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#1 ·
Making a saw handle PART 1

I thought it might be an interesting idea to make Exercises in Artisanship a blog series! I want to thank the interest in the initial blog of the series title http://lumberjocks.com/jjw5858/blog/29038, glad some of you enjoyed it. Special thanks to Brit (Andy) for the kind props.

This time I went back to the drawing board…literally…lol. I Sketched through a few more ideas to make a final useable handle that will be executed in a slab of maple.

I spent time enjoying the experience for part one and found that I learned so much more by really getting in touch with the tools…and seeing how to make the best use of their versatility.

I hope this step by step process will encourage others to find something you want to make….and allow you to stop and take the time. Exercises in Artisanship for me…....is a learning process all about taking shorter shop sessions but greatly increasing their meaning, enjoyment and quality of craftsmenship.

My hobby in woodwork became rushed, overzealous and greedy for ALWAYS wanting more…..more builds….more tools…....more…more…...and it started to become NOT VERY FUN!....lol The satisfaction levels for my own appreciation of what I challenged myself to try and make were dropping quick.

I think at times it is very human to want to get a gold star from our family, friends and peers. But sometimes in doing so….it can be as rewarding as running in circles…lol

To the hobbiest wood worker….enjoy it as much as you can….I am beginning to. This is a
hobby that can get out of control if you let it…...lol

Ahhhhh….a shop view..this is why we are all rushing…to work with the trees! But let the trees help us to slow down…wonderful way to get started taking a moment and viewing it….



For this project I picked a more layed back sketch….although I truely enjoyed and was very happy with my pine prototype handle…..I went for something a little less busy. The prototype handle can be viewed here: http://lumberjocks.com/projects/63498

Here's the three layouts and I have enough maple to try them all if I like.


Picked this one and got the design over to some tracing paper.


Slab OOOOO Maple…lol. Traced my design to the board and carried on.


Getting the lines for the holes layed out using my square and knife.


I measured from the top down and recorded their approximate target point for the drill


Flipped over and made sure to record the measures from the same faced side so the holes will line up as good as we can get….for handtools and no drill press….lol (Note: I also made sure to knife notch the ends of my reference lines….to help me connect the lines more accurately over to the other faces…this worked wonders doing so that way.)


Ok ..lets break out the square and eggbeater drill….had this drill and used to play with it as a kid..wow….30 plus years later…who knew?...lol Square as we can….drill halfway down. Flip and more of the same. Later I will use a brace for making the hole diameter larger with a few more drill bit sizes until I achieve the correct size.


An awesome purchase. A friendly guy at an auction sold me this hand counter bore for a buck….and I use it more than I ever thought…lol


Oh dam….I guess I have to use this lovely little Disston D-23 for relief cuts around the sketch….first auction table on a Saturday afternoon…got this pretty dirty and dull….for 3 bucks!.......Sharpened it, waxed, cleaned…and yeeeee haw too much fun to saw with!



I find that candle wax scoots this through a kerf…of course there are all kinds of grease etc for using. This is a great forearm building exercise…and also …bend your knees!..lol This message is brought to you by absorbine junior…lol


Such a ham that D-23..lol But I decided to cut down my plank as I need to get more up close and personal with the task at hand for a combo of relief and cope cuts.


There are of course a few ways to achieve this…I decided to try this method.



Love using the smaller saws…come in great use for jobs like this.


I tend to point the cope blade in an upward position as I saw…leaves some fat above my pencil lines…so I can have room with rasp, files, etc.


Ok….some harder work on this begining portion…broke an older cope saw blade….got a decent workout…but now….we have our rough blank for the next set of maneuvers.


Next blog we will get this handle cope sawed out and do some filing and shapeing.

Hope this was enjoyable…hey, if nothing else you might have at least seen some cool old handtools…..lol!

Be well friends and enjoy your work!

Joe
 
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18
#2 ·
Joe, Glad to hear you are making this blog, good read and cool tools! Love the hand counter bore.

I'm guessing your going to shape the handle portion then cut the cheeks out?
 
#4 ·
Hey Tim, thanks for the comments. Yes It seemed to go ok on my first try doing it that way. This is only my second time making a saw handle so I am sure some things to learn along the way. Take care.
 
#10 ·
Making a saw handle PART 2

Hey friends, thank you for taking the time to read part one of this blog series, I hope you may enjoy the second installment of this series as well.

This process has been as I expected more of a challenge in Maple…lol. But I realized it provided me the chance to have a stronger handle and learn more about how to work with this particular species.

My entire working process has in many ways changed in the last few weeks. For one thing I now find it more focusing to stop after a new portion of the task and snap a picture of it. In some ways it is almost like making a mental picture as well as a physical one of what I have done….and still have yet to do on the project.

This also provides me to stretch a little and even cool down if I find myself getting into some old habits of becoming impatient or even dissapointed with the current state of the projects status.

An example of this may go something like:

Ahhhh…...be the maple…see the maple…...or…ya know….the old way…this dam thing...lol

HAA….Too funny….I am sure we have all had this happen…..lol

Believe me gang….I still go over to the bench..and the creative addiction starts easily…..oh I want to build a this…..or a that…..I still have to remmind myself…..AFTER!.......LOL

I was one of those people with 2-3 projects going on all over the place…lol.

The best part of this ongoing exercise are the rewards in satisfaction and increased appreciation for the ability and time to explore this hobby.

So….if you want to…let's take a look….I am sure I have some more cool handtools somewhere….lol

After cutting the blank out, before I moved onto cope sawing the handle hole I wanted to see how this maple would rasp. I made a pencil reference line to show my thinking and use….I used my rasp on one side of the wood so not to have any tear out on the opposing side. I used a skewing action and a push stroke to work with the wood and not bullnose it…otherwise it's hello tear out city….lol. Also depending on the curvature of the wood layout….I would switch rasp faces from flat to rounded as needed.



In certain sections I followed up with my rats tail which is so handy….especially when I have to go and draw all this fancy stuff…..geezzz these fancy wood guys….I tell ya….lmao.



Also if you get into a corner…a little help from my pfiel chisels….and we can pare out hard to reach areas for cleaning up our work.



Ok I drilled a hole with my brace and now comes the fun….lol…...not reallly. Snaking the unhooked cope saw configuration through a small drilled hole and reattaching it…to finally create a hole the size of this one. It's a challenge….with hole already made (sorry I got ahead of my camera..lol)....here are a few shots of how I cinched it in my vice and went about my adventure. Again….wax…grease…etc. is a friend for your blades performance doing this.


This in the beginning of the job broke an old cope blade….but this new blade did the job with much greater bite.



Same idea now with the rasp and working the inside of our handle. Going slowly and accurately….I found that I had been making a big mistake by pushing and almost cave manning these tools to perform. Big lesson here for me…..and possibly for others as well, to achieve even a hint of craftmenship work with the media..not at it or against it. I was surprised at how much easier and actually even faster things were forming and making sense as I practiced this better approach. I used all of my insitincts…....and let the maple guide me through its grain.


Ahhhh a small map unfolds….the picture is slowly coming together now…..



