I just realized that i had never posted a final pic of the completed trophy for our fantasy football league. Here’s the final stats:

Football – Fallen maple log from my yard.
Pyramid: Reclaimed SYP beam.
Base: Reclaimed Red Oak.
FFL Logo: Woodburned Sapele.

The trophy will be passed to each years winner and brass name plates will be installed around the base with the team name and the owners name forever etched in fantasy football folklore.

Ive been hanging on to a small pile of handsaws that mostly came from my grandfather. Ive had them semi-cleaned up for quite some time but far from dialed in. Ive been lurking over at LJ Brit’s saw sharpening blog tryin to take it all. There’s a boat load of stuff im clueless on still but im willing to learn. This is where you guys come in …. if youre interested of course … give me the dirt on it all … spoon fed style.

Length of Saw’s and that purpose.
Rip file
Crosscut file
PPI
Etc …

Here’s my cache of saws cuz around here …. no pics it didnt happen.

From top to bottom: Disston #7 (10 ppi), Disston D7 (7 ppi), Disston D8 (10ppi)

From top to bottom: Disston D8 (8 ppi), Warrented Superior (5 1/2 ppi)

Top to bottom: Dietrich (4 1/2 ppi), Disston 12 (10 ppi)

Next up was to make the laces. I had a scrap piece of sapele kicking around so i sliced off 2 pieces about 1/16” thick on the band saw so it was pliable enough to bend and CA glue to the ball.

Once the CA glue had set i took some more sapele and routed out a 3/4” wide x 3/16” deep dado down the middle. And with a thin kerf hand saw i cut them into 1/4” pieces and glued them over the thin strips to create the laces.

As of right now the football is totally finished … but youre all gonna have to wait until tomorrow for those pictures because im off to watch my high school alma mater play in their first football playoff semi-final game. GO EAGLES!

Then, coming in off the bench, the LJ faithful 34,000 strong, bail me out of another problem. We determined that the first step was to dry it out. I slowly dried the football in the microwave for 3 minute intervals and over the span of 3 days i got the weight to remain consistent.

Then it was on to filling those cracks. I jammed some cedar shims into the gaps adhering them with CA glue. Taping it off with some painters tape to prevent the CA glue form getting all over.

Then onto the epoxy filler. I chose Quikwood readily available at WC. It comes in tootsie roll form just mush it together until the color is consistent and its ready to use. 2 days dry time, a quick sanding with some 150, and good as new.

Next game update will feature creating the seams of the football and making the laces.

The draw knife got to be tough going once the angle of the football became steeper so i switched to using hand planes. My #5 did most of the dirty work, with the iron extended quite a bit i was able to “roll it over” and create the tapering a football has from end to end. I cleaned it up a little bit further with a #4, and using a carboard template i tried to keep the shape consistent.

Here it is …

and here is why my arms are sore …

So i peeled the bark off with a Witherby drawknife once belonging to my grandfather.

Drew the outline of the correct diamter of an NFL football (8.95”) and a shaving i kept going.

Once i got it to the proper size i started tapering the ends by drawing consecutively smaller circles on the butt ends. Here is where it stands as of today. Still got quite a bit of work to do but im givin it hell with the hope that it might someday resemble the picture i have in my head.

A stanley bailey #5 … early one too,, low knob. Score!

It looks like its been repaired with some sort of weld, hopefully not beyond good function.

And right next to it a Sargent VBM #3411 transitional plane!!

Now i dont know much about transitional planes or sargents for that matter but i really like the look and feel of this plane.

Its funny i had a neighbor tell me that every once in a while you gotta eat a teaspoon of sh%* to get ahead. I couldnt have put it any better Joe!

Ohh you thought there was gonna be a couple of ironworkers with spud wrenches and beaters? Instead i had a good week hunting hand planes or possibly them hunting me. The #4 was given to me by my father inlaw who had it kicking around in his garage for who knows how long. And the #3 i ran into at an antique shop.

I had never seen a union brand plane before this and then 2 in one week, good clean livin i tell ya. Looking deeper at the #4 its got an old stanley iron, but damn its awful short. Ever seen one ground this far down?

I havent done much research on the Union brand but i know theyre local to Connecticut and operated right until around 1920. If anyone knows any more about it id be glad to hear.

Then this morning, while i was out cleaning the garage i was left a message from a gentleman i treid to buy a dust collector off of about 6 months ago. He and I had got to talking and i had told him i was getting into hand planes and that i had a pile of reclaimed oak and pine , so on and so forth. Well come to find out he was commisioned to build some sort of hobbit doors and the reclaimed pine i had would be perfect for his project. “i dont have any money but i do have a Bailey #6 that we could trade for” ... come on over. So for 4 pieces of wide board 100 year old pine the #6 was mine. Welcome to the family 6er.

After a bit of research its a type 11 plane. Its in great shape for almost 100 years old, no pitting, no cracks on the handle or tote, plenty of iron left, and about 90% japanning left.

And my first attempt at stopped sliding dovetails.

The lumber will be cypress, the joinery will be mortise and tenon. After careful examination and sketching out the plan i got to work planing and rough cutting the lumber last weekend. With the lumber planed, jointed, and cut to rough length i got to work on the legs. I couldnt come across any 10/4 cypress so i glued up 3 pieces for each leg.

This weekend i was able to get all 16 mortises done using the drill press, a forstner bit, and a chisel. They came out a little furry but will work just fine as far as im concerned.

