# Woodworking vacation



## Betsy (Sep 25, 2007)

*Getting ready to go *

I'm getting set to go to Kelly Mehler's school. Plan to blog about the class and hopefully will have some sharp chisels and plane irons when it's over.


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## sbryan55 (Dec 8, 2007)

Betsy said:


> *Getting ready to go *
> 
> I'm getting set to go to Kelly Mehler's school. Plan to blog about the class and hopefully will have some sharp chisels and plane irons when it's over.


Have fun and enjoy. This should be a wonderful opportunity for you.


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## croessler (Jun 22, 2007)

Betsy said:


> *Getting ready to go *
> 
> I'm getting set to go to Kelly Mehler's school. Plan to blog about the class and hopefully will have some sharp chisels and plane irons when it's over.


Is it OK to be just a bit jealous of you? 

Seriously though, Have Fun!


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## teenagewoodworker (Jan 31, 2008)

Betsy said:


> *Getting ready to go *
> 
> I'm getting set to go to Kelly Mehler's school. Plan to blog about the class and hopefully will have some sharp chisels and plane irons when it's over.


lucky you! i bet that you'll learn a lot. thanks for the post.


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## GaryK (Jun 25, 2007)

Betsy said:


> *Getting ready to go *
> 
> I'm getting set to go to Kelly Mehler's school. Plan to blog about the class and hopefully will have some sharp chisels and plane irons when it's over.


Good luck! Look forward to your posts.


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## Betsy (Sep 25, 2007)

Betsy said:


> *Getting ready to go *
> 
> I'm getting set to go to Kelly Mehler's school. Plan to blog about the class and hopefully will have some sharp chisels and plane irons when it's over.


One good thing about a trip like this-- I now know where all my hand tools are. Packed and ready to roll!

Will keep you all informed; and, yes, Chris-- it's Okay to be a bit jealous-- but don't let it ruin your day!


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## Paul_D (Feb 20, 2008)

Betsy said:


> *Getting ready to go *
> 
> I'm getting set to go to Kelly Mehler's school. Plan to blog about the class and hopefully will have some sharp chisels and plane irons when it's over.


Enjoy!! I'd really like to do something like this someday. It will be interesting to find out what else you learn in addition to sharp irons and chisels. Have fun!!


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## Betsy (Sep 25, 2007)

*Off to a rough start*

Well day one of my grand adventure did not go so well. Just got past Hope, Arkansas (for those not in know-that's President Bill Clinton's hometown)--going along nicely making good time. Then WHAMO - I got hit from behind. Mind you I was going just at 70 on cruise control! Guy behind me fell asleep (noon) and I guess he hit the gas and ran right into me - I saw him at the very last second in my mirror but had no time to do any evasive actions. Pushed the rear bumper into both tires, blew out the back window, buckled the two back doors (one does not open), buckled the quarter panels, the back hatch opens-- but does not close properly, the trim inside is way out of whack, the inside storage compartment is whopper jawed now. I don't know if they will total it out, but I'm guessing they will.

I think the bumper rubbing against the tires actually acted like a brake to help me slow down. I did not loose control of the car - but was able to steer it onto the shoulder. The tires did not blow out so that was a blessing.

I am quite sore and stiff already and have a headache. I'm not sure if that is from the impact or the tension and being scared. I didn't know I could shake that much. The young man that hit me was not hurt although his car doesn't look so good. He was a very nice young man, clean cut, college kid on his way to a summer internship. I feel bad for him = he also got a ticket for wreckless driving - that will hurt.

I managed to remember that I had my camera and did snap a few pictures of the damage. I can't post them here because most show license plate numbers and I don't know how to shadow them out.

I had to have the car towed and then the tow truck driver was nice enough to drive me back to Texarkansas to rent a car. I'm driving on toward Kentucky - but have obviously stopped for the night. I'll have to decide in the morning if I'm up to going forward or if I should go back home or stay put in the hotel. I've got another 500 miles to go that seems like a lot right now. I must admit that I'm concerned about the standing and other activities the class will entail, but we'll see how I do in the morning. I've got a lot invested in the class and sure don't want to have to back out of it.

All in all not the best start to a vacation. But cars can be replaced (although that one was paid off!) and while I'm sure I'll be sore and stiff for a few days - I think I'll be okay. Just pray that I avoid back spasms from the ordeal. My back is not in great shape to start with and back spasms would not help one bit. I guess I'm a bit of a delicate flower as well-- standing in the sun after the accident - I got a sunburn!

I'm trying to a have a good attitude about all this-- but I'm sure I'll probably be mad tomorrow - especially if I can't go on the rest of the trip. Wish me well.


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## GaryK (Jun 25, 2007)

Betsy said:


> *Off to a rough start*
> 
> Well day one of my grand adventure did not go so well. Just got past Hope, Arkansas (for those not in know-that's President Bill Clinton's hometown)--going along nicely making good time. Then WHAMO - I got hit from behind. Mind you I was going just at 70 on cruise control! Guy behind me fell asleep (noon) and I guess he hit the gas and ran right into me - I saw him at the very last second in my mirror but had no time to do any evasive actions. Pushed the rear bumper into both tires, blew out the back window, buckled the two back doors (one does not open), buckled the quarter panels, the back hatch opens-- but does not close properly, the trim inside is way out of whack, the inside storage compartment is whopper jawed now. I don't know if they will total it out, but I'm guessing they will.
> 
> ...


Bummer! What else is there to say, except I'm glad that you weren't hurt.

Good luck!


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## sbryan55 (Dec 8, 2007)

Betsy said:


> *Off to a rough start*
> 
> Well day one of my grand adventure did not go so well. Just got past Hope, Arkansas (for those not in know-that's President Bill Clinton's hometown)--going along nicely making good time. Then WHAMO - I got hit from behind. Mind you I was going just at 70 on cruise control! Guy behind me fell asleep (noon) and I guess he hit the gas and ran right into me - I saw him at the very last second in my mirror but had no time to do any evasive actions. Pushed the rear bumper into both tires, blew out the back window, buckled the two back doors (one does not open), buckled the quarter panels, the back hatch opens-- but does not close properly, the trim inside is way out of whack, the inside storage compartment is whopper jawed now. I don't know if they will total it out, but I'm guessing they will.
> 
> ...


I agree with Gary that the main thing it that neither you or the young man were seriously hurt. Material things can be replaced. I just hope that you can go ahead with your plans for the Mehler school. This is a nice opportunity for you and one that you obviously have been looking forward to for some time.

Keep us posted on what is happening with you.


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## woodworkersguide (Mar 7, 2008)

Betsy said:


> *Off to a rough start*
> 
> Well day one of my grand adventure did not go so well. Just got past Hope, Arkansas (for those not in know-that's President Bill Clinton's hometown)--going along nicely making good time. Then WHAMO - I got hit from behind. Mind you I was going just at 70 on cruise control! Guy behind me fell asleep (noon) and I guess he hit the gas and ran right into me - I saw him at the very last second in my mirror but had no time to do any evasive actions. Pushed the rear bumper into both tires, blew out the back window, buckled the two back doors (one does not open), buckled the quarter panels, the back hatch opens-- but does not close properly, the trim inside is way out of whack, the inside storage compartment is whopper jawed now. I don't know if they will total it out, but I'm guessing they will.
> 
> ...


Ouch! Sorry to hear about this. Would hate to see you miss the course.


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## GMoney (Dec 27, 2007)

Betsy said:


> *Off to a rough start*
> 
> Well day one of my grand adventure did not go so well. Just got past Hope, Arkansas (for those not in know-that's President Bill Clinton's hometown)--going along nicely making good time. Then WHAMO - I got hit from behind. Mind you I was going just at 70 on cruise control! Guy behind me fell asleep (noon) and I guess he hit the gas and ran right into me - I saw him at the very last second in my mirror but had no time to do any evasive actions. Pushed the rear bumper into both tires, blew out the back window, buckled the two back doors (one does not open), buckled the quarter panels, the back hatch opens-- but does not close properly, the trim inside is way out of whack, the inside storage compartment is whopper jawed now. I don't know if they will total it out, but I'm guessing they will.
> 
> ...


Hey Betsy,

That is too bad after looking forward to this trip for so long. Good job keeping control of your car, not everyone can do that. You have a great loving attitude and that will take you far. I really hope you feel better today and have great things to report about the course.