I began to sight down and see where all of the other faces needed to be tended to. The work is now gone from our paper in two dimensions to three dimensions…...although it's a good amount rough still..lol


Never leave home without your trusty pocket knife…lol I used this knife to begin relieving the areas I wanted to shape and contour.

Again some use of the pfiels were a huge help.

Little by little we are beginning to see its progress.


Now to kerf down our handle so the blade will slip in it's position nice and easy….hahahaha….I really make that sound so easy….lol….IF ONLY IT WAS FRIENDS…..LOL I used my grandfathers wood gauge here on this. I eyed for it's center by making a mark on one side, then take it to the other side to see if I meet at center….I keep on adjusting until both sides give me as center as possible…then run her down and gauge it!

For me…always use your chisel to make a saw trench for ripping this kerf down. I have done little to none of this ripping on such thin stock…so….I just took my time…and rode that kerf flipping from side to side in my vice. At this point you may need a musical moment…if so check out my disston saw guitar jam on this link here and take a moment to rock out (scoot to the bottom for the video) http://lumberjocks.com/jjw5858/blog/28872 ....all this wood business gets to serious!.....lol




Once you get into the groove or kerf..lol…..it becomes fun and not so scary. But keep in mind….for cinching up in the vice….or even rough work with any pressure….you now have a handle that in its front has thin sides and a
loss of strength….so I go easy. I also love how the whole sound changes…you hear a slight acoustic pitch difference…working wood is fascinating.


More filing with the various tools and more learning as I go.



Now we have another stage complete. I used a lot of feel, sound and instinct on this..very important for me to really connect with the specific piece no matter if it be this or a new plan for a cabinet.


Ok now I have to make a cut out for the top portion of my backsaw blade so the back thickness will fit in a larger cavity in my handles kerf. Then more shaping and configuring…..more to do indeed….stay tuned!

Be well and thanks for taking the time.

Joe
 
#19 ·
Making a saw handle PART 3

Hi once again friends hope this Monday has been treating you well. I thought it might be time to add my third installment of my latest blog and project "Making a saw handle" and I hope you have all enjoyed this mini-series as much as I have in building and posting the progress.

As I have gone on with this build some mistakes were made. I expected greater miscues than I got keeping in mind this is only a first full out attempt at making, fitting and using a handsaw handle…so I kept my chin up and learned more for the next time.

The steps and the way I did them….haaaaa, I really cannot say this is the proper way to do so….it was just the path that I found to try…and all in all I was impressed by taking the jumps that I have and putting the extra time in provided very satisfying results for having no real instruction on this craft.

I do thank all of you for your input and great advice.

Let's take a look and see what choices I made in moving ahead.

Pic 1: First…..a great way to start, a vision from my workbench…...always important to tune ourselves up…..just as the planes, saws, etc. I have come to realize….hey I need to warm up and get myself ready as well to work in the best effort and process that I can.



Pic 2-3: I needed to relieve a wider area for the top of my backsaw to fit into…...now the error here was this width is a little too wide….but I have used the saw with the handle assembled…..the good news….not that bad…but the next time I know to take a little more care on this width, also Andy (Brit) had some helpful advice on the kerfs overall width….it is not too bad…but it could have been a splinter thinner….great wisdom for me to take notes for if I repeat this project again in the future! Thank's Andy.





Pic 4-6: I approached this situation like a mortice….I did this much better than I thought I would have even with the width miscaculation….slow moves and letting the grain direct me…..it was tedious and very fun all in one go…lol I also set my cut lines off the center…trying to actually center it's width more on center of the entire handles width….haaa…somehow that made sense I hope…lol







Pic 7-8: After a bit of maple surgery….haaaa and it felt like it. I made some alterations to the design…and glad that I did. I wanted just a little extra energy to the front portion of this piece, so I penciled on…took some looks…erased….gave it a few different tries…than I saw the lines I really liked and coped them out!




Pic 9-11: Sand paper is a good friend here, it's bendable unlike files and easier to get those tough dips and turns worked out.







Pic 11: I ran over the handle trying to feel for spots that needed more working, the whole process was keeping me more aware…I tried to keep in mind the historic craftspeople…using instincts..the basic fundamentals to achieve an impressive output. These were simplistic extra efforts that were not being used by me, the very reason I began to change old routines. These shorter and more spirited shop sessions found me the fun of woowork again and not the empty approach of ..how many projects can I do!!!???….that campaign can leave you feeling unfulfilled.

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Pic 12-13: Chip carving is an art all on it's own, one that I would love to learn and train more with.
The little ways I have gained I use, so after a little pencil sketch I preceeded to take knife to maple and go slow and steady! After I used a mini file to get into the cuts and clean them up a little.





Pic 14: A nice sanding, smoothing, checking, and we are finally getting on our way to a finished piece!



Stay tuned friends if you have enjoyed this series, with some staining and lttle last minute touch ups I hope to share this finished PROJECT.....LOL. So I hope to have that as a finale to this series portion.

Thanks so much for your inspiring comments and projects, be well friends!

Joe
 
#30 ·
New designs, challenges and styles to find!

Hey friends, hope all is well. Thought I would post the latest shop endeavour….making a new handle design with this maple stock!

Not sure if everyone caught the final to the last handle project so here is the link for that: http://lumberjocks.com/projects/64100

My objective for the first project was to stay conservative while still taking some chances. As I finished the project I was very happy with the outcome and still honest with myself about what I can improve on in the future.

Overall I figure that to go and copy a Disston pattern or another classic handle template takes extreme ability and I hold high regard for that…..but in the end…..those companies did that already….and very well indeed….lol. So taking lessons from my guitar teaching past experiences, I would often stress to my students….learn from the greats….but at some point you must find your own style! So that was and is my thinking as getting to the sketch pad and finding my own way!

The session really got started off in a jazz like fashion….just letting the lines and ideas flow. As I went on I began seeing it piece together, instincts along with carefully executed risks and rewards.

Let the pictures…begin!....lol

A view on the path to my shop…wonderful. For me I have to see, breath and be in touch with nature and I am very thankful for it.


The new design…..I wanted something different!!

I got away from old habits of nursing my files for chamfering angles on the outside and inside edges…...and finally put new skills to work by firing up my chisels! Once I got in the groove it was a very enjoyable experience.

A recessed area for my southpaw pointer…..why not!.....lol

More dimensions for this build….I wanted to blend carving, shaping and layers….I learn as I go!


So far a lot of learning….and a lot left to do!

I have now reached a 2 year anniversary of doing woodwork…......it has really been amazing. Before that at 38 years of age if you told me I would be able to nail two boards together correctly…I would have said…....nah….lol…..that's not my thing. here I am at 41…well…..a month away yet…lol…...and have discovered all of this!

I was just someone who always loved the woods…and loved to see everyone else making things with wood.

One night about….2 years ago…lol I saw this show…...something that was a complete blast from the past….I said….haaaaaaa oh man..I remember this guy although had no interest and never really watched the program…..it was the Woodright Shop. I tell ya….I saw this with new eyes….and people….the woodwork bug was full on!.....lol

From going to nothing at all…..to being floored, honored and humbled by that very great teacher once replying to me…....

"Your work is really fine. All your work is really creative yet seems to tap into classic, whimsical visual rhythms."
Roy Underhill

The more I do the more I entirely respect those great craftspeople that handcrafted these handles, totes…etc. Just amazing skill and talent.

