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295K views 2K replies 173 participants last post by  robscastle 
#1 ·
The Beginning...

So I've lived in the same two bedroom apartment for ten years now. The second bedroom is my workshop and has a closet that's been my catch-all for anything that I don't immediately know what to do with. Needless to say, it's gotten to be a pretty scary place! A couple of weeks ago, I finally set myself a goal: to take out and sort one box a day until I could see the walls of the closet again…
As is usual with such things, the longest journey begins with the first step, and once I began I found myself sorting 3-5 boxes a day and the job was finished in a week or so. I found trash and treasure, meaningful and meaningless things. And this[IMG alt="My Grandparent's "Big 10" Sign"]http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3444/3865449913_daaff6f529_o.jpg[/IMG]
It came from my Grandparent's house but holds no real sentimental worth, no fond memories. It's a mass produced item, no real value. I hold the "Big 10" in my heart, and live by them daily, but don't care for a daily reminder on my wall…What do I do with such a thing?
Well, upon turning it around, I discovered why I hadn't tossed this old thing in the first placeA very wide board
Yes, it's "only" Pine, but it looks like it came from a venerable old tree! 5/8'" thick, about 12" wide. As I couldn't bring myself to throw away the Ten Commandments, and NEVER throw away any wood, Friday afternoon I decided to separate Church from Wood. I saved the Brass Plaque, which was of surprising quality, but now can be slid easily into an old book or something, and the Wood is now mine to have some fun with! Started out by giving it some rough sandingAfter some rough sanding
The next step was to plug the holes left from the nails. Set the depth stop of the drill press in my usual fashion, by hanging my 3 lb. Estwing off of one of the handles of the press to hold it in the down position, and raising the table. Setting the depth stop
When I want to really fine tune, I raise or lower the drill bit in the chuck a bit.
Glued some dowel into the resulting holes and filed and sanded flush.Plugging the holes
A decision had to be made at some point about what exactly I was planning on making here, so I asked myself "What does Mike make besides boxes?". The answer, of course, was "MORE BOXES!!"
At first I was thinking of squaring up the piece, but that's easier said than done, with the curves on this piece. Ahh, the curves…they intrigued me and since this is "just for fun" and I don't really know what I'm doing anyway, I thought "Why not leave them and see what happens?"
And so, not having any clue, I pressed forward and cut this piece in halfThe beginnings of the vision
Upon measuring, I noticed that the crests of the curves were equidistant, 5 1/2" apart. Looks like this one's going to be square…
After cutting the pieces as near as I could to the center of the crests, and all 5 1/2" long, I brought them to the "Marking Board". Marked the depths of the cuts by using the pieces themselvesMarking depth of finger joints
There's still the detail on the other side, and I can't extend finger joints into that region. Let's see…I'd like 3/8" fingers for this project, but the wood I have to work with isn't divisible by 3/8". But 4 1/2" is. I'll just tilt the ruler! Nobody's watching!Marking finger or box joints
After that, I'm on familiar ground again. Drill some "maneuvering" holesDrilling Manuevering Holes for the Scroll Saw
And off to the scroll sawSawing away the fingers
There's probably a bunch of people now who are saying "What a Nit-Wit!! Has he never heard of a box joint cutting jig?!" and they'd be right about the nitwit part! But I don't own a stacked dado head cutter and it only took 6-7 minutes per side, and this is JUST FOR FUN! It does take a few minutes to mate each joint, filing one side and then the other until they mesh snug, but not too snugTwo sides completed
And so, to make a long story even longer, after 4 hrs or so total,I went from the unwanted sign to thisA Poor Man's Box
I've begun to call it the "Poor Man's Box".
In the next installment I hope to finish whatever it is I think I'm doing…
 
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#165 ·
Nothing much going on... might as well make some hinges... :)

In the last installment, I showed the latest box I'm working on, it's now time to make a pair of hinges for it…
But, and it seems like there's always a but, I had a problem with the fitted panel for the lid. When I cut the tenon around the thing, to fit into the side dadoes, I was trying to "sneak up on it", once, twice, three times and it seemed like nothing was changing. So I gave it one of those "All or Nothing" taps to the Table Saw fence and it cut All too far!Unflattering view of box lid
The gap isn't even a 1/8" but, to me, it looks like the Great Divide!!
So I resolved to make some small inserts to fit.Box top opened up to show Mahogany filler strips I grabbed some of the ubiquitous Mahogany scraps and filed them to thickness,Thinning strips to size
Then planed them with Grand Dad's trusty old #220 to width…Planing strips to width with my trusty #220
It's then a pretty simple matter to touch them with a spot of glue to hold them in place, while I make and add inserts for the underneath side of the lid…Clamp-up of filler strips
I readjusted the fence when I was cutting the bottom and, happily, only the top needs this…
Somewhere in between playing with these little sticks, I did manage to complete some hinges too…
Here the Oak scraps are drawn and drilled, and ready for the Scroll Saw work…Hinges drilled and ready for Scroll work
Here they are, ready for attaching…Latest Hinges
Really slow going on this one, I've been lucky if I get 4-5 hours a week to have some fun in the shop… but being busy is good too!! :)
 
#184 ·
An Adventure in Bandsawing...