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## Russel (Aug 13, 2007)

Betsy said:


> *Off to a rough start*
> 
> Well day one of my grand adventure did not go so well. Just got past Hope, Arkansas (for those not in know-that's President Bill Clinton's hometown)--going along nicely making good time. Then WHAMO - I got hit from behind. Mind you I was going just at 70 on cruise control! Guy behind me fell asleep (noon) and I guess he hit the gas and ran right into me - I saw him at the very last second in my mirror but had no time to do any evasive actions. Pushed the rear bumper into both tires, blew out the back window, buckled the two back doors (one does not open), buckled the quarter panels, the back hatch opens-- but does not close properly, the trim inside is way out of whack, the inside storage compartment is whopper jawed now. I don't know if they will total it out, but I'm guessing they will.
> 
> ...


That's quite an ordeal to start a vacation, and a sunburn to boot! It's good to hear that you were seriously hurt and you're keeping a positive attitude. Hope you get to enjoy your class. That will certainly help release some tension.


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## ShannonRogers (Jan 11, 2008)

Betsy said:


> *Off to a rough start*
> 
> Well day one of my grand adventure did not go so well. Just got past Hope, Arkansas (for those not in know-that's President Bill Clinton's hometown)--going along nicely making good time. Then WHAMO - I got hit from behind. Mind you I was going just at 70 on cruise control! Guy behind me fell asleep (noon) and I guess he hit the gas and ran right into me - I saw him at the very last second in my mirror but had no time to do any evasive actions. Pushed the rear bumper into both tires, blew out the back window, buckled the two back doors (one does not open), buckled the quarter panels, the back hatch opens-- but does not close properly, the trim inside is way out of whack, the inside storage compartment is whopper jawed now. I don't know if they will total it out, but I'm guessing they will.
> 
> ...


Glad to hear you are ok. What a terrible way to start a vacation. I know that when sh&%*t happens to me like that, I want to go home and hang out in my shop to chill out. I hope you feel well enough to carry on with the class as it will be the best therapy you can ask for. Good luck and keep us posted.


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## Blake (Oct 17, 2007)

Betsy said:


> *Off to a rough start*
> 
> Well day one of my grand adventure did not go so well. Just got past Hope, Arkansas (for those not in know-that's President Bill Clinton's hometown)--going along nicely making good time. Then WHAMO - I got hit from behind. Mind you I was going just at 70 on cruise control! Guy behind me fell asleep (noon) and I guess he hit the gas and ran right into me - I saw him at the very last second in my mirror but had no time to do any evasive actions. Pushed the rear bumper into both tires, blew out the back window, buckled the two back doors (one does not open), buckled the quarter panels, the back hatch opens-- but does not close properly, the trim inside is way out of whack, the inside storage compartment is whopper jawed now. I don't know if they will total it out, but I'm guessing they will.
> 
> ...


So glad you weren't hurt. I hope you can get to your woodworking class… maybe it's just what you need to relax. Feel better and take it easy.


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## Betsy (Sep 25, 2007)

Betsy said:


> *Off to a rough start*
> 
> Well day one of my grand adventure did not go so well. Just got past Hope, Arkansas (for those not in know-that's President Bill Clinton's hometown)--going along nicely making good time. Then WHAMO - I got hit from behind. Mind you I was going just at 70 on cruise control! Guy behind me fell asleep (noon) and I guess he hit the gas and ran right into me - I saw him at the very last second in my mirror but had no time to do any evasive actions. Pushed the rear bumper into both tires, blew out the back window, buckled the two back doors (one does not open), buckled the quarter panels, the back hatch opens-- but does not close properly, the trim inside is way out of whack, the inside storage compartment is whopper jawed now. I don't know if they will total it out, but I'm guessing they will.
> 
> ...


Thanks guys. Sure is a bummer of a way to start. I guess we'll find out how much of a tough-old-bird that I really am!


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## Taigert (Nov 20, 2007)

Betsy said:


> *Off to a rough start*
> 
> Well day one of my grand adventure did not go so well. Just got past Hope, Arkansas (for those not in know-that's President Bill Clinton's hometown)--going along nicely making good time. Then WHAMO - I got hit from behind. Mind you I was going just at 70 on cruise control! Guy behind me fell asleep (noon) and I guess he hit the gas and ran right into me - I saw him at the very last second in my mirror but had no time to do any evasive actions. Pushed the rear bumper into both tires, blew out the back window, buckled the two back doors (one does not open), buckled the quarter panels, the back hatch opens-- but does not close properly, the trim inside is way out of whack, the inside storage compartment is whopper jawed now. I don't know if they will total it out, but I'm guessing they will.
> 
> ...


Betsy,
When we moved from Chicago to Seattle ten years ago, my wife drove our car and I drove the truck. We were at the seven mile mark west bound on I-80 at about 8:00 at night and a tractor trailer rear ended my wife. The State Trooper figured his speed to be over 100 mph. Some how my wife did not loose control. Our three year old son was in the back seat strpped into his car seat. Luckly like your accident no was hurt badly, just bruises and sore for awhile. It a scarry thing to be hit like that.
Thank God your OK,


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## Betsy (Sep 25, 2007)

*Made it to Berea!*

Well guys I've made it to the little town of Berea, Kentucky. The after effects of the accident are that I'm having muscle spasms and a headache but hopefully a good night's rest will help. I've decided that even if I can't fully participate in the class that it's worth being here to get what I can get out of it. The class is close enough to my hotel that if I start to not feel well I can go lay down.

So wish me luck! I'll try to take good notes and lots of pictures to share.


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## Russel (Aug 13, 2007)

Betsy said:


> *Made it to Berea!*
> 
> Well guys I've made it to the little town of Berea, Kentucky. The after effects of the accident are that I'm having muscle spasms and a headache but hopefully a good night's rest will help. I've decided that even if I can't fully participate in the class that it's worth being here to get what I can get out of it. The class is close enough to my hotel that if I start to not feel well I can go lay down.
> 
> So wish me luck! I'll try to take good notes and lots of pictures to share.


Good deal. Hopefully the class will be so engrossing that you won't notice any discomfort.


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## GaryK (Jun 25, 2007)

Betsy said:


> *Made it to Berea!*
> 
> Well guys I've made it to the little town of Berea, Kentucky. The after effects of the accident are that I'm having muscle spasms and a headache but hopefully a good night's rest will help. I've decided that even if I can't fully participate in the class that it's worth being here to get what I can get out of it. The class is close enough to my hotel that if I start to not feel well I can go lay down.
> 
> So wish me luck! I'll try to take good notes and lots of pictures to share.


Good luck, Betsy. You take it easy.


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## oakdust (Dec 15, 2007)

Betsy said:


> *Made it to Berea!*
> 
> Well guys I've made it to the little town of Berea, Kentucky. The after effects of the accident are that I'm having muscle spasms and a headache but hopefully a good night's rest will help. I've decided that even if I can't fully participate in the class that it's worth being here to get what I can get out of it. The class is close enough to my hotel that if I start to not feel well I can go lay down.
> 
> So wish me luck! I'll try to take good notes and lots of pictures to share.


Wow,,sorry to hear about your accident hope you'll be alright. I travel alot and seen a lot of crazy people out there. Good luck and hope the class goes well for you


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## sbryan55 (Dec 8, 2007)

Betsy said:


> *Made it to Berea!*
> 
> Well guys I've made it to the little town of Berea, Kentucky. The after effects of the accident are that I'm having muscle spasms and a headache but hopefully a good night's rest will help. I've decided that even if I can't fully participate in the class that it's worth being here to get what I can get out of it. The class is close enough to my hotel that if I start to not feel well I can go lay down.
> 
> So wish me luck! I'll try to take good notes and lots of pictures to share.


Good luck Betsy. I wish you nothing but the best. I hope you are able to enjoy the class.


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## Dorje (Jun 17, 2007)

Betsy said:


> *Made it to Berea!*
> 
> Well guys I've made it to the little town of Berea, Kentucky. The after effects of the accident are that I'm having muscle spasms and a headache but hopefully a good night's rest will help. I've decided that even if I can't fully participate in the class that it's worth being here to get what I can get out of it. The class is close enough to my hotel that if I start to not feel well I can go lay down.
> 
> So wish me luck! I'll try to take good notes and lots of pictures to share.


Wishing you luck! Have fun! You're certainly doing what many if us would love to do! You're in Berea!


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## Betsy (Sep 25, 2007)

*Day one of hand tool class*

Two miracles have happened first thing in this class. Miracle one is that I am not the only woman in this class!!!! Very odd occurrence. Miracle two is the other woman is an orthopedic surgeon! Just what I need. She's been very nice and has given me some tips on what to do to make my back feel better. So that's a blessing.

So onto the class.

This is Kelly - the school's owner. You can tell right off that he is a very nice man and runs a good school.