The best way to sum it all up….take a little from all the artisans, machinests, people you admire…..even outside of woodworking…then add a touch of what they alll give you…in spirit and inspiration…..and you have…............your own style!

Thanks for your great styles friends
Stop by again & great shavings,

Joe
 
#37 ·
Handles, auctions, and progress

Well folks a little more progress slowly coming into form on the maple handle design.

Once more continuing to go about my shop efforts in a relaxed yet challenging pace. Shorter creative bursts giving forth an hour here or even a half hour there. I seem to leave the shop more satisfied knowing a more quality effort is being put into it all. The learning is actually becoming more than the old 3 hours straight and making various things with a mind almost in total fast forward mode with tools and shavings flying about…and a few more saltier words uttered than should be…...lol. Ok you got me….saltier words….YELLED...lol

I have found myself become more open to the various views shared on the site. This is a passionate hobby and readiing more forms, blogs etc. I may say that I understand more sides of the complaints certain LJ ers make that feel upset with misplaced projects, requirements not being met for actual projects, etc.

It is getting almost comical to place a project up on the site, something that so many take a great amount of time on….and …...wait about 2 hours and the same project is about a page or 2 burried already….lmao.

I guess it is geting crowded everywhere these days….lol!

The good side of this is..many people are enjoying the hobby…and that is great.

Something even more great is this old cool brace…out of an old farmers barn!
This old dog still can bore some holes, not as steady anymore but for me..the looks…..ahhh wonderful!



It's these old tools…of the various trades that so many have forgotten. I at 40 years of age look at these glorious time pieces…I can never help but think ….What happened?......lmao

Got chatting with a nice older gentleman at his auction table this weekend…..had these and about 4 more sitting collapsed almost in a shameful heap…....he exclaimed "My father was a carpenter, these were all his" he seemed rather uninterested in making that statement with pride more than in his own expression and tone hinting to me….that he was not very close with his father. He asked if I was interested….I love the smaller saws….and…some of these…looked not so 1953-55…....lol. He wanted 15 bucks for the whole deal…....I said…well…..I like these two….they were straight blades….for the their time…sharp with full teeth…..8 bucks? "Ok" he said. "Would you do all of them for 10?" he asked. JOE SAID…......HELLLLL YEAH!.......LMAO

7 saws…..10 bucks for a $1.43 per saw….I WAS LOVVVVIN THAT!


Cut to the action…got the badges cleaned up a bit…I was like….oh boy!

From what I could find…..I beleive these 2 of the bunch date 1896-1917? Andy?? (Brit) .....paging Andy saw doctor collector extrodinare!...lol. For any unaware….Brit is the sawman! check his great work out and you will get some wonderful education on these kind of things! You can find his works/blogs etc. here: http://lumberjocks.com/Brit


So a very nice find indeed….to boot these cut pretty well with a lot of TLC yet to be conducted. The blades are not too out of line and for the mere steal….they are just cool to have hanging in my shop.

I see these great lines…the craftsmenship….the detail It makes me work harder, to want to earn the curves of my design….to tame the maple and meet its challenges, the grain, the tear outs, the feeling of making something with your hands. Whenever I get an old handtool….I must try to use it….it is my own way of re-introducing it back to what it was originally created to do in the first place.

We must make use of our machines without a doubt, in the real world…. time is money,.....but to achieve the art and build the skills by hand…..it is something that truley strips you of any help or outside advantage other than the very instincts and craft that lives within ones mind and body.

Here are some updates of the handle work.

These awesome pfiel chisels…..these are great tools to learn with.



Gradually the shapes are getting there….I want things to begin to flow more as I continue on.




As always more work to be done, more learning to take place as well.

I hope all of your work is going well friends, I really enjoy hearing from those certain LJers that really enjoy these kind of blogs. I thank you for sharing your enthusiasum and knowledge!

Take care and be well!

Joe
 
#45 ·
Handle finale!

Hey gang hope this week is treating you well so far,,,hey you usually know by Wednesday….lol

Finally got some more time out in the shop to learn more ins and outs of this handle build.

As I finished this piece up I was happy that I went my own path….that I used a road less traveled in the design and approach to this project. Wether it is enjoyed by some or maybe even upsetting to some traditionalists or collectors….I think it's great to stretch out the wings of possibility and try something new.

What I did not want to do is make the traditional templated and expected handle, I figured this experimental process would allow me room to improvise and even put myself in a few painted corners…lol…..and of course at times…..it was close to just that..lol!

I learned a lot more about chisels….holding them and performing very tight and tedious moves.

Most of all which is so important in any craft, be that a hobby or professional is that I learned more about myself. The challenges in each exercise if they provide that kind of enlightment…..what a wonderful double shot of good things…..a woodwork finished project…..and some self understanding.

Heres some of the pics!!..................

Pic 1: Got down to the work of developing a new chip carving pattern and having a go at that.



Pic 2: Used a shoulder plane to angle my chamfers down old school style….to give the look and feel of some classical apporach to my different design work.


Pic 3: Was proud of the ripping of this kerf…and the results were better than my last saw handle blade fit.


Pic 4-5: This time used a lighter Danish oil finish..some Watco Medium walnut.




Really very pleased with the pair of homemade and handmades.



SEE THE MAIN PROJECT LINK HERE FOR THE FINISHED PHOTOSHOOT….LOL


http://lumberjocks.com/projects/64796

In closing, this portion of the Exercises in Artisanship was eye opening and enjoyable, challenging and engaging.

I am thankful for anyone who has enjoyed these past sessions. I am also greatful to the spirited comments, advice and inspiration of all of you out there in LJ'S LAND!.....LOL

Enjoy every shaving!

All the best,
Joe
 
#54 ·
Hidden handtool treasures

I hope this particular blog may reach a beginning woodworker no matter what age…..we can always learn something more as we go through life. I really find that to spread the word and share some of the found history of handtools and their various crafts they help perform is a truly worthwhile campaign.

I also am thrilled to see many machine woodworkers becoming more interested in the artform of handwork, it's wonderful to share each skill electric and unplugged and learn from one another. This process of sharing ideas with various handtools and machines is what I think that woodworking really should be all about, no right or wrong way…just the particular tools that work for you and make sense for your style of building.

As long as we are continusly sharing, exploring and getting new people invloved in woodcraft especially the young generation we help to preserve a time of crafstmenship long past…..with skills that are truely timeless yet indeed needed for new generations to be challenged by and educated with.

Every time I walk into a big box store I am sadly reminded of the little to actually no value that these stores handtools have….plastic handles and a rather sad 2 year lifetime at best workability…..sort of a fastfood section for the do it yourselfer that grunts at the thought of encountering the task of hand work at all…..and so our fast paced lifestyle marketeers attempt to tame our addiction for instant gratification by presenting us with cheap junk which only supports a new woodworkers total distaste for ever having to work by hand and instinct at all…lol

Yes cheap tools have a way of doing that…lol

It's vital for our younger and new woodworkers to be encouraged with the wonderment, the pride and history of what these various tools are capable of. I am totally a beginner in my own right, I have never had an apprenticeship, teaching…..hell, I never took woodshop….lol. For me….and I speak from a hobbiest position only I like many were lucky to see the woodrights shop, see things on youtube and the internet.