Last night, after dinner, I went out in my Parent's yard to have a smoke, on one of my favorite benches in the world…The Old Bench at my Folk's...
It's an old-timer I found at the dump about 40 years ago… I brought it home, and my Dad put new slats on it to replace the old broken ones… a fresh coat of paint and it's been "in-service" for many years…
You may ask, "What does that have to do with Band Sawing?!" Well, I'm glad you asked!!
I looked up from my reverie and saw this:A birdhouse that has seen better days...
This poor old Birdhouse swaying in the breeze had gotten so bad the birds won't build in it anymore, so I resolved to make a replacement.
My first thought was to do it down in my own shop, but then it occurred to me that there is no lack of tools or wood right at my Folk's!! This also went hand in hand with my desire to see how Dad's old Band Saw is running…
After cleaning the general area around it, and giving it a quick wipe-down, with nothing more than a couple paper towels, I found this:Dad's Powermatic Band Saw
It's a terrible picture, but the machine looks great!!
Dad gave me a Wood Cutting Blade for Christmas in 1976 and I had never even taken it out of the box!! When I was cleaning the cellar of their house a couple months ago, I came across it, all dust covered but none the worse for age…An old gift from my Father
Inside what looks like a pizza box, is a 3/8" X .025 X 4 X Skip Band Saw Blade, original price $9.95!!! Dad had instructed me on the changing of these blades 30+ years ago and, amazingly, his admonishments and instructions still resonate in my ears… right down to casting it on the floor, teeth up, to "open" it…
View of open band saw
With that effected, and after drawing the design to be replaced, in about a half hour I had the parts cut for a Brand New Birdhouse.Parts for a new Birdhouse
The most suitable piece of wood I found kicking around was an old scrap of White Oak. I began to think while cutting, that this would be awfully heavy, so I decided to re-saw the sides. (Did I just say re-saw?! Hoo Boy, that opens up a whole new world of possibilities!!!)
I brought the pieces home today. I still need to cut the hole with the Scroll Saw… I'm going to pin it together with wooden dowel, because nails and Oak don't agree, and then it's off to the Finishing Department, where it will get a paint job for the outside of it…
It doesn't seem like much, but I was and am pretty excited using the old Powermatic. It brought back a lot of memories… Dad, at times, had me do some of the rough cut-out work in his machine shop on this saw, so I'm not unfamiliar with it… It's almost like welcoming back an old Friend!! :)
 
#205 ·
A Quick Assembly and the inevitable Finishing Slow Down...

After blasting out the parts for the new Birdhouse last week on the band saw,Parts for a new Birdhouse
The assembly went just as quickly. The parts were taken home, the necessary access hole added, a top post/hanging bracket fashioned, and pilot holes were drilled for the attachment of the slats for the roof.Attaching the roof to the BirdhouseDetail of Pinning process
I forgot how much fun building a birdhouse can be!! They're for the birds, after all, and they will never be overly critical… :)
With the assembly finished, it was on to the finishing department… My first thought was to paint the thing completely, but the Oak is too nice looking to cover completely. So I decided to paint just the roof…
The first coat was a primer coat and left it looking pretty dull and flat…Birdhouse after first coat of paint
The slow down of waiting for paint to dry, combined with the interference of the day job, made it impossible to add another coat until yesterday…Applying second coat of paint
Now that's what I'm talking about, and it looks every bit as good today! I'll wait until that dries completely, sand off my drips, and then polyurethane the whole thing… Truth be told, I'll probably be at this finishing business for another week…
But while I was in "Finishing Mode" I revisited my last box project. I wasn't altogether pleased with the finish on it, so I went ahead and added a coat of spray-on poly to all the sides…Finishing the Finish
I'm a lot happier with it now… :)Ready for Gift GivingLatest box after final finishing
 
#221 ·
Miscellaneous News...

Working six days straight, other responsibilities, and a early heat wave conspired to leave me without time, energy, or drive to do any wood working for over a week!! I was feeling a little glum about that, so I finally squeezed in an hour or so yesterday… I feel better already!!
Those of you who read this nonsense may recall this picture that I took of one of my Dad's cribbing blocks sliced open:Sliced open
The sharp-eyed amongst you may have even noticed that these pieces are not book matched. The reason is, while I had the block on the saw, I took a couple of 3/8" slices off of it as well, the better to make a box with…
Yesterday I squared the pieces real quick,After Squaring the Sides
Determined "Up",Determining "Up"
Plowed out slots for where the panels will go,Setting depth of cut for panel dadoesDadoes for panels
And finally, cut them to length… Waiting to be joined...
This old Oak is as tough as nails!! I'm going to have a bear of a time getting the band saw marks off of it… Too bad that Martyn fellow doesn't live closer with his Brand New Sander… :)
In other news, my last project (the birdhouse) is a real hit!! I hung that out on a Thursday evening and on Sunday, around noontime, Mom first noticed occupancy. But they were already moved in! I've never seen birds take to a house so quickly!! I think they were watching me hang the thing saying "Hurry up!! Hurry up!!" because when I hung it up, I had the uncanny feeling I was being observed…
I had wanted to take pictures, but there's really not much to see. They're in and out of it so fast and don't seem to care to pose for my benefit…

But the high point of the week was receiving a "Care Package" from Brother David, the Patron, from the high deserts of New Mexico…The Package
It seems he was cleaning his shop and found some Wood he thought I might find useful…
Carefully packed inside was this:The Contents #1
What a Guy!! From left to right there's some figured Maple, a piece of Imbruia, and an ample supply of Philippine Mahogany!! I have several ideas already on what to do with this gift… Thank You, David!! :)
 
#236 ·
The fun continues...

Nine days ago, that funny looking fellow in the picture had just finished sizing up the four sides of a new box out of some old Oak… Waiting to be joined...
The joining of the four sides went without event, and was done in his usual manner… Marking, Drilling for Scroll Saw room, and then cutting and fitting…Marking JointsDrilling for Scroll Saw workHalfway there
I keep telling him there are easier, more exact ways of doing this, but he will not listen!! What a knot head…
When he got those together, he had himself a little sanding partySanding Action I think he's despaired of ever getting the Bandsaw marks out…
His next idea was to re-saw some more pieces off of the old cribbing block where the sides came from, with the intention of making the panels in bookmark fashion…Not happy with this...
I told him that looks pretty good, but he's not happy with this either!! What does he want, Perfection?! This is supposed to be fun…
So he's still up in the air about that and began making his hinges and finger tug while he decides whether he'll use them…
The Cribbing Block has been significantly whittled down by all this box-building, but he tells me if he plays his cards right, he should have enough left for the hinges and knob for the front.All that's left of the Oak from box-building
He began by cutting the piece shorter, to facilitate handling, but leaving it over-long at the same time so… well, so there is enough wood!!Shortening the workpiece, but still leaving it over-long, if that makes any sense...
Then he halved that piece the long wayHalving the Workpiece
Now, believe me, I saw these pieces and these two blocks were shaped more or less like wedges… He has no jointer, no planer, how is he going to square them up? But, he says he only needs two sides to be square, pulled out his Grand Pappy's old Hand Plane, and did exactly that!Squaring two sidesAfter squaring two sides
He then marked and drilled the pivot holes, re-sizing the upper half of the hinges so they free-float…Drilling Pivot holes for latest Hinges
He lost me here, but then he proceeded drilling a bunch of other holes, after he had taken a pen and made squiggly lines all over the piece. To be honest, I'd be really surprised if he has any idea what he's doing, but he says it's Scroll Saw work after this… :)Hinges, drawn and drilled
 
#237 ·
Can't wait to see the finished product….......great pix….even a knothead like me can follow this…......but alas…......its all still beyond my means…..what with having 5 thumbs on each hand.