This is Deneb the instructor. Very nice, personable and obviously very informed about woodworking. He works at Lie Nelson but he is not pushing their tools - which is good.



Some points of interest that I learned today.

When tuning up a plane-start with the "Lillypad." Which is what Deneb calls the area of the plane where the frog sits. Make sure that everything that bears against one another is flat and smooth and that no gaps exist.

Once done with the lilly pad move onto the frog itself and clean it up and make sure there are no burrs, etc. that will get in the way of mating pieces.

Then onto the blade - back first then the front.

Then the chipbreaker-make sure there is no gap between the chip breaker and the back of the blade - any light/gap must be eliminated.

Put the plane back together and lap the sole flat. Then check the sides for square.

I'll get into a little more detail later… but onto sharpening which is the main reason I came for this class.

The first thing Deneb really brought home was that when he starts with a new blade - he starts by polishing it on an 8000 grit stone. Doing this will immediately bring out any defects and that allows you to know what you are going to have to do to get the blade flat and ready to sharpen.



He got into back bevels-- but I kind of zoned out about that time--but he talked about the ruler trick.





I'm going to have to ask about that again tomorrow - I'm still not feeling all that well and I kind of lost track of the lecture. Sorry guys---I'll try to get that information tomorrow and pass it on.

As to planes as a whole - the smaller the plane the more important it is that it is completely flat === a large jointer plane is not necessarily the one you want to spend all your time tuning up. The smaller the plane gets the more time you spend on it.

After the initial polishing on the 8000 grit, he moves on to 180, 220 and 400 grit paper on a granite surface. He works in a progression. 10 or so strokes on the 180, then 10 or so on the 220 and then 10 or so on the 400 - then back to the 180. He has a very good reason for this-- but I'll have to tell you later--another zone out time for me. Sorry guys.

One thing to remember is that the back of an iron/chisel or the sole of a plane can only be as flat as the surface that you are sharpening on.

Something else that sticks with me is that if you take a stroke with a plane and you don't get a shaving-- it may be the board and not the plane. If you have set the plane up for a light cut and you are sure it's set correctly and you still don't get a shaving - then go back to the last plane you used and rework the board. Then try again. Don't just assume you need to move your blade out further, it's probably that the board is not flat enough from the first plane.

Ok--so here are some pictures of the plane I am working on.

This shows me truing up the frog = the piece is sitting on the shooting board with 220 grip paper on both the top and lower level of the board. Using 3/4 material is perfect for this size piece and made quick work of cleaning it up.





Here's a shot of the other side cleaned up.



Here I wrapped a piece of adhesive paper around my frog and used this to clean out the body. It worked pretty well.





Now to put it back together.





Even at this early stage this plane looks better.

That's all I've got for today fellas. I'm afraid I did not take many notes, and even if I did, I've never been a good note taker.

More tomorrow.


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## teenagewoodworker (Jan 31, 2008)

Betsy said:


> *Day one of hand tool class*
> 
> Two miracles have happened first thing in this class. Miracle one is that I am not the only woman in this class!!!! Very odd occurrence. Miracle two is the other woman is an orthopedic surgeon! Just what I need. She's been very nice and has given me some tips on what to do to make my back feel better. So that's a blessing.
> 
> ...


sound like you had a very exciting day. I've always wanted to attend a woodworking meeting like that. maybe when i get my drivers license. thanks for the post and keep us updated.


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## Blake (Oct 17, 2007)

Betsy said:


> *Day one of hand tool class*
> 
> Two miracles have happened first thing in this class. Miracle one is that I am not the only woman in this class!!!! Very odd occurrence. Miracle two is the other woman is an orthopedic surgeon! Just what I need. She's been very nice and has given me some tips on what to do to make my back feel better. So that's a blessing.
> 
> ...


I'm so glad you made it to the show, Betsy. Thanks so much for sharing this class with us in so much detail.


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## Karson (May 9, 2006)

Betsy said:


> *Day one of hand tool class*
> 
> Two miracles have happened first thing in this class. Miracle one is that I am not the only woman in this class!!!! Very odd occurrence. Miracle two is the other woman is an orthopedic surgeon! Just what I need. She's been very nice and has given me some tips on what to do to make my back feel better. So that's a blessing.
> 
> ...


Thanks Betsy.

Sorry for your zoning out but I hope you fill in all of the blanks.

Nice work so far.


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## kem (Mar 21, 2008)

Betsy said:


> *Day one of hand tool class*
> 
> Two miracles have happened first thing in this class. Miracle one is that I am not the only woman in this class!!!! Very odd occurrence. Miracle two is the other woman is an orthopedic surgeon! Just what I need. She's been very nice and has given me some tips on what to do to make my back feel better. So that's a blessing.
> 
> ...


Awesome post! I've learned a lot just from reading it. I wish I was there.

I think the ruler trick is from David Charlesworth. I remember reading about it in "Hand Tool Essentials" which is a wealth of information. Using the trick puts a 1 degree back bevel on the flat side of the iron when honing.

I'm interested in the 180-220-400-180-... sharpening progression too. Does he do that to remove the scratch marks so you're not just scratching into the same grooves?


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## GaryK (Jun 25, 2007)

Betsy said:


> *Day one of hand tool class*
> 
> Two miracles have happened first thing in this class. Miracle one is that I am not the only woman in this class!!!! Very odd occurrence. Miracle two is the other woman is an orthopedic surgeon! Just what I need. She's been very nice and has given me some tips on what to do to make my back feel better. So that's a blessing.
> 
> ...


Very cool, Betsy. I'm looking forward to seeing more of this.


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## sbryan55 (Dec 8, 2007)

Betsy said:


> *Day one of hand tool class*
> 
> Two miracles have happened first thing in this class. Miracle one is that I am not the only woman in this class!!!! Very odd occurrence. Miracle two is the other woman is an orthopedic surgeon! Just what I need. She's been very nice and has given me some tips on what to do to make my back feel better. So that's a blessing.
> 
> ...


Betsy,

This is a pretty informative post. I am glad you made it as well. I am enjoying this as well.

Thanks for the post. I appreciate the effort you are putting into this.


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## saddlesore (Oct 17, 2007)

Betsy said:


> *Day one of hand tool class*
> 
> Two miracles have happened first thing in this class. Miracle one is that I am not the only woman in this class!!!! Very odd occurrence. Miracle two is the other woman is an orthopedic surgeon! Just what I need. She's been very nice and has given me some tips on what to do to make my back feel better. So that's a blessing.
> 
> ...


Good job Betsy! What a great way to recuperate! Keep the posts coming.


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## Dorje (Jun 17, 2007)

Betsy said:


> *Day one of hand tool class*
> 
> Two miracles have happened first thing in this class. Miracle one is that I am not the only woman in this class!!!! Very odd occurrence. Miracle two is the other woman is an orthopedic surgeon! Just what I need. She's been very nice and has given me some tips on what to do to make my back feel better. So that's a blessing.
> 
> ...


Keep up the good reporting! Fun stuff…

Thanks for sharing it!


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## woodworkersguide (Mar 7, 2008)

Betsy said:


> *Day one of hand tool class*
> 
> Two miracles have happened first thing in this class. Miracle one is that I am not the only woman in this class!!!! Very odd occurrence. Miracle two is the other woman is an orthopedic surgeon! Just what I need. She's been very nice and has given me some tips on what to do to make my back feel better. So that's a blessing.
> 
> ...


Thanks for keeping us up to date. Looking forward to more!


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## Russel (Aug 13, 2007)

Betsy said:


> *Day one of hand tool class*
> 
> Two miracles have happened first thing in this class. Miracle one is that I am not the only woman in this class!!!! Very odd occurrence. Miracle two is the other woman is an orthopedic surgeon! Just what I need. She's been very nice and has given me some tips on what to do to make my back feel better. So that's a blessing.
> 
> ...


Great post Betsy. As I'm just starting to work with hand planes, everything you write is educational for me. Thanks for your attention to detail.


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## AlNavas (Oct 16, 2007)

Betsy said:


> *Day one of hand tool class*
> 
> Two miracles have happened first thing in this class. Miracle one is that I am not the only woman in this class!!!! Very odd occurrence. Miracle two is the other woman is an orthopedic surgeon! Just what I need. She's been very nice and has given me some tips on what to do to make my back feel better. So that's a blessing.
> 
> ...


Betsy,

Thanks for the update - glad you made it to the seminar OK.