My fear is that will we at some point get so far teched out and press button happy that we turn our backs on the masters of the past and their tools and tales of how they made it all? I really hope we do not, it is so important to honor these people and not lose sight of just how far we have come but sometimes I am not so convinced we have really gained much??.....lol

So with all that said…or written…lol, I was at an auction this morning….funny so many of my blogs start this way as I am sure many of you have caught on….lol

Me and my Dad were looking for some rusty handtool gold and after a run through the aisles he kept on saying…."you should go back and look at that saw box"...lol. So we did….we went back, I took a brief look at what I could see in it…..the saws looked pretty well used but not in the worst of shape….a brace, a nice many bits…20 dollars and everything in it goes….SOLD....LOL

So lets have some fun and take a look at what's in the box!

Old this piece was indeed, dovetailed joinery with hinges and some cracked wood on the back thats in desparate need of repair. But the big kid in me felt like I had a pack of baseball cards just waiting to see what I would pull out of all this historical carpentry…..20 dollars was worth the price of admission…and much more as you will see!



















Nothing beats finding old carpenters tools…..these saws are a mix of early Phillis and Superiors although worn and very used are dam sharp and ready to task right now…..amazing.

The brace works fine and the yankee screwdriver and the bits are in great shape as well.
For the 20 dollars this is a very reasonable tool kit with some TLC and cleaning a very nice fixture for my oldschool shop.

This is from a time past, but if you allow yourself the thoughts and questions of… who, what and where…...it's really amazing.

So all this handtool stuff…great, ya know whats better? I found this with my Dad and he was more of a kid than I am in his excitement to know…..what's in this box?...lol

As displayed there are some good many cleanups to do with these tools…..I know he will enjoy doing them with me. You cannot get that in a store or win it on ebay, how great these old tools are providing me and my father a chance to spend a sunday morning having a great ole time just learning from the past….while so much enjoying the present. That by far….is something to really treasure!

Have fun friends, don't rush too much, and remember to laugh more.

Be well!

Joe
 
#62 ·
Creating a sawtill with what ya got! PART 1

This series of Exercises in Artisanship is all about making the best with what you have. With a small budget and the challenges of some lower grade box store pine I hope you will join me for the twists…...the cups…..the thrills…..the curse words…..lmao.

Somewhere Charles Neil is going…....told ya!......lol

No really friends all jokes aside….it's sometimes fun to learn to make do with what we have and try to make lemons from lemonade.

In this ongoing process I firmly believe it builds skills to learn how to deal with wood that is not as pleasantly strong or straight as we all would want to work with.

So as my ideas began to take to my sketchpad I wanted to try to build a humble home for all of these nice 50's Disstons I had acquired from many a weekend auction dig…lol

My ideas soared taking a humble almost rustic look and began blending it with a sort of country galootish woodwork theme.

This is the very beginning of a long journey…..so just a few baby steps to show for this installment…...let's take a look and see what I have been tinkering with!.......

Pic 1: Ok heres a quick computer illustration of my basic idea so this at least gives some sort of map to what my ideas are as I go.


Pic 2: Laying out my line….for me this is entirely a non templated approach…....I do various pencil lines and sort of sketch what my eye likes…...for me…..I know when I catch the right curve so I tighten up the pencils and my first piece will later become my second pieces template.


Pic 3-4: Get out the ole spokeshaving and rough some of these areas out a little…....this stage is more sculpture for visual foundation than clean and pretty finished work…that is if all goes well,,,then the finishing should be next year…lol…....jk…..hopefully in the upcoming weeks…lol





Pic 5: With this roughed out I will now use this as my template for the second side!


Pic 6: A cope sawing we will go again so we have the two sides.


Pic 7: Cleaning up the edges with my southpaw poplar shooting board and this really nice #5 I got for 23 bucks!! (With Shipping!..lmao).....restored it a bit, cleaned the handles and totes…and got her on the diamond stones…..tellin' ya friends….get those diamonds…..this thing makes nice work of shooting some edges! Wow….....poor photo shooting on my behalf…forgot the nice thin shavings pic….whoooops…..later blog!...lol



Pic 8: If you make one jig …....and we all know somehow us wood freaks make nothing short of 25-50 of them…..lol…..you have to make this dovetail deal…the great Paul Sellers shows this in his new woodworking course…..and it is amazing!

Nuthin fancy….and it's a wonderful jig.



Pic 9-11: I am sure this is hard to view….lol…..this cheap box store pine…..with some cupped elements to add to the pleasure of making 90 degrees seem rather fantasy…......but I needed the practice…and I have to make the best of what I have and also made the arrangements to scrap the tails and subtract the 3/4 if need be. Slowly and greatly patient goes the process…..keepng in mind my dovetail experience is green horn at very best…lol





Ok…..this is where my portion of the slideshow ends for now. The experience has been really fun and fairly easy so far but I know with given time will become more challenging. I love that I took my foot off the brakes and just pushed at some elements of joinery that I have little experience in as of yet and will earn some stripes for the journey.

Woodwork is so much like learning the guitar…..you never will get it all in your lifetime….I say that with amazment and wonderment…and get enthusiastic knowing this true fact rather then feel saddened, frustrated or dissapointed.

I am as human as the next person…and although there are times we all….see the various master works of any craft…and go…."oh man….I should pack it up"....lol, I see more as I get older the absolute opportunity to learn more and enjoy the entire process of something I love.

"To long for the technical majesty of great masters and achieve a fraction of there given skills is a worthy effort as long as you live everyday with the hungar of a beginning student."

Be well friends and thanks for letting me share with you.

Cheers,
Joe
 
#63 ·
Cool saw till. About the dovetail jig, what is the ratio?

I too have found that for as much as I think I've learned I really don't know anything. I have come to the conclusion that it takes more skill than I currently have to use hand tools. I realize now how spoiled I've become by using power tools. Don't get me wrong, I'm not getting rid of my power tools any time soon. I'm just saying that by starting off with power tools I feel that I have somehow missed out on the true spirit of working with wood. I'm trying to change that.
 
#69 ·
Creating a saw till with what ya got! PART 2

Hey friends, hope this weekend is being enjoyed by everyone. Moving on through this project with some learning and shavings I have another installment of where I am on the map with this saw till.

I have watched and kept aware of this cheaper pines cupping and twisting as best as possible. I really wanted this thickness to remain on the boards so I sacrificed planing down in the various directions and trueing it down to smaller than desired width. I actually did at first give it a few sweeps with my jack plane just to see how it would take but quickly figured to make do with it and test the rough and bit of wavey waters ahead.

Pic 1: For checking how the saws will sit I put one against the board to check the angle. You may notice in the bottom right corner my penciled 1×2 mortice layout as well to see where the handles will rest to get an approximate height for their sitting.


Pic 2-3: Then layed out the lap areas to be removed for my 3 back pieces to get settled into. My new handsaw handle felt great using to make relief cuts preparing for them to be ultimatley copesawed.