Tonight i was able to get to work on making the tenons. I will be using the router table with a 3/4” straight bit and trimming the tenons down by hand.

I was able to get 2 of the 8 apron pieces fitted nice and snug.

Today was a good day in the wobbly leg workshop!

I started this blog with the anticipation of chronicalling my slide down the slope toward becoming a Galoot, or at least a wannabe Galoot, but it has taken kind of a funny turn. Yesterday my grandmother unfortunately passed away after 88 years on this Earth. She’s found her way upstairs to be with my Grandfather once again where im sure right now they are making macoroni, Pop is sipping a glass of wine, and Gram is listening to Harry Belefonti.

Ive always adored my grandparents, my grandfather especially, the both hold a very large piece of my heart and have taught me many life lessons that cant be read from a book or learned in school. So with a bit of a heavy heart tonight i present to my firends here at Lumberjocks with a toolbox in memory of both my grandparents.

Sentimentally, this toolbox is filled with all of the life tools i have been taught by generations past. The devotion of family, the need to return a favor, the importance of a nice gesture, and the strength one must posess to roll with the punches and live life to the fullest.

My grandfather wasnt a woodworker, he was a heavy equipment mechanic, but my great-grandfather was a carpenter and at one point in time he worked at the local lumberyard. I found this toolbox full of glass tools, mostly glass cutters and whatnot. Where they came from and who’s they were im not sure. All i know is that at one point in time it was Pop’s and it sits right underneath the television in our den to remind me of all that has been taught, and what i can do to teach others what has been so gracefully bestowed on me.

So now that all the sappy stuff is over .. here’s the toolbox!

I didn’t do too much to the toolbox.I took all of the brass hardware off, give it a good bath in WD-40 and a good scrubbing with a scotch brite pad. The box itself got a quick hand sanding with some 150 then 220 to get rid of the grit and grime that was all over it after probably 75 years in a basement. A coat of poly and paste wax and that was it.

I hope to pass this toolbox down along with the other tools from Pop to the next generation and can only hope that i can fill a toolbox up for someone else. Wishing everyone here at Lumberjocks a wonderful holiday and a great new year!!

Among the many coffee cans, cigar boxes, drawers, and shelves were sitting a bunch of hand saws. I never thought of having a use for an old handsaw and i certainly didn’t see any value to them either, but these were Pop’s (my deceased grandfather), “i bet they would look kinda cool in my man room”, i thought to myself.

So i brought home another box of old rusty tools that probaly hadn’t seen the light of day in 30 years. Among them 3 hand saws and a drawknife. After a cleaning my pot of gold continues to grow.

Turns out this old saw had some value to it … A Henry Disston #7 – dated around 1912, nib still on it and everything. As with the block planes i inherited, these saws possibly outdated my grandfather. Its very possible that these tools have become a 4th generation heirloom.

..... And a Disston D8 dated 1920’s

... And a Disston D7 dated to the 1920’s

Finally a T.H. Witherby Drawknife manufactured in Winsted CT.

Until the next round .. thanks for readin the ramblings of a young man sliding his was down the slippery slope of hand tool infatuation.

My grandfather passed away a few years ago and in the process of cleaning out the house i stumbled across all of the old tools in the basement. Mostly mechanics tools, he was a diesel and heavy equipment mechanic, but mixed in were a bunch of wood working tools. I had dabbled a little with wood working at the time and found i had enjoyed it, so i thought what better way to remember Pop than to have some of his old tools, clean em up and show em off.

This was one of my grandfathers planes .. or quite possibly my great grandfathers block plane. It’s an early Stanley #9 1/2 with a patnent date of 10-12-97 on it. Its not nearly 100%, the cheek is broken and missing the mouth adjustment lever but an heirloom to me.

Another one of my grand or great grandfathers hand planes. An early Stanley #18 with a split knuckle cap. Patent date Dec. 28 86 This one is in great shape but may or may not be missing the mouth adjustment lever.. another one that i hope to pass down to the next generation.

Welll fellow LJ’s i hope that you will enjoy my trip down the slippery slope …

- Chris

Now after 3 hours of sorting and stacking …

Ohh and trust me, i didn’t fill up the side of the garage where the wife parks … i might be dumb but i ain’t stupid!

I dug out 5 pieces of 2” thick lumber from the pile, cut the areas out which were loaded with cut nails, and started my freestyle build. I half lapped the boards in order to “stretch” then out to the length i needed (in hindsight i should have tongue and grooved them as suggested by one of the LJers). Jointed them all by hand with an old stanley block plane. Sanded and started the finishing process on the table top.

http://i1020.photobucket.com/albums/af325/chrisstef89/fallentree3-10008.jpg

The table top was finished by wet sanding a medium walnut danish oil with 320 grit creating a paste to close the pores. Then another 2 coats of danish oil. After a week of drying i’ll give it a coat of good paste wax.

Next up was the legs, half lapped “x” style legs which will eventually have a 3” through mortise to accept a stretcher. Here’s a pic of the progress on the legs.

http://i1020.photobucket.com/albums/af325/chrisstef89/fallentree3-10009.jpg

And heres the final shot with one leg “mocked up”.

http://i1020.photobucket.com/albums/af325/chrisstef89/fallentree3-10006.jpg

And not one piece of lumber was used under 100 yeras old!