You are doing great! For a good laugh, look at my latest video , in which I flatten the workbench top using a #7 jointer plane and a #4-1/2 smoother. I managed to sharpen the irons OK, but my hand plane technique is less than admirable…


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## johnjoiner (Sep 28, 2007)

Betsy said:


> *Day one of hand tool class*
> 
> Two miracles have happened first thing in this class. Miracle one is that I am not the only woman in this class!!!! Very odd occurrence. Miracle two is the other woman is an orthopedic surgeon! Just what I need. She's been very nice and has given me some tips on what to do to make my back feel better. So that's a blessing.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the post Betsy.

But … they let two women into one class? What the heck?!? ;-)

I'm considering taking a class at Kelly's school next time I get enough $$ and vacation saved up. I'd be interested to hear your impressions of the school in general.


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## Taigert (Nov 20, 2007)

Betsy said:


> *Day one of hand tool class*
> 
> Two miracles have happened first thing in this class. Miracle one is that I am not the only woman in this class!!!! Very odd occurrence. Miracle two is the other woman is an orthopedic surgeon! Just what I need. She's been very nice and has given me some tips on what to do to make my back feel better. So that's a blessing.
> 
> ...


You need to make sure the other guys insurance pays you for your tuition!!
Your doing a great job of passing on the information.
I have never heard of the ruler trick before.
Good job, and Thank You,


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## Betsy (Sep 25, 2007)

*Day two ---- small shooting board with options and angle setting gizmo*

Another good day in the shop. I'm still not 100%, but am feeling better and participated more today.

One question that came up from yesterday's blog entry was why do the 180-220-400 then 180-220-400 sequence the way we did. The usual thought is to do one grit until you have consistent scratches over the entire surface. Deneb does 10 or so strokes on one grit then moves to the next working through 400 and then comes back to 180 and starts again. The rationale is that the more you work on one grit the more you work on the same scratches. When you finish your first round and start on the second round your scratches become less and less and that makes less work in the long run. It's hard to explain, obviously, but give it a try and you'll see how much faster it goes.

So today we started by continuing the work on the planes we have to fix. I'm at the point of flattening the sole of my 5 1/4 Stanley. As you can see I've got a long way to go.



I had to put this plane aside and work on some of my other blades so that I will be ready for tomorrow's class where we will actually plane some boards!!! But I've got a good start on this plane and I can tell you the blade is super sharp!

So today we spent a lot of time on doing a shooting board and a degree gizmo.

The shooting board is typical board that you have all seen. The difference in this board is that the fence is a small mitering station.



In this picture you can see where I have marked a 90 degree and two 45 degree cuts - these are not 100% accurate, but they are close to the neighborhood and you can use the shooting board to make them perfect.



The degree gizmo is the interesting feature for the day.

These are not dominos-- they are degree indicators.



You can see the steps on the board.



Each step relates to a 25, 30, 35, 40 and 45 degree bevel. They are screwed to the board. How you make this is by using a protractor and your bevel honing guide. (The little gray one).

In hindsight I should have taken a lot more pictures to explain this, but I'll do the best I can.

Set your protractor to whatever degree you want. Reference the edge of the protractor on the board and slide your blade (already situated in the guide) up to the protractor so that the iron is uptight to the protractor. Then tighten down the guide. Take the guide to your board and place the jig against the edge. Run a pencil line across the edge of the blade. This is where you place your degree stop. Now every time you need this particular degree - all you have to do is load your iron into the honing guide and run it up against the stop and like that you have the degrees set. Now you have to remember this is not a machinist's tool. You may be sitting at 24 or 26 degrees instead of 25. But you don't have to have that type of precision.

The other thing on this board is just a space to put your stones to sharpen with. It's probably not necessary but it's good use of space.



The other little trick on this board is the shim. Which I've not done yet. But what it is is a small 1/8" scape. For example - your primary bevel is 25, you do a secondary bevel at 30 then you put the shim in front of the 30 degree stop and that gives you the position for a tertiary bevel of 32 degrees. Pretty slick.

There is a cleat on the bottom of the board. You must inset the cleat a bit so that when you put your honing guide on the board's edge it does not end up referecing on the cleat instead.

The degrees on set with the iron in the top part of the honing guide. If you are using a chisel in the lower part of the guide the degree changes by 5. So 25 degrees is 20 and the 30 is now 25 degrees and so on.

Now as to the guide itself. Out of the box it's not perfect. Who knew! Deneb had us file down the guide. We did this because the guide has a tendency to push the iron up when you tighten it and then the blade can shift. So we filed down about 3/4 of each leg. What you end up with is filed portions and about 1/4 of the leg unfiled. Use a small square to check that the guide is flat. You should now not have any pushing up of the iron when you tighten it.

The part of the guide that holds the chisels also needs filed down a bit. But this is a little zone out time for me and I'm going to have to follow up on this part.

Deneb also gave us his thoughts on stone storage. He thinks that keeping the stones in water overnight is fine - but don't store them forever in water. This is defintely one of those opinion things. He feels that to store them constantly makes them soft and then they cut less efficiently.

Geez I wish I took more pictures.

Ok once you have the planes back together it is time to check your set up. When your plane is together sight down the body against a backdrop of white or light color which will bring out the blade to your eye. Don't put your fingers on the sides of the plane to hold the plane because your fingers will distract your eye.

Bring the blade up just slightly until you can just see it breaking the sole. Then look at it carefully to see that it is parallel to the mouth. If it is not parallel use your lateral adjustment to move it until you are sure its straight across the mouth.

Have the smallest mouth opening as possible.

To check your setup, use a small piece of popular. Stand it on edge and set the plane so that only one corner is going to cut. Make a test cut and note the size, shape and texture of the shaving. Then make a cut with the other corner. You should be able to see if there is any difference from one corner to the other. Make any adjustments necessary until both corners take off the same type of shaving.

Once sure, then take a full width shaving. If satisfied, move onto your project.

One tip Deneb gave us was in planing to flatten to a line. If you are trying to flatten a board - make a marking guage line - when you plane close to the line - it will start to feather out. When you see the feathers you know you are very, very close to flat.

Well that's all for now. I'll try to take more pictures tomorrow.


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## Karson (May 9, 2006)

Betsy said:


> *Day two ---- small shooting board with options and angle setting gizmo*
> 
> Another good day in the shop. I'm still not 100%, but am feeling better and participated more today.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the continuing blog.


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## kem (Mar 21, 2008)

Betsy said:


> *Day two ---- small shooting board with options and angle setting gizmo*
> 
> Another good day in the shop. I'm still not 100%, but am feeling better and participated more today.
> 
> ...


Thanks again for sharing all that you're learning! It's almost as good as being there.

The bevel setting blocks is a great idea. I've just been adjusting the iron projection using lines on a board. The blocks look like they'd be much more accurate.

Hope you're feeling better after the accident.


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## sbryan55 (Dec 8, 2007)

Betsy said:


> *Day two ---- small shooting board with options and angle setting gizmo*
> 
> Another good day in the shop. I'm still not 100%, but am feeling better and participated more today.
> 
> ...


Betsy,

Thanks for the update. This class sounds really interesting and it appears as if you are getting a lot of info out of it.

Enjoy and keep the updates coming.


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## GaryK (Jun 25, 2007)

Betsy said:


> *Day two ---- small shooting board with options and angle setting gizmo*
> 
> Another good day in the shop. I'm still not 100%, but am feeling better and participated more today.
> 
> ...


Lots of great info, Betsy!


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## Dorje (Jun 17, 2007)

Betsy said:


> *Day two ---- small shooting board with options and angle setting gizmo*
> 
> Another good day in the shop. I'm still not 100%, but am feeling better and participated more today.
> 
> ...


Mmm-hmmm! Good stuff…

Did you put camber on your irons or are they straight across?

Also, the stops you guys made will be accurate to set plane irons of the same (relative) thickness, but you'd need to make other stops for chisels, because their projection from the guide will be different, right? I could be thinking funny here, but I think the thickness of the tool makes a difference…


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## Taigert (Nov 20, 2007)

Betsy said:


> *Day two ---- small shooting board with options and angle setting gizmo*
> 
> Another good day in the shop. I'm still not 100%, but am feeling better and participated more today.
> 
> ...


Great advertising for Kellys school.
Its a lot of information to remember by the sounds of it,


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## Betsy (Sep 25, 2007)

*Day three ----- planes, chisels, sharpening..... lots of shavings*

Having trouble staying on the net. But will try to load the few pictures that will explain a little of yesterdays classes.

Setting angles for chisels and plane irons-- set your protractor to angle desired.



Set protractor on edge of board/flat surface



Slide the chisel/plane iron, which has been loaded into the edge guide up to the protractor's blade.



