This is a big deal for me because I’ve been saving up for this most of two years now. This was all from money I’ve made selling pieces and listing things on eBay (cleaning out stuff I didn’t need anymore around the house) and working part-time doing some editing for the American Cities Business Journal.

If things work out, I’ll be able to put it to good use in the near future. A friend of mine does custom kitchen cabinets and baths and wine cellars and libraries and the like; he is coming over in a few weeks to measure out and give us a bid on our kitchen. If we go with him, I’ll be doing what I can to save money by doing all the sanding and probably applying the finish and the hardware. I told him we have an unfinished full-pour basement where we can work on all that in peace. He said we can defnitely work that into the contract.

The wife is excited about getting new kitchen cabinets. I’m excited about maybe saving some money in the process.

For a more in-depth discussion, check it out here:

http://greystonegreen.blogspot.com/

On the OTHER end of the blended shop, I recently received my mini-panel raiser plane from Phil! I’ll do a write-up on it in the very near future, just as soon as I start on something where I can use it.

Cheers!

My wife and I took a trip across the river to the monthly Belleville Flea Market this past weekend. We combined that with a visit to my great Aunt Edy who is about 80 and still walks five miles every day (wow!). Dana and Aunt Edy spent a lot of time looking for cut glass and Griswold cast iron. If you can imagine, I focused on other things; namely, handtools.

To be honest with you, I thought the pickings were quite slim, as far as flea markets go. I did find a fairly nice Stanley #5 in good condition. I chuckled as I disassembled the plane, checking the various parts out for defects – the blade was set bevel-side up! If it was a “user”, it must not have worked very well…When I assembled it again, I put it together properly; my OCD would not have it any other way.

The handles were crisp and tight and the Victory blade had a lot of life left in it. It wasn’t priced terribly high, at $27, and I was sure I could talk him down some, but I thought back to the pre-WWI #5 I have sitting at home, waiting for me to restore it, and I decided to pass. In retrospect, maybe I shouldn’t have. I could have fixed it up and given it to my best friend or one of my woodworking friends… I probably won’t pass up the next one I find like that.

I did not, however, pass on a nice little piece I thought I’d share with you. It was in the $1 box, so I didn’t feel right trying to talk them down any. It is a hand tool, but not the usual kind one keeps an eye out for, I suppose. Here’s a picture of it in the untouched state…

Not much to look at, is it? Give me a few minutes with some mineral spirits and a green scotchbrite pad, though, and see what you think after that.

That’s a little better. Now take a closer look at the handle. That isn’t plastic, my dear big-box-shopping friends! Looks like rosewood to me. And check out the metal in this close-up.

The blade, the ferrule and the tang are all one piece of metal, riveted to the rosewood handle with brass pins. In this picture, you can also see a small band of sapwood on the end of the handle. It actually has a maker’s mark on it, too! It says, ” G. L. & CO. CHICAGO” on one side of the blade. Google didn’t come up with anything on it, yet, but I’ll keep an eye out.

The blade is really thick and hefty; I wonder if I might be able to file a nice clean flat edge on it and sharpen it up like a scraper. I could use it to clean up the insides of boxes or tight corners, maybe? It feels like it could really hold a hook, though.

I’ll have to post something about it if and when I give it a try!

Aunt Edy kept apologizing to me; she felt badly that I didn’t find anything other than an ordinary paint scraper. I don’t know… a rosewood handled paint scraper with an integral tang? It might not be the find of the Century, but in our world of plastic and poor quality, I’d call that anything but ordinary…

In any case, I got hit square in the face with one of the challenges of doing a commissioned work.

To recap the events that have transpired so far, a friend of mine needed a temporary cross for his father’s grave site. He and his mom were given a small plastic temporary marker to use until the ground settles and they can set up the granite headstone (six to nine months). But they were less than happy with the temporary marker they were given, so he asked my wife if I’d be able to make them a better temporary marker.