Great job Mike!!!
 
#249 ·
A Total Mistake, a Fix, and More...

Yesterday I left off with the hinges all but cut out for my latest box…Hinges, drawn and drilled
So this morning I was feeling good, feeling strong, ready to tackle the challenges of the new day. I began with the worst cuts to make, the side cuts. To help with this, I taped the two pieces together. These are heavy duty Scroll cuts, and I wanted to have as much heft to the pieces as I could. Being taped also aids in the stability of the things giving them a wider, flatter bottom Just beginning cutout
The first cut went fine. On the second pair, halfway through, I suddenly noticed that I was matching the cut on the first one… NO GOOD!! STOP!!
This pair I'm trying to make have a curve in the them, the two sets should be mirror images…A bad mistake...
This is very bad… I spent a few minutes in anguish, even turned the lights out in the shop… but I had a cup of coffee and thought, hey, it's still early in the day, I've got one that's right, why don't I just make another one on the fly…
And so I did…Corrected version
That right hand one is the replacement, cut the way the middle one should have been… It actually didn't take that long. For once, my lack of organization helped rather than hindered, because all the things I had used to mark the first ones with were still out…
Anyway, I finally achieved the objective, with some trepidation. I've yet to clean them up (filing and sanding) but this is what I was looking for…The Objective
What's more, there was still plenty of time left, so I decided to try out an idea I had for a "Finger Tug" for lifting the lid… It turned out to be as easy as pie…
I took one of the last remaining scraps of the cribbing block I started with and made a couple of cuts in it resembling a trigger[IMG alt="A sort of "Trigger" cut"]http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4015/4688524655_e37f9db228_b.jpg[/IMG]
Then on the flat side, drew out and cut a flap shape[IMG alt="A "Flap" cut "]http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4021/4689157318_ba8e362d4a_b.jpg[/IMG]
I'm ultimately going to pin this handle to the box, so I then drilled a couple slightly undersized holes into the bottom at an angle…Drilling through underside at an angle
Then I just sliced that off the scrap… and presto!!A finger tug for latest box
This, too, will have to be cleaned up but it came out with a good "feel" to it…
It's nice to have some small measure of success, after that fiasco this morning… :)
 
#272 ·
Parting is such Sweet Sorrow...

I had a whole fifteen minutes before the phone rang today and spent it parting the lid from the bottom of the latest box. I always get a sort of bittersweet feeling when I do that… It's the "Last Act" of the making process. After that comes the Assembly Phase, with a lot more work to be sure, but all the fun of making the parts gone…
Alas and woe is me…
I guess I better hurry up and finish this thing so I can start another!!! :)
But, I've got a very important decision to make, and I could use some help…
Should the hinges go this way A)?Choice A (for hinge placement)
Or should they go this way B)?Choice B
I'm leaning one of the ways… I think… Because when I flip them around to look at them the other way, they look alright that way too…
What do all you fine folks think?
 
#307 ·
Down to the Last Pegs...

Time to wrap this one up…
I got in a full morning and part of the afternoon's play today and completed the assembly… almost. Started by pegging the corners of the lid togetherDrilling holes for corner pins in top
Then the bottom, first up and into the bottom corners, then down through the top halfwayDrilling bottom holes, down through the top
The clamping on those may look precarious, but is actually very well balanced. I clamp each corner individually that way and lift the whole assembly to where I tap in the pegs.
With that done, I finally fill in the exposed voids that were created by cutting the dadoes for the panels.Filling voids left by dado cuts for panels
It was then time to finish the hinges, which was a simple matter of cutting some Brass Rod to length for the pivot pin.Hack-sawing Brass rod to length for Hinges
My mini-vise is a dandy for this, it has a V-groove cut in both jaws, so it holds the brass very secure. First I scored them with a triangular file, to start the hacksaw, then cut them, then chucked them up in the drill press for a quick de-burring with a metal file. De-burring the pin
Then I tapped them into the hinges, carefully…
Somewhere in here, I did one last go-around of the box, with file and sandpaper. Some of the fingers protruded through the joints slightly… they stuck out… and I thought here would be my first check. I was not looking forward to trying to file them down!! What I had thought to do, was to bring the box to Dad's Band Saw and simply saw them off. Happily, the shortness of this box made it possible to saw them off with the Scroll Saw instead… Big step saved there!!
And so, it was time to glue on the hinges… I found it interesting to read everyone's vision and interpretation of how they should be placed and would like to thank everybody for sharing their ideas!! My vision, such as it is, is pragmatic. As much as I wanted to try to make the hinges a bit more ornate this time, they are not decorations… They are structural, working parts and I wanted them splayed somewhat widely for best effect…
To attach them easier, I first mark the center of the axis of the pin on the top of both setsMarking center of Pivot axis on top of hinge
Yes, I know the pencil is off-center, but it was difficult to hold the pencil and snap the picture at the same time (and no, I did not make the ship nor the little dart board closet!)
I only have to position those marks right over the separation, top from bottom, and I should be good… A spacer stick is used from the sides, to get their placement correct and there you go…All Glued, waiting to be pinned...
Thus went my morning… I had to wait for the glue to dry…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Four hours later…

I spent the time putting around, doing a little cleaning even!! I've also been staring at this handle that I made for this box. It occurred to me that it wouldn't be much of a stretch to make a wooden ring in the same fashion…Yet another idea...a wooden ring
That was a diversion, for a while, but I realized there is more there than meets the eye. I'll have to sit down and think some, about which way the grain should go and such…
But back to the box, and specifically the hinges!! I set the depth stop on the drill press and went into pegging mode…Setting the depth stopDepth properly setPegging away...A spot of glue and a peg, 2, 3,....
I clamped it up one last time to remove the excess pegs and file the nubs flush…Clamping one last time...
Then came the moment of truth… Does it open????It even Opens!!
Whew!! Boy, am I glad that it did and does!!!
The last chore on this today was to glue the handle on, in preparation for its own pegging… I had filed the handle's base perfectly flat by simply holding it and dragging it down a flat file. But when I went to glue it, it rocked on the uneven, bandsawn cut, front of the box… It took some additional fussing to get it to sit flat, but it was done…Handle glued in place
Tomorrow I'll peg that on.
It's a wrap!! Two pegs to go and then on to the finishing!! My first box from the "Wood Out Back" so to speak…
What did I learn? I found out that a joiner or thickness planer would be a darn useful thing to have, if I'm going to be sawing my own lumber!! :)
 
#326 ·
A Mixed Bag...