This next picture shows the edge guide with the filing done on the top. You can see it's only the middle portion that has been filed.



I'm going to post this and then do another post so that I get this on before I get punted off the net. Stay tuned-- had a lot to cover today!


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## Taigert (Nov 20, 2007)

Betsy said:


> *Day three ----- planes, chisels, sharpening..... lots of shavings*
> 
> Having trouble staying on the net. But will try to load the few pictures that will explain a little of yesterdays classes.
> 
> ...


now it make sense what you were trying to explain whaen talking about the board


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## Betsy (Sep 25, 2007)

*Day three -- 2nd entry.*

A quick summary----*FUN, FUN, FUN, FUN, FUN, FUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!*

Worked a lot on chisels today. I'm having to apologize again for not taking pictures-- I got caught up in the doing and not the documenting. Sorry.

Chisels-- usually only get a primary and a secondary bevel. Generally not necessary to do a tertiary bevel. If you need a bigger cut, go to a steeper angle.

The* whole* back of the chisel needs to be flat-- not just the first 1 or 2 inches. This is because if you are paring and you hit the portion of the blade that has not been flattened - it will kick the blade up and cause a deeper than intended cut. So best to just go ahead and flatten the whole back.

Use the same 180-200-400 grit sequence as we did on the plane irons. Once you get through this series - check your work on the 8000 grit stone. If it looks like it needs more work - go to the 4000 grit stone and finish up on it.

The secondary bevel can be done on the 8000 grit stone - only a couple of strokes is necessary. Be sure to take off the small burr.

You need to be sure that the small line you get with the secondary bevel is straight across the bevel. If it is skewed then you have not properly ground the blade and it may be out of square. That's not always a problem - but best be square than not.

Back to plane irons now.

There are five points to a plane iron. The center/middle, two corners and two 1/3 distance points.

To camber an iron-work on the 1000 grit stone. Determine the amount of camber you want to get. (Do not work the middle of the blade on the 1000 grit stone.) First load up the iron in your guide - putting more pressure on one corner make about 8-10 strokes. Then put the same amount of pressure on the opposite corner and take the same number of strokes. Then move to one of the 1/3 distance points and run the same number of strokes-do the same on the 2nd 1/3 distance point.

Move to the 8000 grit stone. Remove the burr made on the 1000 grit stone.

Start in the center/middle of the blade and do 1/2 the number of strokes you did on the 1000 grit stone. Then do the same number on each corner than each 1/3 distance point.

Finish with the ruler trick.

Deneb does NOT camber most of his blades. He takes such light cuts that he does not feel it is necessary. But this is one of those opinion things--everyone has their own thoughts.

If you are finishing with a shaving of 1/2000 shaving then no camber is really necessary.

A camber is easier to push than a straight blade.

Different thicknesses of shavings require a different camber.

The camber radius must equal the amounf of blade exposed or you will get a rut in the work piece.

Need a heavier radius on a low angle blade.

On your plane sole if you have knicks on the edges this will show up in your work piece. Use a small diamond hone to just swipe them over the edge to clean it up.

if you have a scratch on the sole itself, use a scotch pad to clean up the burr on the end of the scratch.

use parafin or wax on the bottom of the sole to make it run smoother.

Camillia oil does not soak in and poses no problems with any finish.

Cupping is easier to flatten than a crown.

A tooth blade can go in any direction and is a good choice for highly figured woods.

Tool bench height for planing should be at your finger tip level when your arm is hanging at your side.

Set up your plane for the expected cut. If you don't get that expected cut, it's the board and not the tool. (Provided, of course, that you really did set up the tool correctly.)

For end grain (i.e. in cutting boards), use a 40 degree or less working angle.

If done properly a planed board is best finished with an oil finish.

Deneb uses a mixture of water lox, mineral spirits and tung oil (in 3 equal parts) on his plane-finished pieces.

Well - that's about it for now.

This class/school is a definite must do.

Oh - and one question yesterday was about the angle set up gizmo. Yes-- the angle is different based on the thickness of each blade. But this gizmo is a in-the-neighborhood set up. To get the exact angle you want for each blade, you really need to use the protractor each time.

Thanks for taking a look at my blog.


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## sbryan55 (Dec 8, 2007)

Betsy said:


> *Day three -- 2nd entry.*
> 
> A quick summary----*FUN, FUN, FUN, FUN, FUN, FUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!*
> 
> ...


Thanks for sharing this Betsy. It does sound like you are enjoying yourself.


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## Dorje (Jun 17, 2007)

Betsy said:


> *Day three -- 2nd entry.*
> 
> A quick summary----*FUN, FUN, FUN, FUN, FUN, FUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!*
> 
> ...


Who needs exact angles anyway! Hey - you really documented quite a lot here and I'm really glad that you were so immersed in the day that you forgot to take pics…


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## Taigert (Nov 20, 2007)

Betsy said:


> *Day three -- 2nd entry.*
> 
> A quick summary----*FUN, FUN, FUN, FUN, FUN, FUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!*
> 
> ...


doing great at passing on the info


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## Betsy (Sep 25, 2007)

*It's been an expensive day!*

Well, I came to this class to learn to sharpen my plane irons and chisels. I'm leaving with a whole lot more! I've become convinced that my plane selection is no where near what it should be to do the things that I want to do and do them well. So I've purchased a few planes. But, and this I find amusing, the thing that I think I have found that I needed the most was a shop apron. I've never used one - but Kelly gave me one to try out to see if I'd like it because I was commenting on how nasty my tee shirt was getting from the water stones. Well, I am convinced a shop apron is a must have. It's just easier to have pockets. I've not lost my pencil all week!

Another thing we've discussed is how dirty water stones are. Oil stones are dirty and everyone knows that. But I've always considered water stones to be clean--it's water right? Well, the black on my hands will tell you that the slurry from water stones can be very dirty. My fingernails have never looked this nasty. But it's worth it because I've learned to appreciate a sharp tool and I can get that now. I think though that I might invest in some of those latex surgical gloves to wear when I'm doing some serious sharpening - as I don't like that dirt!

Today's class centered on flattening a board and straightening an edge. Who knew this was so easy. NOT! There are a ton of variables that you have to keep in mind as you run a plane across a board. I zoned out a couple of times during the lecture part as I'm still having back issues and distractions from phone calls about my car.

One of the smartest things you can do if you are going to work from rough lumber is get a good scrub plane. I borrowed a classmate's scrub plane and managed to get the roughness out in about 3 minutes flat (the board is about 10 wide and about 15 long). Three minutes is a pretty long time, a person who has practiced a bit could probably cut that down by half.

Long and short though you don't have to have every plane on earth to do what you want to do. If you have only a few planes you can make them do what you want - you just have to learn to compensate for the shortcomings of the plane. For instance I don't have a jointer, but I can use my 5 1/4 junior jack as long as I learn to read the board and take my time. I've gotten good results from the 5 1/4, that old thing really cleaned up well and it's performed better than some of the other planes in class. So it was a good Ebay buy.

We spent a lot of time talking about crowns and cups in a board and how to take them out and even how to add a cup. We also learned to do a spring joint that is amazing. I'm going to have to sit down and rewrite my notes so I can give them to you in a coherent fashion. Hopefully I'll do that soon. Right now though, I'm bushed and am going to rest.

If you have ever thought of going to a woodworking school as a vacation destination. I will give you the two thumbs up for Kelly's school. It's been amazing.

Happy shavings!


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## AlNavas (Oct 16, 2007)

Betsy said:


> *It's been an expensive day!*
> 
> Well, I came to this class to learn to sharpen my plane irons and chisels. I'm leaving with a whole lot more! I've become convinced that my plane selection is no where near what it should be to do the things that I want to do and do them well. So I've purchased a few planes. But, and this I find amusing, the thing that I think I have found that I needed the most was a shop apron. I've never used one - but Kelly gave me one to try out to see if I'd like it because I was commenting on how nasty my tee shirt was getting from the water stones. Well, I am convinced a shop apron is a must have. It's just easier to have pockets. I've not lost my pencil all week!
> 
> ...


Betsy,

All I can say is: *TERRIFIC!!!*

It is terrific that you made it to the class.

It is terrific you have enjoy it so much.

It is terrific you had a chance to get your nails dirty - soooo very dirty!

WOW! How cool can this be? I might plan on doing it, too, as I need help with my hand tools. Thanks!