I agreed to do so and then set about trying to figure out the best dimensions and methods, etc. I decided upon a cross shape, with a total height of 36” and a total width of 24”. My first major concern was that Frank wanted me to put his dad’s name and dates on the cross. I’ve yet to carve numbers and letters by hand and didn’t think someone’s cross would be the first time to attempt it. I don’t own any sign making router jigs and wasn’t sure I could get letters small enough to fit on a cross bar that is only 4” wide (high) and still have it look good. And to be honest with you, I don’t know how often I would route out letters and numbers into a piece in the future. It isn’t something I envision myself doing, so I don’t think it would be money well-spent. I thought woodburning the information wouldn’t look proper for such a project and wasn’t really sure where to go from there when the solution hit me. I needed to figure out a way to get the name and date information onto the cross using a method I knew and was comfortable with, so I suggest that Frank get a 3”x5” brass plaque made up with whatever information he wanted on it and I would then inlay the plaque into the cross! He thought that was a brilliant idea (as did I) and called his mom to order the plaque.

The next step was to figure out what kind of wood I wanted to use. I recently picked up some pieces of Santos Mahogany (which isn’t really a mahogany, if you didn’t know…) that was already dimensioned to 5/8” thick and had rough widths of 3 1/2” to 4 1/2” with plenty of length. This wood has a Janka hardness of 2200 and is insect and rot resistant, so I thought it would be a good place to start with a piece that was going to be exposed to six months of Missouri elements, starting in November.

I selected the two boards I wanted to use and trimmed them to final dimensions. I then laid them out for half-lap joinery (err… sorry, no pictures). I cut the half-lap joints on the table saw and glued the pieces up with some exterior-rated PVA glue.

“The Challenge”
At that point, I was waiting on the plaque before I could continue. My wife delivered it the next day when she returned from her work (Frank is her co-worker). I opened the box to find… a ceramic plaque – green, with gold lettering. Man, oh, man, that’s not what I was expecting. With the prominent reddish-tint of the Santos Mahogany, this thing was going to look like a Christmas cross! I asked Dana to confirm with Frank that he wanted to use a green and gold plaque with the reddish wood before I inlaid it into the cross. She checked with him the next day and said they were happy with that arrangement.

Not my first choice, let me tell you, but… that’s what they wanted, so I agreed to do it. On Saturday I measured and laid out the inlay area, marked it with a marking knife, and routed out the majority of the waste with my palm router and a 1/4” straight bit. I set the depth to about half the thickness of the plaque, so it would sit proud by 1/8” or so. Then I came back in with a 1 1/2” chisel and one of my lignum mallets (dang, that collection has actually grown a bit!) and cleaned up the edges. When I was done, I held my breath and set the plaque into the recess. It fit like a glove! I was very happy. I did notice one small issue; the plaque had a bit of a bow to it, so when I set it into the recess, it rocked from end to end. I sliced off two super-thin shims of santos and set them at either end of the recess and tried it again and the plaque was rock-solid.

I wanted to put the finish on before I epoxy’d the plaque in, so I had to figure out the best solution for that… I decided on Thompson’s water sealant for wood, actually. It is a deck sealer, and I figured it would be the best solution for a piece made to be out in the elements. I’ve already applied one coat; I’m debating as to whether or not I should apply a second. It says one coat is sufficient, but I’m thinking about applying a second coat just to be extra careful. I figure two coats of water sealant plus the natural resistance of the wood should be adequate enough to keep the cross well-protected.

Now my only problem is in how to place the cross at the site. I’ve pondered that issue for several weeks now and haven’t really come up with a good solution. The requirements are only that it be easily removed for mowing.

When I get home this evening, I’ll take some pictures of the cross and the plaque together (but not quite glued up).

A few weeks ago, my wife’s co-worker lost his dad. We went to the wake to give our condolences and support. It wasn’t really a surprise, as he’d been fighting with cancer for several years.

Last night, she came home and said Frank had a request for me, if I was willing to help them. I don’t know if my wife suggested I help him because of my aversion to the topic of death… or in spite of it.

He said they had to wait six months before putting the granite grave marker in place at his father’s grave – something about allowing the ground to settle. But he and his mom would like to have something at his grave temporarily, in case anyone came to visit it.

So I need to start working on a design. I’m not even sure on the proportions I should follow.