Pic 4-5: Here's the cope sawing followed up by a 1 inch chisel for cleaning up the top. Once more the shaprness I recieve from the use of the diamond stones makes this portion of the exercise a real joy. I used to make these chisels work with an older craftsmen stone….I thought they were sharp….ahhh….....not really…lol.
The results now in using these currently sharpened blades is like night and day. The work is really very enjoyable and elevates the the jobs safety….for beginners keep in mind ...a dull blade equals more strength and pushing force….which can equal accidents in the wood…and more imortantly your limbs.



Pic 6: Ok …we have 3 areas each ready for my 3 back pieces to fit into later on.

Pic 7: Ahhhh time for a little trimming up the front of each piece…then checking to make sure each measurement is of even widths…...I got a little out of order here….but no fuss, I made things work out.

Pic 8: This friends…..is what it's alllll about!.....lol. PINE SHAVINGS….wonderful way to spend an afternoon…in my case a rainy one…even better!

Pic 9: If you want a strong, solid and great feeling combo hammer …this vaughn I purchased at lowes…is wonderful for mallet work…..Honestly I would not go back to a wood mallet, this one has great touch especially for getting to work on this lightweighted pine…easy it goes. I use the yellow hard plastic for the malleting of chisels….and the red rubber side ….works great for putting the puzzle together. Here I want to say…there are SOME good hand tools at the big box stores….thank the wood gods…..lol


Pic 10: This process was one truley needed….to get the feel of working the chisels and performing the tail work. I found the work once more very rythmic and enjoyable. The main ingredient is to keep your tempo…..your creativity and focus. Joinery in general is in my opinion not for an angry or rushed person…..because it will really show in your attempts or just plain end the chances for it to be at all by having a broken piece or part….lol.


Pic 11: So here's a very rough mock up of the carcass work. Everything for me is shaping up darn close to what was drawn…...my vision that was in my mind….went to paper….and is now beginning to take shape in three dimensions!



So much more work to be done…......making the mortices for the saws to rest on the bar…the kerfing beams for the saws to snap into…..clean up with chisels/planes…..sandpaper….ways to go yet.

Hope you enjoyed the steps of the journey so far.

Thanks for taking the time and interest.

Be well,

Joe
 
#75 ·
Creating a saw till with what ya got! PART 3

Hi friends here we are again back in the shop and making and marking up the next to do's for this saw till project I have been working on. This project is just what is needed for my fast growing collection of handsaws as you will see…..lol.

This is a piece that has brought some more expansion in the learning of joinery, and getting a chance to exercise some new lessons learned.

Pic 1-2: I needed to make a pair 1×2 mortice's on each side for my rail to joint into the tills sides to support my handsaws by their handles. I used my normal cabinet chisels and vaughn mallet on this soft pine…but it is so crucial to use a sharp knife in concert with a solid square to score the pencil lines. I used some scrap 1×2 to test..and chisel…test and chisel until I achieved a snug fit. This task was enjoyable…and I was very happy with the fit.





Pic 3: Then the infantry of old handsaws arrives once I have the cross bar jointed into the fresh mortices. Very nice support and hold for this mock up test….and just as planned I will be able to fit a nice number of favorites, users and just cool ones I like to tinker with…lol. Something about all those wooden handles displaying there years and various shades of history….funny, but to me it's always an inspiring vision to see nice old tools of any trade assembled in a uniform and spirited manner….makes ya just want to build stuff!..lol



Pic 4-7: Now onto what I will call…..the kerfing bars…..the places where the top of the blades can rest into while sitting inside this till.



I pace my dividers to get the marking points as to where the kerfs will be and how far they will be spaced.

Then I get an approximate depth to kerf down to…going too far will ruin the strength and honestly is not needed…so I stay conservative and this works just fine.

Some sand paper to account for some saws having a larger set of tooth…not enough width of this kerf and the saw will not easily lay into the kerf bar at all.

Looks like it's a go for further work!


Pic 8: Time to tend to these 3 back pieces that will lap joint to hold the sides together….the old Millers Falls brace can make for an easy job drilling the holes for the connections to the laps. Here I also make the holes for when I place the kerfing bars in there specific designed areas later in the build.

Pic 9-11: Heres an old school way of getting the connections….a counter bore, phillips head and irish spring soap for making the job a little easier to encounter the boring into the pinewood.

Counter boring these by hand is a great forearm exercise…lol….a little more here and there…a little rest break…..and your arms get a nice pump of blood flowing.

Then starting in on sending these phillips head screws home for a nice tight fit. With handtools you get to build things and workout..lmao.


Pic 12-14: Ok gang…so here are the attached back pieces for better or worse with some cups and twists, lol…..but holding strong.

The front section with long and short kerf bars for the specific sized saws.

Hey look….a lonely old saw making an appearance for this mock up pic….fitting snug and secure in its new shelter…lol


Pic 15: Now the process begins of cleaning up the tails, laps, and carcass. I have one more idea on the table and sketchpad as I type…something that I think will add some nice extra touch to this piece besides some staining. So….let me stop here and hopefully soon I will have another idea to exercise on this pine saw till!

Hope this inpires some new ideas of your own or just plain makes you want to get out in the shop and have some fun!

Be well friends and thanks for stopping by!

Joe

 
#88 ·
Creating a saw till with what ya got! PART 4

Good evening once more friends. Here is another installment of this saw till project build I have been having a fun time experimenting with.

This till has been prepared for the task of holding my various saws for the last week or more….....but I wanted to take some additional time on this and try some creative ideas.

I felt this was a nice opportunity to take aim at showcasing various skills and add them to this project to make it extra special as well as different from the rest.

I feel my work can only grow with taking some risks and challenging myself at first time attempts, so this was another situation where I gave that a whirl…..or a spin on the lathe…..lol

Pic 1: I thought it might be fun to add a twist of some cool side pieces with interesting curves so this till is attractive from the sides…or at least interesting to draw your eye to it. I bought some 1/4 inch pine craftboard and had some ideas sketched to have a go at it.



Pic 2-4: From pencil trace to cope saw….spokeshave to file for side chamfers…..these sides pieces were taking shape and fun to create!







Pic 5: I jogged the two pieces once both created….then cope sawed the difference in wood fat…lol. This worked well for getting them in line with one another.



Pic 6-7: Got my bruiser of a rats tail….to help rasp down the roundness to my desired look. Followed up with some sand paper to get everything feeling in tune and smoothe.





Pic 8: Now I traced on the wheat carving design onto each side piece….this would make for some nice chip carving later and added a little handsaw spirit to the whole tills look.



Pic 9-11: I was looking to try 3 smaller spindels that would be ornamentation for the back of the till. I cut some poplar dowel to desired size..then got my nail to make relief areas for the lathes centers.

I then added a bump of wax to make the piece turn without too much effort.







Pic 12: More for practice then need I created this little story stick to help me in my duplication process at the German Spring Pole lathe.



Pic 13:
Come on gang, gather around…..this portion of the slldeshow we are going 1500's country style foot lathe turning! YEE HAWWWWW....LMAO!







Pic 14: This is a first time for me duplicating spindels for a piece to be used…..and I was very happy with these especially since a few months had passed since turning. Great aerobic workout as well.


*Pic 15:* A mock up of the ideas…...with some more clean up and work yet to be done.



