are remodeling our 1960’s home, so everything is on a budget. Tools come as they are needed. My wife wants crown molding, so i end up with a Sliding Compound Miter Saw. I have to put in a floor, so i purchase a jobsite Ridgid table saw. Now i am starting to have some initial equipment, but now, where to put it?

I have decided to take over the back half of the garage, I will have 10 feet by 16 feet. This is dedicated space; i will use casters, i will move cars out of the garage, i will be mobile. I tear out the storage closets, and build new storage in the house. I am starting to have some space. I start to shop at pawn shops and check out craigs list. Many slightly used tools start to appear in the garage. I havent built anything bigger than a birdhouse at this point, but i have plans.

On a woodworking forum site, i talk to someone from Montana who tells me i should check out lumberjocks and Todd Clippinger. He is very helpful and knowledgable. Im thinking thats great, but im just glad to find another woodworker in Billings. So i send an email to Todd, and before i know it, i am getting an extremely detailed tour of his operation, what he has built in the past, and what his dogs like for dinner. He took the time to talk to me about what i might need to get a shop going. What tools need to be a priority, and he wants to know what my workflow is going to be. So i head home to do some thinking, work flow? I just wanna make stuff.

A couple more trips to Todd’s house and i am pumped up. I know what i need to do, what equipment i NEED, and what equipment i WANT. So Todd comes to the house to check out my workspace. First thing he tells me, you don’t want to park in your spot anymore, you need to put your table saw where your car used to be. And i need to have tables ready to roll into my wife’s spot when shes not in the garage. And i need cabinets, and power and…...etc. He gives me tons of ideas about what might work, how to setup areas to breakdown sheet goods and this work flow thing. He mentions it alot, so it must be important. He hammers my initial assembly table. It is not efficient enough, the top is made of reg grade ply, its ugly. He is right.

But it reminds me of a story i read a long, long time ago. A guy is talking about a forge, He says that the first thing he will make is a hammer. And the second thing he will make is…. a hammer. He will make a crude hammer and use that to make a nicer hammer. I like to think this is the model for my assembly table. It is crude, it is 2X4s and plywood. It can hold an elephant without sagging. It is a starter table. So i know now that the second thing i need is a second assembly table, two tables will let me do whatever i need to do. And i need power. So i check my breaker box and notice a 50 amp breaker that is unused. I have struck gold!

I go to Lowes and spend way too much of my hard earned money on supplies. I hang a subpanel, conduit and pull 1500 feet of wire. I now have 5, 110 circuits and 2 220 circuits. I install some lighting and i am on my way. I now have space, i now have light, i now have power. So now it is time to start the second assembly table. A certain American Craftsman from Billings fills my truck up with ‘scrap’ that is ‘in the way’. I might as well be a 5 year old with a truck full of icecream. i head home and start to work on assembly table 2.

I remember something Todd told me, “don’t be afraid to make your shop equipment nice, there is no better place to practice and learn technique than on shop furniture”. So i decide to dress the table up.

This table has peg board on one end, and the other has a powerstrip, with a built in 20 foot extension cord. A fold up table that comes in very handy for setting tools and folds out of the way. I add some alder trim to pretty up the table. ( I will probably create a gallery for this table when i put the finish on it). So the table is together, looks nice, is solid and functional…...and it will help my workflow. I am on to the cabinets!

Breaking down sheet goods before was dangerous. There is no other way to put it, i had no infeed and no outfeed. Now i have both

and breaking down sheet goods is a breeze.

With my trusty Kreg jig, these cabinets are no match for me, the carcasses are flying together

This ends my first segment, i will be putting the second segment together as the cabinets are done. I want to thank everyone that gave me such a warm greeting when i joined the site, i hope your generosity carrys over to this blog. I hope you like what you read, and i hope you will enjoy what i create in the future. I want to thank Todd for his help, his scrap and the motivation to get something going. More to follow.