I've heard quite a lot about Wood Shop closures in various School systems around the Country… it's saddening news. That's why it was great the other morning to go by my old Alma Mater and see that, at least here in Manchester, the Woodworking programs are alive and well!!
On my way to work I spotted these handsome works-in progress…Woodwork at West High
I'm not sure exactly what you call them… They each had a tapered leg assembly next to them, so they're a stand-up kind of thing… I tried to get a close-up on my way home, but didn't do that well… LOLWoodwork at West High
School is out now, of course, and these must have been from the slower workers in the class. They'll be waiting for them to finish in September, I reckon… But it warmed my heart to see that Manchester West High School is still going strong!!
In other news, apparently whatever it is I think I'm doing, some folks want me to continue doing it!! My Parent's Neighbor is the Head Honcho/ Site Supervisor for a large construction company here in the Northeast… He was gracious enough to give me a pile of cut-offs and extras from one of their jobs, Thank You, Brian!!The latest Wood HoardAnother view
The plastic wrapped bundles are all 1/2"X 3 1/2"X 24" Maple (5 per pack!). There's some Oak moldings and the really pretty stuff with the nice grain is Cherry. It seems no one wants me to run out of material!!
We've had another great year for growth around these parts. The local farms are reporting that their crops are about a month ahead of schedule! So too, is my Parent's Lawn… I went up and mowed the grass yesterday and it's growing by leaps and bounds!Overview of the backyard at the Compound
The Sea Roses are right on schedule. They're just starting to pop and are usually in full bloom on the Fourth of July…Flowers at the CompoundThe Planter and Granite Stairs
As I mentioned previously, I ordered a Jointer, and I was half in the hope of seeing it arrive at the family compound while I was up there… no dice, yet… They did send me the extra set of knives for it that I asked for, which is well and good, but where's the rest of it?! I was going to use it right away too… I've been agonizing over how I was going to re-saw narrow boards, say an inch or 3/4". I've read others stories of fences and had thought of making one, but I don't like the way a Band Saw blade likes to wander, following the grain. If it wandered the wrong way, it could result in a blade snapping situation… But, Simple Mind, Simple Solution!!
I had no trouble at all re-sawing the Cribbing block, it was big and wide so, I reasoned, all I have to do is clamp one of them to my workpiece to make a big "Sandwich"!! And so I did…[IMG alt=""Sandwich" for re-sawing"]http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1410/4726575775_286812c216_b.jpg[/IMG]
Here's the result, some sliced Cherry…Sliced Cherry
When the Jointer does finally arrive, I'm going to clean up the edges that matter on that impromptu clamp-to block, and on the Cherry too… :)
 
#339 ·
Short and Sweet...

Quick one today, Folks!!
I took delivery of my new Jointer yesterday!! My New Toy as delivered
It took me about an hour to set up… most of that was spent "Reading and Understanding" the safety instructions found in the Owners Manual. I must admit, I sorta glazed over the "How to Plug In" and "How to operate the On-Off Switch" sections… :)
Anyway, after an hour I had it screwed down and ran a board through for testing purposes…About an hour later
It worked perfectly right out of the box!! I can see myself already asking how I got along so long without one of these…
I've been giving this a lot of thought, and I'm pretty sure that this is the first new machine I've purchased for the shop since about 1995!! I decided to buy it at the recommendation of Brother Patron, who saw the hard time I was having sanding the Band Saw cut marks out of the last box. He said that he had tried one of these and it worked pretty well, and gave me this link http://woodworker.com/4-bench-top-jointer-mssu-155-528.asp?search=&searchmode=2
I went ahead and bought the 6" version, it was only $140…
To say I'm happy with it would be a gross understatement… :)Front view
 
#340 ·
now you are making us tremble (LOL) !
how can we ever keep up with you on the loose again ?
don't forget to write us from time to time ,
we still need to figure out your first box ,
now you will be in high demand .
i would like an autograph ,
before you go cosmic !
 
#358 ·
And the beat goes on...

Who'd have thought it, but I'm making another box!!
I made the sides out of a little of the cherry my Parent's neighbor was kind enough to give me…Sliced CherryFour Sides up...
The bad news is, the band saw only accepts wood under 5 1/2" thick and the original piece was almost 7" wide…
The good news is, my boxes are small ones, so I cut about 1 3/4" off of it, and I'll use that to make the hinges…Scrap of Cherry for hinges I guess you can see why this was a cut-off…
But the subject today is the panels, top and bottom. Where the cherry is so light colored, I decided to use some of the Imbuia that Brother Patron sent me for the top panel, for some variation. It was a wrench to cut into this stuff!! I still want to make a box out of it later on, so I used it for only the top panel… For the bottom panel, I rummaged around in the scrap bin, and found a pine Drawer side that'll fill the bill…
I went back to making raised panels this time, trotting out the Fence extender, and clamping a board over the entire Table Saw to "simulate" a zero clearance insertThe Panel cutting set-up
When I went to fit them in their respective dadoes, they were too "fat" and wouldn't fit…
In the past, that would mean that I'd have to file, plane, wheedle, and cajole them down to size… sigh…
BUT WAIT!!! I have a new Jointer!!! Two swipes on that baby whittled them right down to size!! HeeHee…
The Bottom Pine Panel, cut and fitted:Bottom Panel cut and fitted
And the top Imbuia Panel:First Panel cut & fitted...
The Imbuia is impossibly dark to mark on, so after making the cardboard template, I used masking tape so I could see the markings…Marking dark Imbuia using masking tape
Just as predicted, foreseen, and indeed, mentioned in the owner's manual, the Jointer produces prodigious amounts of wood shavings. So I rounded up an unused Shopvac from the Family Compound and hooked it up…
BUT WAIT AGAIN!! The One part that they did not ship with the Jointer, was the Vacuum Hose coupling…
So I had to fabricate one, out of an empty cracker box and duct tape…Dust collection
This marks only the second time in my life, that I've used duct tape… for actual duct work…
It'll work just fine until I can get the real article… :)
 
#368 ·
Progress at a Snail's Pace...