So the lathe was a blast to get using again, it is definitely a multitasking affair…lol. Once you get into the rythm of using your foot….working the tempo with the cutting tools and having that story stick (A nice help indeed) you are off to the races.

Hope anyone who stopped by got something good from this…..one more blog should do it for the finishing touches…..hope you stay tuned and have had a great time in your shop as well!

Best wishes and pine shavings

Joe
 
#95 ·
Creating a saw till with what ya got! PART 5, THE FINALE!

Hello one and all of the woodworking world. Here is my final roundup of ideas, lessons and shavings so I can finally put some of my Disstons in a nice comfy home to showcase and enjoy.

Pic 1: With my chip carvings added I used a counterbore bit I got from my tool chest auction find….awesome find check it out http://lumberjocks.com/jjw5858/blog/29741 then preceeded to brace in the counter holes.


Pic 2-3: To achieve the same drill holes for both sides I simply faced the pieces together and used a small nail to gently tap in the 2nd pieces drill hole setups….sometimes simple old school works even when it seems amatuerish.



Pic 4-6 Browesing through lowes wood ornament section…I saw a small bag of buttons for finishing cabinet work….I said these can work fine..and then looked at my dad and smiled…"hell ya know I am gonna make my own!"…lol. For me….more fun to do it all by hand….has more soul in it. So I chucked down the bag, had a laugh, then back at the shop took a poplar dowel and got to work. Simple file chamfering….in this case a little edgy and rustic…would fit the bill just fine rather than a too machined look, so this made good music. File about 4 strokes…turn…..4 turn….4 turn…..next thing the rhythm forms a pretty neat little chamfered profile…then get some delicate saw work going…and you fashion up some wood buttons! I use a little light skimming across the top of my file to flatten as needed.






Pic 7-8: After bracing in my spindle holes I began with a combo of mallet and a little candle wax to work them in. The key here was light taps…and easing all three inward and then joining the top bracket…then….taking these out of the vice and attaching them to the back.




Ok…....the back is attached…all seems to fit better than expected. The process went well for having humidity twisted and cupped pine …..lol

With all of this now completed…I went on to break down the pieces and sand them, shave up where needed….etc, etc. Finally went to my watco dark walnut danish oil and….....................we have a brand new baby till…lmao. Check out the final on my projects page!

http://lumberjocks.com/projects/66125
 
#97 ·
Old fashioned tool tote Part 1

Well no rest for the wicked…..or wood obsessed…lol. My name is Joe and …....I have a shavings, saw, plane…..ahhhh you name it….it's a great problem to have….right?.....lol

Back at the shop and on the job of coming up with a project that I think will be fun to work with.

I was thinking since I have been very fortunate to find all kinds of cool old handtools maybe I could build a project that might include some of the favorites that would make up an old style tool kit.

Being that is the idea…I wanted to build an old fashioned tool tote. I am trying to catch a simple and yet personal style that will look of an older time…..hard working as well as rugged…and yet maybe be an inviting and fun platform to want to dig in and explore some of the different work pieces from many years past.

My small tribute to the great craftspeople from all those years ago.

So…...I guess we can start with this installments pictures and see my methods of madness….lol

Pic: 1: The mighty Disston took to the pine slabs by making my totes sides…...this will be a bruiser of a tote…..32 1/2 inch sides…..we want some room for the cool stuff!



Pic: 2: Took those over and had a go at my poplar shooting board to trim up and square up the ends.



Pic 3: I looked over some various totes….and really liked this rounded look….so I took to some tracing paper and mapped the lines out. My methods have changed in my recent projects, I use my abiltiy to draw and sketch my ideas…..in past blogs you have seen this…but before my Exercise in artisanship series began…I rushed through ideas….always on the fly. Honestly gang…good by to those days…lol. I greatly enjoy my recent less rushed results, taking time to really be and look at the ideas before just executing them.


Pic 4: Ok ….a little mock up to see my vision coming together.



Pic 5: Here's another interesting way to cope saw out smaller work. I use this jig I made from watching Roy Underhill….it works really nice…and it's a fun way to change up the same old ways of doing something!

If this interests you check the project out….http://lumberjocks.com/projects/56948


Pic 6: There are a few ways you may go about doing this…...hands over the top in a stabbing sawing motion as the previous picture shows…...not bad…..a little challenging…lol. Or you may get your favorite shop stool and sit and do this with hands under…and cope saw the piece this way….ahhh that's better…lol My back thanks you underhand saw style…..lol


Pic 7: Here it is now…..we got it coped out….and had a chance to work on a different way of doing the same thing. I find that to be a great skill building activity….get a job or task…and try to learn 2-3 ways of getting it done, nice to have in your arsenal if certain tools are not near by or in your current kit. Also…..it's nice to just want to change work patterns up as well!



Pic 8: Now I take my handsaw to rip cut a bottom piece.


Pic 9: Fun to look back….remembering my first sawing experience as I view this pic…how far off a line I would wander 2 years ago with my saw..as with everything it improves with doing. I leave the cuts a tad chubby off of the pencils so I can test fit and plane if needed for a snug fitting. One of the best rules of woodworking especially by hand…"More wood is always fine…because we can't add wood if it's cut too short"….lmao.


Pic 10: There it is all cut and ready for some additional mock up to view where we are at.

Pic 11: So here is the mockup in this stage of the game. I rounded the sides tops with plane, spokeshave and sandpaper. I also drew the sides inward to joint to the ends thinng up the width trying to subtract the more boxier look that it had….nice…like this better more slender. Then I clamped this together to see how it is looking. We have much to do yet…but a nice start for my ideas. Simple lines here, going with a less is more approach. We will have more to work with soon!


Ok friends, that about does her for this portion of the build. I sure hope you had a great week and as always I enjoy looking at your ideas as well as appreciate your comments!

Take care….CHEERS!
Joe
 
#107 ·
Old fashioned tool tote Part 2

Hey woodworking friends hope all is well. Took a small break from shop time and recharged the creative batteries this week. Good to be back and to revisit this tool tote project and thought a second blog installment was due to see what progress and ideas were in action.

It was nice to get away from things for a small time and allow ideas to regain energy and fascination. I find this can be very helpful in any hobby, profession, or relationship in life…..just let things breathe a little.

So…with some room allowed in my minds eye, I took to the task of something very clever I once saw someone do on their tool tote…I added a Disston sidecar…...lol. Looked fun as well as dam handy. I simply had little idea how to even do it….so I just let the kid out in my imagination and began to play!

Let's take a look at what I have been up to…...

Pic 1:

The best way to start in most cases…..let the ticondaroga map it out!


Pic 2-3: Once I cope sawed this middle piece out I used a great tip I got from Paul Sellers…..jig your clamp into your vise….and you have an extension to vise/clamp objects in new ways! Very handy tip…and for this exercise it served me well for spokeshave clearance.