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## sbryan55 (Dec 8, 2007)

Betsy said:


> *It's been an expensive day!*
> 
> Well, I came to this class to learn to sharpen my plane irons and chisels. I'm leaving with a whole lot more! I've become convinced that my plane selection is no where near what it should be to do the things that I want to do and do them well. So I've purchased a few planes. But, and this I find amusing, the thing that I think I have found that I needed the most was a shop apron. I've never used one - but Kelly gave me one to try out to see if I'd like it because I was commenting on how nasty my tee shirt was getting from the water stones. Well, I am convinced a shop apron is a must have. It's just easier to have pockets. I've not lost my pencil all week!
> 
> ...


Betsy,

It sounds as if this opportunity was well worth the trials that you went through to get there. Your signature line speaks volumes on this.

Thanks for inviting us along on this journey.


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## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

Betsy said:


> *It's been an expensive day!*
> 
> Well, I came to this class to learn to sharpen my plane irons and chisels. I'm leaving with a whole lot more! I've become convinced that my plane selection is no where near what it should be to do the things that I want to do and do them well. So I've purchased a few planes. But, and this I find amusing, the thing that I think I have found that I needed the most was a shop apron. I've never used one - but Kelly gave me one to try out to see if I'd like it because I was commenting on how nasty my tee shirt was getting from the water stones. Well, I am convinced a shop apron is a must have. It's just easier to have pockets. I've not lost my pencil all week!
> 
> ...


Betsy,

Sounds great! Thanks for sharing your odyssey and experiences. I met Kelly last fall when he did a lecture for our woodworing club. He's a very nice guy and I bet he runs a good school.

Hope you start feeling better from the car mishap.


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## jockmike2 (Oct 10, 2006)

Betsy said:


> *It's been an expensive day!*
> 
> Well, I came to this class to learn to sharpen my plane irons and chisels. I'm leaving with a whole lot more! I've become convinced that my plane selection is no where near what it should be to do the things that I want to do and do them well. So I've purchased a few planes. But, and this I find amusing, the thing that I think I have found that I needed the most was a shop apron. I've never used one - but Kelly gave me one to try out to see if I'd like it because I was commenting on how nasty my tee shirt was getting from the water stones. Well, I am convinced a shop apron is a must have. It's just easier to have pockets. I've not lost my pencil all week!
> 
> ...


Nice series Betsy, sounds like you learned a lot under difficult circumustances. Kudos. Very enlightening series. Thank you. mike


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## teenagewoodworker (Jan 31, 2008)

Betsy said:


> *It's been an expensive day!*
> 
> Well, I came to this class to learn to sharpen my plane irons and chisels. I'm leaving with a whole lot more! I've become convinced that my plane selection is no where near what it should be to do the things that I want to do and do them well. So I've purchased a few planes. But, and this I find amusing, the thing that I think I have found that I needed the most was a shop apron. I've never used one - but Kelly gave me one to try out to see if I'd like it because I was commenting on how nasty my tee shirt was getting from the water stones. Well, I am convinced a shop apron is a must have. It's just easier to have pockets. I've not lost my pencil all week!
> 
> ...


this sound like such a wonderful experience, and you must be having a great time. I agree with you about not having enough hand tools. I'm just putting it off because i know I'll get those Lie-Nielsen's that I've always wanted, lol! thanks for sharing.


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## motthunter (Dec 31, 2007)

Betsy said:


> *It's been an expensive day!*
> 
> Well, I came to this class to learn to sharpen my plane irons and chisels. I'm leaving with a whole lot more! I've become convinced that my plane selection is no where near what it should be to do the things that I want to do and do them well. So I've purchased a few planes. But, and this I find amusing, the thing that I think I have found that I needed the most was a shop apron. I've never used one - but Kelly gave me one to try out to see if I'd like it because I was commenting on how nasty my tee shirt was getting from the water stones. Well, I am convinced a shop apron is a must have. It's just easier to have pockets. I've not lost my pencil all week!
> 
> ...


i plan to have a woodworking vacation this year too. I am excited about it. I plan to build a Maloof style rocker in Utah.


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## JohnGray (Oct 6, 2007)

Betsy said:


> *It's been an expensive day!*
> 
> Well, I came to this class to learn to sharpen my plane irons and chisels. I'm leaving with a whole lot more! I've become convinced that my plane selection is no where near what it should be to do the things that I want to do and do them well. So I've purchased a few planes. But, and this I find amusing, the thing that I think I have found that I needed the most was a shop apron. I've never used one - but Kelly gave me one to try out to see if I'd like it because I was commenting on how nasty my tee shirt was getting from the water stones. Well, I am convinced a shop apron is a must have. It's just easier to have pockets. I've not lost my pencil all week!
> 
> ...


Thanks for the great posts!!! Please keep them coming.


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## johnjoiner (Sep 28, 2007)

Betsy said:


> *It's been an expensive day!*
> 
> Well, I came to this class to learn to sharpen my plane irons and chisels. I'm leaving with a whole lot more! I've become convinced that my plane selection is no where near what it should be to do the things that I want to do and do them well. So I've purchased a few planes. But, and this I find amusing, the thing that I think I have found that I needed the most was a shop apron. I've never used one - but Kelly gave me one to try out to see if I'd like it because I was commenting on how nasty my tee shirt was getting from the water stones. Well, I am convinced a shop apron is a must have. It's just easier to have pockets. I've not lost my pencil all week!
> 
> ...


Sounds like a great time Betsy.

But you really left us poor readers hanging by not telling us WHAT PLANES DID YOU BUY? 

I'm hoping to take Brian Bogg's two-week chair class at Mehler's school if the class is offered there again next year.


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## Betsy (Sep 25, 2007)

Betsy said:


> *It's been an expensive day!*
> 
> Well, I came to this class to learn to sharpen my plane irons and chisels. I'm leaving with a whole lot more! I've become convinced that my plane selection is no where near what it should be to do the things that I want to do and do them well. So I've purchased a few planes. But, and this I find amusing, the thing that I think I have found that I needed the most was a shop apron. I've never used one - but Kelly gave me one to try out to see if I'd like it because I was commenting on how nasty my tee shirt was getting from the water stones. Well, I am convinced a shop apron is a must have. It's just easier to have pockets. I've not lost my pencil all week!
> 
> ...


thanks guys. I appreciate your taking the time to read my blog. I've had a good time doing it.

Motthunter - I'm jealous - I'd really enjoy making a Maloof style rocker-but that's a bit more than I think I could do. I hope you blog about it so we can enjoy it with you.

John - I hear Brian Boggs is a great teacher and gives a good class. Hope you get to do it.


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## Taigert (Nov 20, 2007)

Betsy said:


> *It's been an expensive day!*
> 
> Well, I came to this class to learn to sharpen my plane irons and chisels. I'm leaving with a whole lot more! I've become convinced that my plane selection is no where near what it should be to do the things that I want to do and do them well. So I've purchased a few planes. But, and this I find amusing, the thing that I think I have found that I needed the most was a shop apron. I've never used one - but Kelly gave me one to try out to see if I'd like it because I was commenting on how nasty my tee shirt was getting from the water stones. Well, I am convinced a shop apron is a must have. It's just easier to have pockets. I've not lost my pencil all week!
> 
> ...


Its been a blast thank You,


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## Betsy (Sep 25, 2007)

*Final day ---- always a sad day..... *

Well guys today was the final day of our hand tools class. I must say this is the day I like the least when I take classes because that means I must leave new friends and head back to the real world.

Before I get into today's class though I wanted to make sure that I tell you all that if you ever want to go to a good school with good people, Kelly Mehler's is the place to go. That's not saying other schools are not good, but I throughly enjoyed the atmosphere, the people, the food and, of course, the class. I plan to make this a woodworking destination in the future-- so maybe I'll meet you there!

One question from yesterday's blog was what planes did I buy? I got the 102 Iron low angle block plane that fits my hand to a tee and the 62 low angle jack plane which is heavy and works wonders on the shooting board. It's going to be hard to wait for these to come, but the wait will be worth it.

Today's class was a wrap up day. The project, which, of course, was not the object of the class, but everyone needs a project was a long grain cutting board with bread board ends. The main emphasis of the class was to learn sharpening and the cutting board was just gravy. Of course, the project focused us on using the skills we learned to make it.

One thing I found quite neat was the fact that now that I'm working with a very sharp blade, I'm not stopping to sharpen that often. It's amazing how long a blade will stay sharp when it's been sharpened correctly in the first place.

We actually started the cutting board yesterday and worked on it today. Yesterday we managed to get the two boards flattened and glued up. Deneb taught us how to do a spring joint. This is one joint that I really never understood exactly. But now that I've done it, I wonder why I could not see its value before.

How we were shown to do the joint was (and I am sure my explanation will be lacking - but I'll do the best I can) to do this on the shooting board.