Almost a week ago (A Week!) I left off with the latest box, a Cherry and Imbuia type of thing, finally together…First Panel cut & fitted...
As has been discussed here and everyday, everywhere, it's been HOT!! It's hard to get motivated in the heat… I actually resorted to putting in a second air conditioner, one that I had picked up on sale two years ago and was keeping as a "Emergency Back-Up" for my main one…"New" Air Conditioner in Bedroom
It's been a life saver…
But anyway, back to the box!! The first thing to do on it, was to take it apart one last time and give all the parts yet another thorough sanding…Sides and Panels cut and sanded
and then cut the sides, one by one, on the Scroll Saw…Parting Lid from Bottom
I like doing them this way because the saw blade's kerf is about the size of a pencil line, and though I can't cut a perfectly straight line, whatever idiosyncrasies there might be, are mirrored top to bottom perfectly!!After Parting
I pegged them all together in the usual fashion and turned my attention to the hinges, starting with drilling the pivot holes. This time, I tried using a Quick Fence on the Drill Press by simply clamping a convenient short piece of angle iron to the table… Using Fence to drill pivot holes for latest hinges
Then I drew and drilled, and it was off to the Scroll Saw again…Ready to begin cutting
Sometimes, during the cutting, it's necessary to stop and clear the waste…Stopping to clear waste
The cutting actually takes hardly any time at all, and in about a half hour the clearing, not quite done, cuts were made…Clearing cuts finished
It's then a pretty simple matter to cut off the waste, and after a little bit of finagling I had these… Cherry Hinges…Latest Pair of Hinges
There's a split in one of them that I'm going to have to take extra-special care with…
While I was at these, I took the leftover scrap and cut a finger lift handle… it took about four minutes…After marking finger tugAfter cutting
And that's about as far as I've gotten… The "Hardware" is all set…The "Hardware"
And the Box, top and bottom are all pegged, and in the middle of having the ****************************** filled…Filling in the Chinks
Almost done, you're thinking, eh?
NOT SO FAST!! LOL
If anybody noticed, this box is coming out larger than usual… I think it needs some trays… :)
 
#383 ·
The Trays Begin...

In the last episode it was decided that, because this Box is a little bigger than usual, I'd be making some trays for it. I guess I'm still anxious to use the new toy, because I sized the wood I'll be using last… first!!
After Re-sawing another scrap of the Cherry, I thinned it down on the Jointer to about 3/16". These will be for the bottoms of the two trays…Planed Cherry Panels for Tray Bottoms
With the Imbuia top, and Cherry sides on the outer Box, I'm going with Imbuia sides and Cherry Bottoms for these inside trays. Yesterday, I began by setting the Dado depth on the Table Saw…Setting Blade height for Dadoes
And then carefully plowed the dadoes out. I had to move the fence once on each to make a slightly larger Dado…Dadoes Cut
Then I simply sliced them to height… In this case, the interior of the box will only allow for a maximum of 3"...Tray heights established
I then cut them to length…Cut to length
Here, you can see the result of yesterday's two hours, and the general goal…The goal...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This morning I got on it bright and early, beginning with making some "Spacer Blocks" for marking the finger joints. This was something I tried first on the Box proper… It went so fast, I never had a chance to chronicle it for you!! I made a grid on a small piece of some of the 1/4" plastic that Bob Kollman sent me a while ago…Marking Quick Spacer Blocks
Then I cut as many as I thought I'd need for this…That'll be enough for this job...
I'll use them on the next step, but first I had to mark the depths of these joints…http://www.flickr.com/apps/video/stewart.swf?v=71377
I used the spacer blocks to mark the finger widths… This might even introduce some semblance of uniformity, something I'm altogether unfamiliar with…http://www.flickr.com/apps/video/stewart.swf?v=71377
In any event, the upper tray is going to have a single partition… so I marked that next…Partition MarkingMarked
After cutting, it'll look something like this…Partition in Place (on first side)
I'll probably do some more cutting today, but it's raining… and the rain is making me… sleepy… :)
 
#395 ·
A Productive Weekend...

Of course, working in the Restaurant Biz, I mean the last few days… I ended up getting in about 9-10 hours on this latest box, and except for some small detail work, it's just about ready for some finishing…
If you'll recall, I left off Wednesday having glued the hinges in place…Hinge Glue-up
I began yesterday morning by pinning them into place with wooden dowel, and cutting off the excess with my trusty "Poor Man's" Japanese Saw. Notice the finely crafted handle…After Pinning Hinges to Box
I then flipped it, put it up on blocks, and glued on the handle…Handle glued in place
Then it was back to the trays… I cut the second, bottom one, and then clamped up the the top one to take some sizes to cut a panel template…Clamped tray...
Then I simply cut it out. I must be eating my wheaties, because it came out just right, first try…Cardboard Template cut to size
Because I cut them at the same time, this pattern should work for top and bottom, but I checked them to make sure…Checking Template
Once satisfied with the fit, I decided where on the Cherry pieces I wanted, and marked them out…Panels Marked
Pretty bad, huh? Times are so tough, we can only get ITZ crackers…
Then I cut them out and fitted them in…Panels cut & fitted for traysShowing bottom tray
Before I called it a day yesterday, I took a minute to pin the handle…Pinning Handle
So the box itself is all set, ready to start finishing, but I have a little more work left on the trays…
Man, what fun!!! :)
 
#398 ·
Another superb job! Hey Mike, Did David call you a Yankee? Doesn't he realize that's blasphemous in Red Sox Nation? Just kidding David. I realize your reference is to our geographic region.
 
#409 ·
Busy, busy busy...

I haven't been around much lately because I've been, guess what, busy!!
The work on the Cherry and Imbuia box and trays was completed…The Finished Cherry Box... UnfinishedOpenedShowing trays
Now I'm in the middle of applying finish to it… It's slow going, but it's coming along…After first coat of Poly
For a little break in the action, and another chance for fun and adventure, I decided to try out an idea I had a while ago… If anyone recalls, at one point, making all the shaped "Finger Lifts" and Hinges, I thought that it wouldn't be that much of a stretch to make a wooden ring in the same fashion…Yet another idea...a wooden ring
So I gave it a try… Here's some of the last of the cribbing block with the ring drawn on itA Drawn-out idea
This is after drilling the access holes for scroll saw cutting…Holes drilled for Scroll Work
Here's after making the long, side cuts…Side cut made
And, after a whole twenty minutes worth of work, this is what I got…The Result, a Wooden Ring
It still needs a little more filing and sanding, and then of course some finishing, but it didn't come out bad for a first try… :)
 
#410 ·
Rings a bell, Mike. Nice work at conjuring the ring shape out of the block, you sir are a magician.

