543 days ago
by Jeff |
13 comments »
This is my interpretation of this cleverly designed bench by Fine Woodworking’s shop manager, John White. There have been a few mentions of this bench on the site and I have been eagerly anticipating having the time to build my version of the bench.
I’ve had the lumber for about a month but had to sacrifice time in the shop to get our condo ready for sale this summer. Those preparations are all behind KT and I now and I can finally work in the shop when I want to. We’ve h...
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535 days ago
by Jeff |
13 comments »
Hullo, folks. I’ve been sneaking in a little more time on the bench and have an update. In the last entry I mentioned a snaffu with my chamfers. I got those all done in short order on the router table. I even took a chance on the leg I had already assembled. The fit with the lag bolt was of course a little looser when I reassembled the leg but nothing to get uptight about. This was pleasing.I put the legs together and then drilled my holes for the lag bolts in the ends of the stretcher....
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525 days ago
by Jeff |
7 comments »
Last week I finished drilling many holes for the sides of the well. These included the holes for the clamping bars as well as the pilot holes and countersinks for the confirmat screws. This took a bit of time because of all the measuring and trial and error positioning to ensure I didn’t make any major mistakes since the FWW plans were subject to interpretation and my sketchup plans (last entry) were a little inaccurate regarding the size of the clamping bars. It paid off though.
For ...
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605 days ago
by gizmodyne |
7 comments »
Yes… More SandingI put the last coat of poly on the caracases and drawer interiors, had dinner, and then we both went out to the shop and did not finish til’ around 11:30 p.m.
Kristin sands the drawer faces.
She is just pretending to enjoy this.
Two Step StainingIf you saw our video on staining douglas fir.. you know that we use a washcoat of mineral spirits and boiled linseed oil followed by mahogany gel stain.
To be exact.. I apply the washcoat, Kristin applies the s...
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519 days ago
by Jeff |
8 comments »
I have an update on the bench. The top is completed and I’m nearing the home stretch. I’m already starting to come up with ideas for special uses/jigs for the inserts in the well…
I measured and drilled the holes for the end supports of the well and then threaded my pipe stock and checked for level. I also cut the blocks that are moved when you need to adjust the lateral clamps and positioned them above each leg and the center support. I laid in the MDF panels to make sur...
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514 days ago
by Jeff |
5 comments »
I have just about finished the bench. As it is right now, everything is functioning and I have moved it over to the actual work area. Tasks completed include:1) Mounted clips on the stretcher for the face clamps;2) Drilled holes in the bars of the face clamps so they can be adjusted with speed pins;3) Milled and mounted the drop-in clamping blocks for the tail vice clamps (used in the well);4) Cut and mounted the planing wedge to the front rail.
Here are the pics.I don’t have a pic of...
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630 days ago
by gizmodyne |
10 comments »
For the last month or so I have been experimenting with different ways to finish our douglas fir woodwork. It had been stripped and stained. Fir stains very blotchy.
I tried : pre-stain conditioner…. shellac…. gel stain… It all turned out blotchy.
Final solution.
Apply a washcoat of mineral spirits and boiled linseed oil.
Apply gel stain while washcoat is still wet.
Wipe with clean rag
Lots of wood to stain..
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648 days ago
by gizmodyne |
11 comments »
Making Big BoxesToday’s task: Get joining; the cabinets are to be held together with biscuits. Each cabinet has 30 slots. So I needed to get organized to save a lot of marking time and avoid mistakes.
Gettin Jiggy(Alright I used that “joke” twice. Sorry).I started by building a jig to hold the rails along with several storyboards/ spacers to get the biscuits just right. I just mark the spacer and cut directly from that rather than mark each cabinet side. All of the parts ...
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332 days ago
by Dorje |
24 comments »
I’ve had the urge to just make something small for some time now…I’ve been working on a bed with what little shop time I have, and haven’t had much time for other stuff. I wanted one of those projects that you could just take the materials at hand and go for it.
Also, something that wouldn’t take forever to build and would give some (relatively) instant gratification.
I had some scrap cedar, fir, poplar, and walnut that’ll be used in this little box/case. ...
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560 days ago
by gizmodyne |
6 comments »
Selling Point
Besides our clawfoot tub, the only nice thing in the our house when we bought it was the dining room.
A picture from our walkthrough. Fir wainscoting with a plate rail. We later found out that the wall paper is a custom reproduction of a Morris and Co. paper from the turn of the century. We have visited William Morris’ birth home and country farm in England last year.
The wall paper hid most of the damage. The ceiling was cracked, peeling, and had an unfinished l...
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