Anyone have any experience with making crosses? Mark?

I’ll write more tonight; I have to get to PT (for the lower back).

It means I spent some time this evening applying two coats of garnet shellac and then rubbing out the finish with Renaissance wax and steel wool, but I’m not done with the interior divider, so the box isn’t finished!

But I thought I’d throw up a couple of pictures to show you the progress so far. Oh, the red jasper cab is not glued into the lid yet, but the fit is so tight I don’t have to worry about it falling out. (Actually, I worried a bit that I wouldn’t be able to get it out, but a few taps on the inside of the lid makes it pop out nicely.)

Here is the box after the finish has been applied. Love the way that red jasper is set off by the black bog oak.

And here is the incomplete interior. I’m anxious to get started on the interior pieces. The finish line is near!

My personal sgian dubh in the box, for demonstration purposes only!

I’ll probably get a chance to work on the interior dividers on Friday evening, so hopefully by this weekend it will be done and ready to ship off to Scotland!

Of course, I’ll take some better quality pictures of it before I send it away.

For starters, I took my (really cheap) flush cut saw and cut the miter keys flush to the sides of the box. One of these days, I’ll need to break down and pay the shipping for the flush cut Japanese saw Lee Valley has; in one of the last Woodworking Magazine issues, they reviewed flush cut saws and that one came out tops. But that shipping cost of $10 for a $22 item gives me pause. I might have to throw a few more things onto the list to justify the shipping cost. We could always use a few more brick hangers!

Oh, here is the box with the keys cut and the sides sanded…

And a close-up of one of the corners…

You’ll notice the bottom key is just a touch longer than the top two – just a bit of whimsy on my part, no real reason for that.

The next thing I did was to remove the top with the table saw. The technique here is pretty simple; make through cuts on the long sides and then drop the blade height just enough so that it doesn’t cut all the way through (in this case, I set the height to 7/16” because my sides are 1/2” thick), then finish the cuts with a hand saw. A block plane and some sand paper smooths the rough edges and makes for a nice, clean fit.

Here is the box with it’s top… removed.

You can just see the interior side I pre-finished before gluing up the box. That should give you some indication as to what it will look like when I’m done. Oh, you can also see the moss green suede cloth I used for the lining. I like the earthy brown, black, red, and green colors this box is going to end up having.

Eh… I guess I still need to work on my photography. I was so pleased with myself for remembering to take pictures up to this point, I set the camera down somewhere and forgot to get any pics of the next part.

I still struggle a bit with hinges, I won’t lie. This time was no exception.

I marked the location of the hinges, using a chip carving knife to deepen the score lines. Then I used my Bosch laminate trim router with a 1/8” straight bit to remove the waste. Depth is set to the radius of the hinge.

I got the hinge mortises routed with no problems, drilled the holes for the screws, and put on the hinges. I’m FAIRLY pleased with the results; the box closes just a little off, about 1/32”. Not really that noticeable to the eye, but you can tell easily enough when you run your finger along the edge. Ah, well. I strive for perfection, but I know my limits and my weaknesses – so I’m happy enough with how things are going so far.

The last thing I did this evening was to remove the hinges and apply a coat of Watco’s Danish Oil (dark walnut) to the rest of the box. As I thought, those bog oak keys turned jet black the second the oil hit them – just what I wanted them to do.

I’ll let that dry overnight (not really necessary, but I’ll feel better if I do) and then tomorrow night I’ll hit it with two coats of garnet shellac.

What did I change? I decided to not add the lip to the front of the lid for opening the box. I decided I liked the clean line of the lid without the lip a little better.

Once I get the shellac done, I’ll take the box and some bog oak to my friend Vic’s house. I need his wide belt sander and band saw to dimension the bog oak for the inside dividers.

I’ll shoot a few more pictures tomorrow after I get the shellac on and the hinges attached again.

That takes us to this…

You can see some of the nail and worm holes in the sides and lid; I could have left that out of the design, but I do like to keep some indication that I’ve used reclaimed lumber.

Here is the inlaid rectangle of bog oak. You can also see the oval I’ve routed for the red jasper cab.