The box looks good both 'in the white' (unfinished) and with finish applied. Its getting that rich feeling to it now.

Good work mate. Thanks for posting. Keep 'em coming.
 
#420 ·
Sawdust Update...

I went up to the Folk's house once again last week to mow the lawn… but it didn't need it. We've had very little rain and are in the "Dog Days" of summer when the grass slows down anyway…
So, to pass the time, I combed through the wood stashes that are there… It seems I've inherited a pretty large supply of woods (at least for me!).
Aside from the pallet full of cribbing blocks, there are various other piles, like this one which is mostly OakPiles of the stuff...
It's difficult to see, but off in a quiet little corner by itself, is a largish slab of unknown, mystery wood…Mystery Wood
That slab has been in their basement for as long as I can remember!! It had to have been a bench top for a fairly weighty machine… There's an oval cut in it that must have been cut to allow a belt to pass through. It's a substantial piece… I'd guess it's 15-16" across, a bit over 3" in thickness, and almost 6' long. The thing is very heavy!! Around a 100 lbs, I bet… I've yet to take a knife to it and expose some of the grain, but it might be Walnut…
The standing posts with the splits in them were an experiment in hand-hewing that my Dad conducted… about thirty years ago…
Frankly, I'm overwhelmed by it all!! Looking at piles of wood doesn't inspire me as much as having a single board, that I can try to make something out of… With that in mind, I grabbed another cribbing block and re-sawed a piece…Yet another old cribbing blockAfter Re-sawing
Forgive the photo quality!! All I had with me was the cell phone…
I cut that and stopped… The Wood isn't "speaking" to me, other then to say that I definitely need a new Band Saw Blade!! Ah, well…
While I was in the Garage, I remembered Mr. Kollman asking where the boiler was for my Dad's steam engines…
I hope you're out there Bob!!Dad's Small Boiler
It was kind of funny in that, when I turned it to take a shot, small chunks of spent coal and ashes fell out through the grates… Coal… I shoveled a few hundred tons of that over the years… Dad heated the house and the garage with the stuff for about 40 years…The Boiler's Fire-box door
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Anyway, for the latest project, I began work on a very modest level… Scrollgirl/Sheila, and others, had inspired me to go back to my roots, so to speak, and actually use my Scroll Saw for some Scroll work!! I had to go into the Archives…The Archives
I located the small pattern I was looking for…Bee Pattern
I then traced it onto some left-over pieces of Cherry from Ellen's Box…Tracings
Cut the pieces in half and made a bundle out of them all…A swarm of Bees
Then drilled the access holes…After drilling the access holes
Scrolled all the inside cuts on the first set of four…Inside Cuts
Then simply cut around them…First set cutCherry Bees
The intended purpose of these is to make a "Swarm" of Bees Mobile… but I might cut a bird or two to add to them. That way, it will be a "Facts of Life" Mobile… You know, the Birds and the Bees!! :)
 
#434 ·
Sawdust Update...

If anyone remembers, I was working on a mobile project… something about the birds and the bees…
After the bees were cut, came the birds. I went back to an old Spielman book of Scroll Saw patterns for a hummingbird pattern that I liked and had cut a number of times…Old Scroll Work
The pattern wasn't quite proportional to the bees, so with the wonders of modern technology, I shrank it down a little…Shrunk and drawn hummingbird
After stack-cutting, I came up with these…The Birds and the Bees (for a mobile)
And then the work stopped…
My Girlfriend of many years, Debbie, moved in with me and we've been involved in all the details of moving her for the last couple weeks… Needless to say, but there's been very little time for woodworking…
Until Yesterday!! The mobile project is in a holding pattern (it's actually all done, just needs to be finished, and strung up) because I decided to start on another project that I had in mind…
I wanted to make a small, sort of table for the lap-top, so we could surf the internet from the comfort of bed… Of course, it can also be used for eating on, reading, or even paperwork…
To that end, I secured an old drawer bottom and some old maple bed slats that were kicking around…An old drawer bottom...Some old bed slats...
I began by rough cutting the slats overlong and plowing out a dado to hold the drawer bottom with the table saw…Cut slats to frame drawer bottom... overlong
This is somewhat different in that I'm making a frame to fit an existing panel. I'm using finger joints for the connections and the first one is utterly routine… All the others, I had to assemble the thing and mark the joints one by one…Working around the corners... One corner to go...
Anyway, I got the tray made after a couple hours…All framed for ????
I'll be adding two "Stringers", to strengthen that thin drawer bottom… then I'll add some legs… and then I'll have two projects to finish… :)
 
#447 ·
The fun continues...

To begin with, I wanted to Thank Everyone for their kind and warm words, welcoming Debbie to the "Family" here!! Her and I go way back…
We first met in 1977 and saw each other for about a year. We "Re-met" in December 2001 and have been steady ever since… It's only natural for us to live together… Neither of us are half as happy or complete apart, as we are when we are together… :)
I would love to post some "then and now" pix, but we haven't taken any "now" pictures lately… I'm working on that…
Anyway, Thank You!!
And now, back to the "Fun"!!
The latest project is a small table, like a breakfast in bed type of thing, and I had begun by making the top for it…All framed for ????
I wanted to strengthen the top by adding a couple of "stringers". The method for joining was to be through-finger joints… To that end, I began by laying-out the locations…Marking Stretchers
Then, I drilled holes for the Scroll Saw work…Drilling holes for Scroll Saw work
And then it was some Scroll Saw action…Cutting through-mortises for finger joints
As usual, my wood selection provided me with some of the hardest and most difficult cutting!! The Wood is Rock Maple and I went through a half dozen blades cutting these out. They didn't snap or anything, I just plum wore them out!!
But the desired effect was ultimately achieved…Finger Joints all cut...
There was one more step to do before dry-fitting all the parts together… When I milled them, I plowed out the dado on all of the pieces, and now that "Extra" has to be removed off of these stringers. It's a pretty simple matter using the Scroll Saw…Trimming Stringers to width
There is still work to be done on this top. I'm going to use the jointer to clean these up and chamfer all the corners… There's also a decision to be made about which way the panel is to be placed. One side is the finish side, and is about as interesting as last year's bird's nest. The other is, of course, the unfinished… and has knots, and swirling grain, and more… I guess you can see which way I'm leaning towards…
Today, I'm going to start work on the legs… but that will be a story for another day… :)Assembled
 
#458 ·
It ain't Z Z Top...