First - get as straight an edge as possible. I've always thought that you needed to keep the board's edge tight to the edge of the shooting board with just a little hang over to be planed off. Deneb does not do that. He lets the board hand over about 3/8 to 1/2" and shoots it until he gets a uniform shaving across the length. After he gets that he does a stop cut. You do this by placing the plane's blade about 1/2" from the end and planing to about 1/2" from the opposite end. You continue shooting like this until you get no more shavings. Then you take a full length pass on the board. You should get a shaving that heavy at the start, gets skinnier as you go and then thickens out again. This will create a "spring." If done properly, you should be able to put your two boards together and when moving them against one another should feel a resistance, or friction, at both ends but the boards should have no friction in the middle. You may see a small amount of light in the middle, but not necessarily. If you see a little light that's ok.

Before I forget to do the spring joint - first position your boards how you would like them to be in the finished stage. Then draw a triangle across the width - flip the right hand board over onto the left hand board so that the two parts of the triangle are now laying facing each other. It's like folding a towel--both parts of the triangle are on the same side, but facing each other. That's the side that you will joint. When you "unfold" the joint the joint will come together smoothly. Any error in degrees, will cancel each other out.

I'm about to time out on my internet connection. Will continue this is another entry.


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## Taigert (Nov 20, 2007)

Betsy said:


> *Final day ---- always a sad day..... *
> 
> Well guys today was the final day of our hand tools class. I must say this is the day I like the least when I take classes because that means I must leave new friends and head back to the real world.
> 
> ...


If seen that done for making the back board for a guitar


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## Betsy (Sep 25, 2007)

*Final day - second entry*

Sorry for the interruption - I'm on a timed system at the hotel.

Back to the spring joint. The spring joint makes for an almost invisible glue joint. I'm sure someone else can explain why this joint works so well, but I can tell you it works. I've made plenty of panels without spring joints and I have spent countless hours trying to clean them up. I've got an invisible joint on this board and spent about five minutes cleaning up the board as a whole.

After gluing we worked on completing the flattening process. Takes no time at all when you use a good jointer plane. But if you don't have a jointer you can still do it, you just need to make the planes you have work. I took the opportunity to use a jointer plane (a Lie Nielson No. 7) and was amazed how simple it was. The length of the plane gives you a lot of bearing surface which allows the plane to ride over the board hitting and cleaning off the high spots. A shorter plane will not ride as well and can actually dip into the low spots making them worse than when you start. So while you can flatten a board with a No. 5, it's not as easy. So if you can afford to get a jointer plane - do it!

We have a few boards in the class that had twist. That's where two opposite corners are higher than the other two corners. You correct this by planing diagonally across the two high corners. Take a couple of light passes on the high side, then take a pass on the two low corners. You should see a light "x" across the board - this will help you see where the most planing needs to take place. As you plane, check your progress often by running the edge of the plane across the board-if you tilt the plane a little so that a shadow is formed that really helps to see the high/low spots. (The light showing through shows the low spots.)

Once you feel the board is flat start the smoothing process with a smoothing plane. I used the No. 4 and was really pleased with the outcome. Be sure to use overlapping passes, like mowing the yard. The over lapping will even out the smoothing process and alleviate the tracks. Deneb does not usually camber his blades to avoid tracks. He takes lighter passes so the camber is not necessary. This goes against conventional thought - but it works.

We moved on after the flattening and smoothing to laying out our tenons for the bread board ends. We sped this process up by cutting the main tenon on the shaper. The design of this board uses "haunched tenons." I've not done one of these before and it's a bit intimidating until you have someone explain it to you. I'm going to have to go through my notes to make sense of this, but its cool. I promise you that I'll get to this when I get home.

Rats-- going to time out on my connection. Will finish up in another entry.


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## Betsy (Sep 25, 2007)

*Final day - third, and final entry*

Sorry for that second interruption. I've never been at a hotel with a timed system - but it is what it is.

The bread board ends are designed with three tenons/mortises that are "haunched." I kind of fizzled out when we got to this point so I did not get this accomplished. Just plane tuckered out. I'll do this at home and take pictures to explain it as I'm sure pictures will do more to explain than anything I can write.

One thing that was brought home when we were flattening boards was that the workbench cannot be counted on to be perfectly flat unless you did it yourself and are sure it is truly flat. For that reason, you need to find the edge of the board that may rock and support it by using a wedge under the edge. If you don't wedge the edge and make it steady on the bench any planing will be pretty much wasted because as you move the plane across the board, it will not get a consistent cut because the board will flex under its weight. So be sure that you wedge the board if it needs it.

Deneb explained that he almost always does a draw bore joint on any tenon joint. I can't explain this very well but basically you fit your mortise and tenon to fit, then you take the joint apart-- drill a hole (this size of your peg) through the mortise. Then put the joint back together, mark the center of the hole (we used a brad point bit to mark the center). Then take the joint back apart and on the tenon that you just marked locate the tip of the drill bit about 1/16" in toward the shoulder. This will make an offset hole when the joint is put back together. This offset is what makes this joint work. When you put in your peg, the peg forces the two pieces tightly together. It is a few extra steps in the process but it works great.

The wood you should use for a peg should be a good flexible straight grained wood. White oak is a good choice.

Deneb showed us how he makes his pegs. He starts with a cut off piece of scrap and instead of cutting it to size - he "rives" it with a chisel. This is basically the same as taking an ax to a log to split it down it's length. Doing this allows the wood to naturally split along the grain. He rives it to about the size he needs then knocks off the square corners with a block plane to runs this piece through a doweling jig. Makes a perfect dowel.

Well that's about all I can think of for now. When I get home I'm going to try to reproduce what we did in class and will take more pictures of it. It was hard to take pictures and notes at the same time.

Hope you enjoyed my blog about my vacation.

By the way the insurance company finally called today and they are going to total out the car. So I will have to start looking for a new ride. The good news is I'm feeling better. Back still hurts a bit, but I think it'll go away.

Thanks again for all your comments and encouragement.

Until next time.


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## AlNavas (Oct 16, 2007)

Betsy said:


> *Final day - third, and final entry*
> 
> Sorry for that second interruption. I've never been at a hotel with a timed system - but it is what it is.
> 
> ...


Betsy,

Thanks for taking us along on your wonderful adventure this week!!!

I hated to learn about the car being totalled - but I am so glad you ARE fine. And I am also especially glad you were able to make it through the entire week, after such an iffy start.

Have a safe trip home. I look forward to reading the remaining entries about your wonderful vacation. Have a great holiday weekend!


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## Dorje (Jun 17, 2007)

Betsy said:


> *Final day - third, and final entry*
> 
> Sorry for that second interruption. I've never been at a hotel with a timed system - but it is what it is.
> 
> ...


Loved the blog - thanks for keeping it up and for sharing so much of your experience with us!


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## sbryan55 (Dec 8, 2007)

Betsy said:


> *Final day - third, and final entry*
> 
> Sorry for that second interruption. I've never been at a hotel with a timed system - but it is what it is.
> 
> ...


Betsy,

Thanks for sharing this with us. I wish I could have been there with you but your series aptly described the class in detail. I am sure you had fun and learned some wonderful techniques from the class. A "woodworking vacation" fully describes this class.

Well done and now let's put what you learned into practice. That is the surest way to retain the techniques and info to which you were presented.

I am glad to hear that you are feeling better and treat yourself to something nice when you go car shopping.


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## teenagewoodworker (Jan 31, 2008)

Betsy said:


> *Final day - third, and final entry*
> 
> Sorry for that second interruption. I've never been at a hotel with a timed system - but it is what it is.
> 
> ...


thanks for sharing Betsy, I've learned a lot from your posts over this past week. keep up the great work and all the great posts.


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## FatherHooligan (Mar 27, 2008)

Betsy said:


> *Final day - third, and final entry*
> 
> Sorry for that second interruption. I've never been at a hotel with a timed system - but it is what it is.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the posts Betsy, I've really enjoyed them. Hope the car shopping goes well, glad to hear you are feeling better.


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## Betsy (Sep 25, 2007)

*Full circle*

I know that some of you have been following my "adventure" of a woodworking vacation which started with a car accident. Well tonight I've put it to rest and bought a replacement car. I had forgotten how horribly boring and draining looking for a car was. I'm glad it's not something I experience every day.