This evening, I spent some time cutting the slots for the keyed miters and gluing in the keys.

Tomorrow I’ll take off the excess with a flush-cut saw and clean them up with my 60 1/2 block plane and sand paper.

After that, I’ll take off the lid and the next blog will probably be on mortising the hinges and the lip in the lid.

The problem is that I’ll just get a free hour or two to work on it, so I’m more concerned with actually getting an hour’s worth of work done and less concerned with trying to remember where my camera is.

So I guess what I can do right now is write out a blog entry on my design ideas and thoughts. Later tonight, I’ll run through the steps I’ve done so far, throw in a few pictures of what I’ve worked on this evening, and then try to keep up with it from there.

Box design ideas/thoughts:
This is actually a major part of any project I create. I put almost as much thought into design and concept as I do in actually making the piece. I focus on the different species of wood I’ll use, the purpose of the project and what design would best fulfill that purpose. I determine what kind of joinery I’m going to use, what kind of issues I’ll need to keep in mind with that joinery, and what finish I’ll use to protect the completed piece.

Thinking about these things ahead of time really helps to keep me from building myself into a corner (which I’ve done on several occasions).

- I started by talking to the woman ordering the box. Her name is Bronwen and the box is to be a part of her wedding gift to her fiance on their wedding day (the other part of the present being the sgian dubh). Fortunately for me, she is a theatre director, among other things, and so she has a great understanding of “creative license”. She pretty much left it up to me to come up with a concept and design. I like that in a customer.

- There are actually several small items a guy generally wears with his kilt. One is the sgian dubh, but quite often it is worn with a formal shirt that requires cuff links, and a kilt pin is employed to keep the front flap from coming up with a strong breeze. This got me to thinking that I wanted a box with three separate compartments – one for the sgian dubh, one for the cuff links, and one for a kilt pin. I modified this initial idea a little; the compartment for the cuff links is going to be a handmade padded bar section for rings and cufflinks.

- I will not have the sgian dubh in hand (the buyer and seller both being in Scotland), so I can’t make a fitted compartment like I did with my first presentation box. I contacted Rab Gordon, the guy making the sgian dubh, and asked him what dimensions it would be and if Bronwen had requested anything special for the knife. He said the dimensions would be just about the same as mine, but to give it about 3/4” extra space, just to be on the safe side. He also said she was getting a sgian dubh with a damascus steel blade, a bog oak handle with silver fittings/trim, and a red jasper cabachon cap for the pommel.

- I decided to play off the bog oak. The box will be made of reclaimed white oak from my family farm, and I’ll use bog oak (from the UK and Ireland – expensive to buy and expensive to ship) for accent pieces. I’ll inlay a rectangle of bog oak into the lid, use bog oak for the keyed miter joints, and add a small handle/lip to the lid to aid in opening. On the inside, I’ll use bog oak for the two dividers (one dividing it in half lengthwise and one dividing one of those halves into two sections). I’ll then add ring bars to one of the smaller sections.

- After a bit of contemplation and a quick search on eBay, I decided I could also add an additional feature that I didn’t even mention to Bronwen; it will make for a nice surprise. I found a cab of red jasper (40mm x 30mm) on eBay for about $2.50. I’ll inlay that cab into the rectangle of bog oak in the lid.

- I received the jasper cab a few days after the auction ended and then started figuring out what I was going to use for the bottom liner and what kind of finish I would go with – i.e. what liner color and finish would best play off of the red jasper. Initially, I wanted to fume the wood. The technique I ended up using for the bottom panel created some fuming challenges, so I decided to go with a coat of Watco’s Danish oil (dark walnut) and a few coats of garnet shellac.

(In case you’re wondering, the problem was this: I can’t fume until after the box is glued and the lid cut from the rest of the box (otherwise, I’ll have a section of unfumed oak where I separate the lid from the box). I had concerns about fuming AFTER that point, however, because the bottom panel (with a suede cloth lining) will already be glued into the box (I glue the suedecloth to the panel before assembly, that way the cloth ends somewhere under the groove and it creates a nice, clean line at all of the edges)).