...But she's got Legs!!
Yesterday was a really good day!! My objective for the day, was to put some legs on this small table I'm building… Of course, I have no clue how to do that correctly, but nonetheless I proceeded…
My vision was to have the legs splay out slightly, not only from side to side, but from front to back. First, I checked visually what angle looked appealing, and determined that a conservative 6° was in order… The number, shall be six…
Began by marking a 6° angle on yet another bed slat…Marking at 6°Marked...
Then I brought the pieces to the Scroll Saw which was also tilted to 6° and cut off two of the legs…Saw Table tilted at 6°
Because of the tilts there are right and left sides to these, so to cut the other two I simply reversed the angle and cut them in the same fashion…Reverse marking... for Right and Left
The height of this table I wanted to be 12", but I added an inch to 13"... I figured, it's purpose is to be used on the bed and the weight of the thing will sink it into the bed somewhat… There's also this, it's a heckuva lot easier to cut them down if they're too long, then it is to make them longer if they're too short!!
Anyway, in short order I had the four legs…Something like this...
The next step was to make a method for mounting these on. I have some carriage bolts kicking around I'd like to use for this… but how do I mount them tilted?
In keeping with my personal "Simple is Best" philosophy, I took a scrap from an old Pine bench top that older Brother Steve gave to me… I tilted the Table Saw blade to the ubiquitous 6°, and cut a thin strip. I then straightened it back up to 90°, and cut another. Table Saw cuts for clamping shims
I then taped these two strips together and cut them to length, in this case 2 3/4"...Cutting Shim-style Clamps to length
The result, is four small "sandwiches" of shim-type clamps that will hold the legs hard and fast to the sides of the top…A small sandwich...Will eventually use carriage bolts to attach legs
At this point I just had to clamp it up and take a look… I even tried sitting on it just to see if it would hold up!! Happily, it did…I already sat on it... just to see...
Well, this bit of work had all gone so well and speedily, that I still had time to give these legs some shaping… I simply drew a curious sort of shape on one of them, cut it out on the Scroll Saw, perfected it a little, and then used that one to mark the other three…Legs cut and sanded
I even managed to get the legs all cleaned up and sanded Yesterday… It was a Splendid Day altogether…
I doubt I'll get a chance to do more Today, but the next step is taking apart the top once again and introducing the pieces to Mr. Jointer… :)Upright
 
#472 ·
Lots, and very little...

I've gotten very little done on the small table I was working on… Upright
But it seems like lots has happened. I woke up a week ago today to the news that there had been a terrific fire over night… and then I saw the address!!! I used to live in this building, here in Manchester…Big Fire last night...
I lived in the second story apartment for almost eight years… The back side of this sprawling old place was where the fire started, we're told it was an electrical problem…Fire on South Main St.
The building was a total loss. Incredibly, no one was hurt, though some people lost their pets… :(
I feel like I lost an old friend, sort of… spent most of the "90's there, good times… and bad…
The following day (last Saturday) I celebrated my 52nd Birthday!! Debbie and some Friends brought me to Rye Beach here in New Hampshire… It was a Glorious Day!! Weather was perfect… Bright sun with a great breeze…Debbie, Louise, and I at Rye Beach September 4, 2010
They even had a cake for me, with Ice Cream!!Cutting the Cake
My Mom gave me a generous gift that put me over the top on buying a washing machine, but I'll spare you the pix of that…
Anyway, lots happening, including the "Day Job", where I've been working extra hours the last few weeks… All I've managed on the small table is cleaning up the parts that comprise the top with the jointer…After cleaning up with the jointer
Then I marked for some rounded cut-outs to lighten up this piece, both literally and figuratively…After marking for round cut-outs
So far, I've only found time to cut one of them out, and to begin to shape it…Only one done...
The good news is, I have a normal work-week this week, and will have a normal week-end after. Maybe I'll get to do some Wood-working… :)
 
#473 ·
Happy Belated Birthday, Mike. Looks like you had a really great time.

Too bad about your old home. We certainly do accumulate lots of memories from the place we've lived and seeing past homes really bring them to life.

Lew
 
#487 ·
Too much Enthusiasm=More Work!!

Simple, Quick, Easy… It seems like I always start projects with these notions! In the event, however, they never turn out that way…
It has been a while, almost two weeks, but the project is still the same, a small table for computer viewing/breakfast in bed. When we last visited this affair it was in this state…Upright
I took apart the top once again, and ran all the pieces over the jointer to clean them up…After cleaning up with the jointer
This was a huge mistake, a real bonehead move, and the worst part is I knew it but went ahead and did it anyway! With all of the joints for the construction already cut, it was no time to start re-sizing the Wood…
Eternal optimist as I am, I continued, with a brave face, to shape the pieces…First long rail finished...Piece Work...
A day (or two) of reckoning was in my future, but I forged ahead through my discouragement, painting the top panel and finally pinning the top of the table together…Painting panel- first coat
Somewhere in there, I also made a trip to the local hardware to pick up some nuts and washers, a can of semi-gloss poly, and a brush. The total cost for this project reached a staggering $11 and some change…The hardware and finish for this small table...
Anyway, after waiting for paint to dry and working a six day week at the day job, I finally bucked it up and paid the price for my enthusiasm with the jointer… The re-sizing had left huge gaps (about 3/16") in the cross support, through-mortises and resulted in the finger joints in the corners to be over-extended by an equal amount. I filled all the gaps, then rasped and filed the corners into shape… The Prayer Desk that I made several years ago answered my prayers, by being an excellent way to clamp the top down for this work… Collectively, it took about four hours…Clamping for corner workClamping for rasp and file workClamped to Prayer Desk for Shaping
The corners went from looking like this…Corner before work...
To looking like this…After work
So at last, after much trepidation, the top was finally achieved!!Finally!! Top achieved...
With that done, I can once again turn my attention back to the legs of this table… but that's a story for another day… :)
 
#505 ·
Time to make it shiny...