Pic 4: If you go this route….add in a little leather or something that will protect the clamping from marring the work…..easy to forget…haaaa I soon used this after the first bit of shave work as the bruising was pretty good…..lol



Pic 5: Ok…..so the beginning of this fixture was up and going…now I saw some scrap stock to clean up to get a top latch made….I used my red old sears shoulder plane to work this a bit. She may be red….but ahhhhh….. nice shavings after a few goes of the blade on my diamond stones…....a cat's hiss of a cut whips thin pine shavings all over the place. Again using my newly found clamping method was a help…...thanks Paul!...lol



Pic 6-7: I drew a fun curved latch that would hopefully turn and hold the Disstons handle secure. I purposely choose a knotted section to add a little rustic feel to things…....let the pine show off a little!




Pic 8-10: Attached and looking good so far. After a few test fits I realized a custom dimensioned wooden spacer was needed, so I got the proper measurments and fashioned it all to have proper clearance, turning and holding when this all gets mounted to the side board of the tote.







Pic 11-15: Now….the kerfing strip…haa….this was going to get interesting. Let's see….well…remember friends…in this shop….there are no table saws or machines. So I was going to have to do this with some old fashioned learning on the fly…..lol. First, I used my gauge to set up my off centered line to make a small starter kerf. Second, I took my backsaw and just slowly worked this into a kerf and basically got the position of using a handplane….worked well….worked one side to the middle….the flipped…worked the other and met the middle.
Third, I worked up the thickness of blade set with a few saws and finally my kerf was fitting snug but nice for this particualr saw I planed to have on here.










Pic 16-18: Ok….got all my screws set up and mocked it all up with clamps…..holds like a rock!
I am very pleased with what I came up with. Takes a little touch and understanding on getting the saw out…but once you know the trick…..dam, it holds real nice!..lol






Pic 19-23:
After the test fits….I had a go at ripping this 32 1/2 inch piece for some thinner pine to work some new ideas up I may use on this project. Now…....I have never attempted this kind of monster ripping…and I was surely a bit worried how I might do…...but again by laying in gauge lines then pencil them in for vision I was set about the task. Saw at 45 degrees and flip sides….then saw middle….I repeated this combination for a tender 25 minutes for the duration of the 32 1/2. By no means tough timber sawyer work..but….I was really pleased with the results for a greenhorn effort. Now I have two thinner sheets….one purposely a pinch thinner then the other.











Pic 24: I believe the great Dickey Betts once penned….Back where it all begins…..Cheers to that friends…..what a view!


So…...heres where the wood train stops for this visit. I sure had some fun learning new ways to work ideas through to a fit.
Of course as with anything so many ways…some faster than others to task a project….this was just my small recital of how I thought to pace it and place it.

I really enjoy the enthusiasum of so many more LJ'S fired up about handtools and sharing their talents…amazing work and skills. As always I thank you for your shared interest in my projects. More to follow soon!!

Thanks for stopping by and be well!

Joe
 
#108 ·
Nice resawing Joe. It's good for the heart you know. LOL.

You are definitely getting me fired up and wanting to make my own tote with this great blog.
 
#112 ·
Old fashioned tool tote Part 3

Hey friends, back from some sawdust and shavings with an updated installment of the tool tote build. Hope all is well out there in LJ's land….it's been a wild week from the get go over here on the farm for sure…..but had some time and pics from recent and last week as well to make an updated blog of the tote progress.

I wanted to have a cool, unique and yet old school piece on this tote that had to follow the simple and humble parameters of…...duribilty, functionality, and fun to use. I think this added piece that piggy backs on the tote is more than I thought it would be and it's a blast for showing off the handtools. Let's take a look and see what this piggy back piece is as well as others….....

Pic 1-2: From the previous blog I hand ripped some pine stock to smaller widths….and from that I made a simple box. This would be no frills in design…and I wanted that vision for a more metal/screws kind of look versus a more fancy dovetail apporach this time. This project's theme was to let the simplicity shine and yet have some tricks to balance out the elementary construction. I added a country like themed handle area…had some fun just creating and improvising to get the look to meet the mood of the piece. There will be a little more cleanup and perhaps a tad more design on this basic form later.





Pic 3-4: I then ripped some more wider pine for a drop-in bottom, then made my lines for fitting. I made two small 1/4 inch strips that glued to the insides to stop the drop-in top and held well for weight.




Pic 5-8: A few weeks back in our neighborhood some scraps of wood and furniture lay outside an old home my father remembers going into as a child some 60 years ago…they had some old pine 2×3s, some dowels and larger boards. Here is the golden old 2×3 pine stock I thought would be fun to finally put to use to make runners for my sliding piggy back tool box. I thought this was a neat nod to the past…by actually putting some elements on here from wood that sure looked to be a long ways back in time most likely sitting in a basement of that house. Well…..it ripped just fine and was a cool addition.









Pics 9-12: So everything was moving right along….until…...(que the record scratch….lol). I realized the spade bit I had at 1 1/8 was never going to work without breaking out the other side of the board…....oh ohhh..lol. Luckily in a pinch I took to my knife, scored the lines and worked my Pfiel chisels into the rounded mortice to 1/4 depth. This was a lifesaver and actually far more enjoyable to carve this way. The process was far longer…10-15 mins each side, but it was worth it since I did not have a larger bit…and hey I love using these chisels…lol









Pics 13-15: With the puzzle taking a few minutes to mock up again…..I was very happy with the progress. The poplar dowel handle fits well into the carved mortices, the sliding piggy back tool tray glides with ease and holds solid…..and more tools than I even planed on….lol. I have more ideas to add here and there…and then of course a ton of sanding, cleanup….etc.







I hope this was interesting for someone to look at. This project has had me try new things, learn to get myself out of some jams that I got myself into..lol, and grow with added enthusiaum of the tools I have been getting here and there to put into this tote. I have been keeping in mind…..weight…..lol. I wanted this to be usable and not like an iron suitecase. The piece will not be a long hauler by foot though….lol. something you can take in the truck if you needed to…..but will most likely be a fun conversation shop piece when enjoying old handtools.

Thanks for looking in and keep on enjoying your work!

All the best,
Joe
 
#119 ·
Old fashioned tool tote Part 4

Well friends the day has finally arrived….where I am going to have a decent spot to either carry or hold my stanely chisels….lol. I have had these chisels on one table or another realizing that they needed a proper home in the shop. I thought since I was putting together this traveling tool tote of carpentry instruments….chisels would be well in order for many a task…....so I took a creative chance on making a space for them!

Along with that I thought why not a handy smaller tray to join up inside of the chisel box for some nails, screws….etc. Plenty of room inside for a few boxes of fastners….but an extra space for quick access might make for a nice added touch.

Pic 1: I got together the four chisels I use all the time to get an approximate layout with the ripped stock.



Pic 2: After getting that together I dimensioned a piece that would have relief areas to slide the business side of the chisels onto. Small saw work here on soft pine…..easy…..slowly…..and you can get this. If you attack this portion of the job….it can snap with ease.



Pic 3: Ahhhh….. that fits nice for these users…worth the controlled effort with backsaw and chisel paring…..this is coming together now!


Pic 4: Although the chisel boxed was glued up then attached with small screws I decided to have some fun gluing this smaller inside tray followed by some brad nails. Ok….I admit it….I just wanted to play with this wonderful Stanley Cabinets hammer I got from my beautiful Jenn for christmas….love using it!


Pic 5: All set in on her tracks and ready for use although more in mock up mode now…before all the finishing touches!