- For help with box dimensions, I pulled out the trusty graph paper. I know I should probably try a little more to learn one of the online project development tools, but… something feels good about drawing it all out by hand. I love the fact that one square truly equals 1/4”, because it makes design so much easier, especially when you’re trying to figure out dimensions and you can draw it out and use actual objects (in this case, my personal sgian dubh) to determine proper required space. I ended up with a box that was 2” tall (after lid separation), 10” long, and 5 1/4” wide.

- I also decided to go with extruded brass hinges (from Woodcraft, about $12). Really, that is a “default” decision – the only time I use pressed brass hinges is when I’m making something for the shop, like a router bit case. If I’m taking the time to make a quality box, then I’ll make it with quality accessories. I should mention, however, that I still have trouble paying $30-$40 for the Brusso extruded brass hinges. I guess I could always push the extra cost on to the customer… I think the biggest struggle is with paying so much money for something so small. Maybe I’ll give them a try on my next box and see how I feel after that.

That’s about it for the design thoughts I went through. In true Ethan form, I wrote way more than I intended. But once I start writing it is hard for me to stop. I’ll work on pictures tonight with a blog entry showing my progress to date.

When mixing shellac from flakes, I always mix in smaller batches, just because I don’t use a lot of shellac over a six month period, being a small-project woodworker. So I usually mix a one or two pound cut in a small, 10 oz. water bottle. In order to keep it from “burning” (not dissolving properly), you have to swirl or shake the shellac/alcohol mixture every 15 minutes for several hours until the shellac is completely dissolved.

This weekend, I tried something different. I mixed my shellac just before I went out to mow the lawn. Then I tied a short piece of cotton rope to the neck of the water bottle and tied the other end to my belt. Every time I took a step, the bottle hit my right leg and “shook” a little. Every time I stopped to empty my clippings bag (about every 15 minutes), I swirled the shellac for 30 seconds or so. After an hour and a half (.477 acre lawn w/a push mower), my shellac was completely dissolved AND the lawn was mowed.

Oh, and then I grabbed a sharpie and wrote the date, cut, and type (garnet, in case you’re wondering) of shellac in the bottle. After six months, I’ll toss whatever I haven’t used – generally not very much.

If you’re interested in trying some really good shellac, but don’t want to get shellac’d on the price (hehe!), check out www.shellacfinishes.biz. Vijay runs a one-man shellac shop, importing it directly from India. I believe the shellac is processed into flake form by members of his family in India. He has a sampler pack of garnet, orange, super blonde, and beige (4 oz. each) for about $14. If you already know what you like, a one lb bag runs anywhere between $12 and $15, depending upon the variety.

When I made a presentation box for my best man’s sgian dubh (wedding present), the guy who made the sgian dubh posted a picture of the box and knife on his website with a link to my own personal website. A few weeks ago, someone putting in an order for a sgian dubh asked him if he made presentation boxes or if he knew of someone who would make one, and he directed her to me.

The cool thing about it is that she’s pretty much giving me an artistic license to make it however I want. Her only real requirement was that I use bog oak in it somewhere.

I was thinking I’d make a box that was more than just a presentation box. There are several small items I usually wear with my kilted outfits – the sgian dubh, cuff links, and a kilt pin. I’d like to be able to keep all of these things together, if possible – I bet most guys would. So I thought a 3-compartment box, with a longer space for the sgian dubh and two shorter spaces for cuff links and kilt pins would be a grand idea. I believe I have enough bog oak to make the compartment dividers and maybe do some inlay in the lid. The rest of the box will be reclaimed white oak from the old farm house on the family farm.

Since the sgian dubh are all custom-made and have slightly different shapes, I probably won’t do a fitted lining because I won’t ever have the sgian dubh in hand (she lives in Scotland and the knife is being made in Scotland). I’ll probably just line the bottom with suede cloth. I prefer that to real suede because there seems to be some chemical used in the tanning process that reacts with silver and tarnishes it faster than usual.

Being a milestone piece, I’m going to try and take photos as I go, though I’m notorious for forgetting to even take any pictures of finished pieces…