With all the trouble I had making the top for this small table, the wrap-up was utterly anti-climatic. I was determined to attach the legs with carriage bolts when the top was completed, and so I did…
First I clamped the legs one by one, along with the "Sandwiches" (and some scraps to protect the piece!) in place and hand drilled a 1/4" hole through the lot of them…Drilling a hole for a carriage bolt
Insert the bolt, tighten the nut over the washer, and these are on there strong enough for me to stand on it!!The "Sandwiches"
There was some final shaping of the legs involved and I took them off one by one and did the work…On my last leg...
I suppose this would be easier with a "Round-over" bit in the router, but I'm too cheap and old fashioned to buy one!! Plus, I didn't want it to be rounded over for the entire length of the legs so what I did was mark it to cut a chamfer on the Scroll saw. The marking was done by the simple expedient of laying a pencil on the flat and dragging the legs by it…Marking for Chamfers
The Chamfer, where necessary, was cut by tilting the Scroll saw table to 45°Chamfers cut on tilted Scroll Saw
Some quick rasp, file, and sandpaper work on each and they were done…
The Table is now in the finishing "department" with two coats of brush-on semi-gloss poly already applied. I'm going to apply one more coat before I retire for the night and see tomorrow if it's in need of any further applications…
You'll see it next in the finished projects. Many thanks to those of you who followed along and commented on this latest adventure!! While I'm finishing it, I'll have to be thinking of what to make next…
Perhaps a Box…? :)
 
#519 ·
Feeling Better!!

I started feeling lousy a little over three weeks ago… woke up one Monday morning with a chill that I just couldn't shake. I don't know if it was a cold, or the flu, or what, but I haven't felt "normal" until this week…
I didn't even have any specific symptoms, and it wasn't a knockdown, drag-'em-out thing either, I just had the blahs… didn't feel like Woodworking… I didn't even feel like hanging out here on LJ's, so you know that I was feeling unwell…
But, sometime last week I wandered into my small shop, and decided to make a little sawdust, to pass the time and make myself feel useful…
Some of you may recall the small side table that I had found and turned into a boxPine, I guess...Ready for Gift Giving
I had a side of the table left-over from the work but because of dadoes and embellishments, and a split in it, it limited me as far as box size…Flip side...Wood Selection
Of course, such limitations never deter me in my quest for fun, and in about an hour, I had the sides delineated…About an hours work
A couple days later, working in fits and starts, I had the box proper made, using some of the sheets of clear plastic Mr. Kollman sent me for panels…Latest Box
In fitting the pieces of this thing together, it seemed to be easier to lift the lid off "Sideways" or the "long" way, because the box isn't all that height/weight proportional… so I decided to hinge it that way… i.e., with one larger hinge.
To that end, I trimmed some stock, in this case Oak…[IMG alt=""Truing" Oak for hinges and clasp"]http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1350/5102968400_3495f56865_z.jpg[/IMG]
Did some drilling for the pin holes…Drilling holes
Then marked some curves with my custom circle maker…Marking Curves for latest hinges...
And finally cut out the pieces on the Scroll Saw…All cut out...
Anyway, here is what I was shooting for…The idea...
It looks kinda like a hair pick, doesn't it?! but it should do the job… :)"In place"
 
#536 ·
Well, not exactly...

No Fun here!! This is all Business!!
Being the resident Handyman (and Box Maker) at the Restaurant, it was inquired of me whether I thought I could make a sort of "Suggestion" box, so the customers could offer up any comments or criticism…
The Requirements are that it has to be wall-hung, that it needs to lock, and that it needs to be large enough to fit a certain sized comment card…
I requested some 3/8" Walnut from the Owner (or any Exotic that caught her eye) and received 3/4" Poplar!!
Well, it's going to be a rugged one!! LOL
I began work yesterday by plowing out a dado for the bottom panel, then started on the many finger joints for the sides…Working on the finger joints...
These went pretty slowly with the 3/4" thickness of the wood…One cut-out of many...
This was as far as I got yesterday, three sides standing…Three Sides Up (with dado already plowed out for bottom panel)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Now Today, I began work on the back of this box. This will be a different arrangement, as I need some "Ears" to screw the box to the wall… There's also this, the Poplar Board she had bought, was 3/4" X 12" (or 11 1/2" or some such) so the board is much wider than the necessary height…
Not a problem!! This will give me a perfect place to add some lettering!!
First I had to do a mock-up of the word "Comments" to see if it'll fit proper…[IMG alt="The "Comments" work-up"]http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1272/5185602900_5931ddd001_z.jpg[/IMG]
I'll transfer this onto that thin strip of Mahogany… After finishing, the Mahogany should stand out well from the much lighter Poplar…
Then it was back to jointing… Here is with one corner left to go…One joint left to cut
And here is with all four sides up, and the Mahogany marked…Sides up, lettering marked
The piece in front of the box will be the lid, and is the continuation of the front, i.e. the wide board is "folded" to cover both front and top… The lid will be simply hinged by pins in the rear corners…
Here's one final pic, of the sides laid flat to expose the finger joints, and the curious arrangement of the back…The sides layed out flat
There's much more fun…er, excuse me, serious work still to do but it's coming along… :)
 
#553 ·
Many Steps...

Sides up, lettering marked
This morning, I began fitting and hinging the lid.
I cut it to length, inverted it, and put the box atop it… then drilled the holes for the hinge pins, re-sized the holes in the lid, and tapped in the pins.
After that, I planed the lid semi-round so it turns freely…Planing the lid
It was so enjoyable I went and planed everything!!Lid cut to fit and hingedLid raised
Somewhere in there today, I made a template for the bottom panel. I then cut the panel… this time, some 1/4" Blue Plastic…Template made, bottom panel cut & fitted
Before I closed down for the day, I also cut the "Ears" and high back to the desired shape, and rounded them over as well…[IMG alt="Top of back and "ears" shaped and rounded over"]http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4110/5188006752_61ef36d322_z.jpg[/IMG]
Looking at it tonight, I couldn't help but think that it would make a nice seat… for someone who is very, very small…
I also wanted to thank everyone for their comments and suggestions yesterday!!! I'll be sure to let the boss know how to find her way here!! :)
 
#554 ·
way cool mike
you just keep
innovating
and having fun too !

this is coming out great

boss should be happy

now if we can get 22,638 LJ's
to comment that the food there
is the best in the state

you should get that raise
maybe buy a new pair of shoes

to get to work lol
 
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