Pic 6: Tray easily comes out for use just like a glove…..and…on the very first try….....haaaa yeah right…..nothing usually works like on TV!....LOL. A few plane shavings here and there…..and a little working in and out of the chisel box finally made everything get into order.



Pic 7:......Hey….. how did another handsaw get into Joe's tool tote??.......lol


Pic 8: Love getting all the elements together…soon after the build portion…..I will recruit the specific favorites of various tools…that will make a home in this tool tote. First…some quality control including finishing up some rough areas…and getting my sanding workout going….lol


It was nice in retrospect to see this build…and reflect on favorite skill building moments….a hell of a lot of resawing….great practice for me.

l really loved getting that Stanley hammer fired up and going….hammering is such a craft…it really is. I think many of these simple looking..lol, manuevers fool us into a false confidence when we take a too casual and cockey approach to things. I know I sure had a couple of more than 3 letter word moments that sound like yuck….lmao!

Handtools and working wood with them always have a way of letting you know…..you have learned much….but have much to learn!

Woodworking is so immense in it's variety, styles and lessons. I love it for the exact fact that no single person will ever learn it all in one lifetime….I think that, in and of itself is something to treasure and not dam.

Just as looking into the night and seeing the stars we wonder and we ponder…as long as you get some joy from it in your heart you can do without the struggle of the realization of our minuscule and brief existence. We can then forge ahead mindful of our daily challenges and share a smile while being alive in the present moment!

Thanks for your great moments friends!

More work soon, Cheers!

Joe
 
#128 ·
Old fashioned tool tote Part 5 THE FINALE!!

Well I guess through learning and creating, sawing and shaving there were a few more hours to conjure
up some additional ideas with my chisel box. Ahhh yes…a lid for the top perhaps??.....this would be a total ad lib affair with little more than just letting the inner kid out to explore and experiment.

Every now and then that is such a vital important exercise to have in our woodwork…..be free of worries…the crayons going out of the lines are no artistic sin, only stressful angst that has no need for salvage and self criticism. Every out of line experience is the opportunity to improve our skill and appreciate our normalcy. I think in trying to live by the fore mentioned words we will work more towards a quest of being better artisans and thoughtful people.

So I began to just try things….improv a little here and cross my fingers there….lol.

Here are some of the pics to see how I flipped my lid….lmao.

Pic 1-3: Once I had my chisel box together I really thought a lid would look slick on this. I began by ripping some more stock for the lid. Then I layed out the hinges on the box and lid followed by some relief areas with my chisel.







Pic 4: I added some pieces to help along my screw depth when I was ready to put this lid together….I like this box….it's simple, but for me less is more in this design and it was refreshing to not go as curvy as my usual ideas go. What can I say, this woodworker likes his curves!....lol



Pic 5-6: Well the lid was a little cupped…so instead of fighting it's want to flex upward and not totally close flush….I worked the problem and thought a wood latch could be something fun and play off of the tool totes saw latch! I started out with a small sawn piece and added some cuts to it….oh oh…..there I go….....haaaa see….had to have some curves again…lol





Pic 7-10: With a brace to drill out the hooked catch I followed up with a rats tail and finished with some whittleing. It's of such great advantage to know your way around a pocket knife when making things…sometimes it can be as simple as breaking out a few minutes of widdleing to make something so small conture to what you want your specific output to be. Plus I just love to whittle and carve…so I was not at all upset about taking 15 minutes to do so, especially on pine!..lol.









Pic 11: Took one of my pfiel chisels to round over the edges a bit.



Pic 12: A wonderful gift from a past birthday a set of 7 chisels with my initials…a fine gift from my gorgeous Jenn…..speaking of wonderful curves…..lol



Pic 13: Fixed a poplar dowel with a small bored hole and glue to hopefully get it all to match and latch.


Pic 14-15: We have got a latch and a catch! This was fun to make…seems to be pretty durable as well.




So a box and a lid was made for use and now onto the final stages of sanding, glueing, fasteners and staining to finish the job.

Hey gang, follow me over to the projects section and lets take a look at the finished project made of wood….lol


 
#136 ·
Rustic Renaissance Trestle Table: Part 1

Hello everyone, an extremely humid day today with around 82% humidity and 95 the high temp, but somehow the spirit of an evening of creating was to be had….lol. My shop has little more than a fan or heater….so this was going to get warm…lol

This is a project that I have been wanting to do for a while now. I have always enjoyed the extreme creativity of the Rennaissance period and I thought it would be a real challenge and adventure to have a go at my version of a trestle table while still keeping it rustic.

My visions are not so much of the very heavily carved and gaudier craft pieces we many times see from different times of that period, my ideas are a less is more approach all the while still keeping a nice flow to the overall piece.

I took time to work up some sketch ideas and after some reviewing I found one that I wanted to try.

So in the true spirit of the Rennaissance I let the pencil guide my ideas and went forth on the expedition of sawdust and shavings….let us begin this series!

Pic: 1: The mighty Stanley tape measure, my grandfathers actually…we start here with our pine plank to start the measures and soon follow the sawing!


Pic 2: To my sawbench to take the pieces down to proper size and then I plan to try my new jack plane to work out the cupped areas.


Pic 3: I was in no way going to be satisfied with 3/4 thick pieces for my trestle table legs…..I want this to be a solid piece so I made 2 pairs of boards for lamination to make our table a sturdy affair.


Pic 4-5: A little planeing alla Joseph Moxon (across, diagonal, then with the grain) and this took a nice amount of the cupping down so my lamination will be as best as it can be…even with all this humidity….lol
I was more than surprised and pleased realizing my study and time playing with these darn planes was rewarding me as this #5 soared like silk…..I never wanted stop as the pine abided with ease and the scent of sapp filled the air more with each shaving.





Pic 6: Ahhhhhh…....now this is Rennaissance…..lol


Pic 7-8: Fixed some tracing paper togther and simply looked down at my small sketch and passed on the idea to my southpaw mit and drew the lines. I had a few alterations and then was ready to flip the tracing and make it appear on the other side.



Pic 9-10: Now for the hard work….I brought out a fine weapon for the chore….my PINE BEAST! http://lumberjocks.com/projects/54541
I am so glad that I made these handles for a great grip while conducting this very physical exercise. If you go to a gym you can toss your membership away friends performing work like this….haaaa I got my arms burning away with plenty of work cutting this up.




Pic 11: I did not want my Disston to feel left out and I cut out the arch in angled sections.


Pic 12: Finally the rough piece gives us rewards for some serious sweaty work….lol

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Well that's one piece down…old school rough work for the moment. We will spokeshave this and give it some filing and care….then prep into a template using it for the second leg.

I have noticed that sometimes myself and others can get very self absorbed with obsessing over blade sharpness, joinery fit, sawing, etc. I find when I get too upset or negative at a task I do…I just remember Peter Follansbee saying…"ahhhh I just eyeball it!"….....lmao. Peter teaches a great lesson….just to get on with things sometimes…stop the obsessing and get your spirit moving and you can find your way.

I hope all of your tasks are had with a lot of great sprit and fun…..I thank you for sharing them and inspiring me!

More next time, cheers!

Joe
 
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