I was leaning toward the Honda Civic Coupe-- but after driving it, I did not like how it felt or how small I felt behind the wheel. So in the end I settled on a Honda Fit. It's actually a pretty cute little car. It has just about as much hauling room as my Santa Fe when I put the seats down which solves my issue of finding a car that I could also haul the occasional lumber purchases home in. Also, I've been having trouble getting in and out of my Santa Fe because of my legs so this car solves that problem as well as it is lower to the ground. I would have kept my Santa Fe until it fell apart despite the issue of getting in and out--just because I hate to trade in a perfectly good car. I guess this is one of those little things that you try to use to convince yourself that things happen for a reason.

So thanks for following along and sending along encouragement---I'm just glad this part is over!


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## Taigert (Nov 20, 2007)

Betsy said:


> *Full circle*
> 
> I know that some of you have been following my "adventure" of a woodworking vacation which started with a car accident. Well tonight I've put it to rest and bought a replacement car. I had forgotten how horribly boring and draining looking for a car was. I'm glad it's not something I experience every day.
> 
> ...


Betsy,
With gas a $4.00 a gallon, I wish I had a Honda Fit. I comute 41 miles round trip to school right now. I go both ways in rush hour traffic so I get really poor mpg's it takes close to 4 gallons, $16.00 a day. It's killing me! When I stsrt school it was only a little over $2.00 a gallon. To take the bus is $3.50 each way, and 2 hours plus 1/2 mile of walking. that makes for a long day. I'll see what it's like in Sept. when we go back. there are only two more weeks left before the end of the quarter.
How are you feeling since the accident?
Are having fun with your new planes?
I have the Low Angle Jack Plane and I love using it. I bought a RH Scew Plane and hardly ever use my LA Block plane any more.
I love hand tools
Enjoy and be Safe,


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## sbryan55 (Dec 8, 2007)

Betsy said:


> *Full circle*
> 
> I know that some of you have been following my "adventure" of a woodworking vacation which started with a car accident. Well tonight I've put it to rest and bought a replacement car. I had forgotten how horribly boring and draining looking for a car was. I'm glad it's not something I experience every day.
> 
> ...


Congrats on the new car, Betsy. I agree that shopping for one is definately not as interesting as browsing a Woodcraft store but it is one of those annoyances that we have to put up with from time to time.

Have fun.


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## HokieMojo (Mar 11, 2008)

Betsy said:


> *Full circle*
> 
> I know that some of you have been following my "adventure" of a woodworking vacation which started with a car accident. Well tonight I've put it to rest and bought a replacement car. I had forgotten how horribly boring and draining looking for a car was. I'm glad it's not something I experience every day.
> 
> ...


I like that you pointed out that you can use that car to occasionally haul lumber. I can fit a sheet of plywood (if it's cut in 1/2 lengthwise) into my honda civic and have fit over 9ft long boards in there as well without anything hanging out the back/windows. People don't realize how much can fit into a car and taht pick-ups/large SUVs are not necessecary for most (I realize many people do in fact need them though). I'm glad you like your car. I've heard they are quite nice little machines.


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## Betsy (Sep 25, 2007)

*Starting to plan my next vacation.*

Considering that my last two woodworking vacations have had more excitement than I anticipated - I begin the process of planning my next vacation with a little trepidation. Don't tell my boss about this--he's told me I can't take another vacation because I always get in trouble! So - mums the word!

I am thinking of doing another hand tool class or a rocking chair class. I'm starting to gather up some information and pricing hotels, etc. I'm also looking into purchasing a large volume of bubble wrap to put around my car in hopes of avoiding a repeat of last years debacle. So if anyone can get me a good deal on that - let me know. 

My thoughts on the different types of classes kind of falls around the transportation issue. If I take a hand tools class - I'd want to take my tools along. I would not want to ship them - so I'd have to drive. If I take a projects based class - then I think I would fly or take a bus to the school. (Yes - I love bus trips - you meet a lot of interesting people and see places you would not normally see when you are driving.) Most schools offer to ship whatever project you are making - it's expensive - but it could be worth it.

Another consideration is that my nephew graduates from high school this spring. So I'm thinking that maybe I could find a school along the route to Fargo. Then I could schedule a class for before or after graduation.

My last thought is to stay home for the week's time and do nothing but DVD's and play with the dog. But that sounds kind of boring - but would sure be cheaper!

As I gather up information, I'll try to share what I find out in hopes that I can spark your interest in this type of vacation.


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## Sac (Jun 14, 2008)

Betsy said:


> *Starting to plan my next vacation.*
> 
> Considering that my last two woodworking vacations have had more excitement than I anticipated - I begin the process of planning my next vacation with a little trepidation. Don't tell my boss about this--he's told me I can't take another vacation because I always get in trouble! So - mums the word!
> 
> ...


A woodworking vacation. that sounds interesting. Let us know what you choose.


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## JohnGray (Oct 6, 2007)

Betsy said:


> *Starting to plan my next vacation.*
> 
> Considering that my last two woodworking vacations have had more excitement than I anticipated - I begin the process of planning my next vacation with a little trepidation. Don't tell my boss about this--he's told me I can't take another vacation because I always get in trouble! So - mums the word!
> 
> ...


Betsy here are a couple of schools to look at.

This one includes meals and lodging in the class fee. http://chairwright.com/turningtuition.html

And this school has great classes. http://www.marcadams.com/


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## Betsy (Sep 25, 2007)

Betsy said:


> *Starting to plan my next vacation.*
> 
> Considering that my last two woodworking vacations have had more excitement than I anticipated - I begin the process of planning my next vacation with a little trepidation. Don't tell my boss about this--he's told me I can't take another vacation because I always get in trouble! So - mums the word!
> 
> ...


Thanks John. Those both look good.

I wonder about Marc Adams' school. I've heard great things about the classes, but I've also heard that the classes are large and you don't get much one on one teacher/student contact. Have you heard anything like that?

I have heard really good things about Marc's videos. I've read quite a few articles he's written and he is pretty good.


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## 8iowa (Feb 7, 2008)

Betsy said:


> *Starting to plan my next vacation.*
> 
> Considering that my last two woodworking vacations have had more excitement than I anticipated - I begin the process of planning my next vacation with a little trepidation. Don't tell my boss about this--he's told me I can't take another vacation because I always get in trouble! So - mums the word!
> 
> ...


Betsy:

My son-in-law took the segmented bowl class at the Marc Adams school three years ago. His instructor was the author/artist Malcom Tibbets, and my so-in-law was very pleased with the level of instruction. This school of course is located just South of Indianapolis. If you go this route, you will also want to take in the Frank Miller Lumber Company in Union City IN/OH. This is one of the top mills in the country for domestic and exotic woods. It is located about 25 miles North of I 70 at my old home town, Richmond IN. Frank Miller is a real woodworker's "candy store".


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## Ekim (Dec 10, 2008)

Betsy said:


> *Starting to plan my next vacation.*
> 
> Considering that my last two woodworking vacations have had more excitement than I anticipated - I begin the process of planning my next vacation with a little trepidation. Don't tell my boss about this--he's told me I can't take another vacation because I always get in trouble! So - mums the word!
> 
> ...


Betsy,
Take a look at my website for Mike Siemsen's School of Woodworking I am not that far off of the path between Fargo and Texas. Just take Hwy 35 North! Good luck with your vacation planning.
Mike


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## Betsy (Sep 25, 2007)

*Dovetail vacation*

In a couple of weeks I get to take part in a week of dovetailing with Frank Klauz at Kelly Mehler's School of Woodworking in Berea, Kentucky. I could not believe my luck when I saw that Frank's class still had a spot in it when I finally decided I could do a school this year. I've understood that Frank is a wonderful teacher and is a joy to just talk to. Besides hoping to learn a little woodworking, I'm very hopeful that I'll get a chance to hear Frank talk a little bit about how the apprenticeship program worked when he was a kid. It's a good chance to learn a little history first hand.

In anticipation of the class I thought I'd open up this blog to possible questions you might have that I may be able to squeeze into the conversation with Frank.

I'm sure I'll be blogging about the class - and will try to include any answers I may get.


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## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

Betsy said:


> *Dovetail vacation*
> 
> In a couple of weeks I get to take part in a week of dovetailing with Frank Klauz at Kelly Mehler's School of Woodworking in Berea, Kentucky. I could not believe my luck when I saw that Frank's class still had a spot in it when I finally decided I could do a school this year. I've understood that Frank is a wonderful teacher and is a joy to just talk to. Besides hoping to learn a little woodworking, I'm very hopeful that I'll get a chance to hear Frank talk a little bit about how the apprenticeship program worked when he was a kid. It's a good chance to learn a little history first hand.
> 
> ...


Wow That's cool .frank seems like a great guy from the interviews and videos I've seen him in. Enjoy the class hope you get a lot out of it.


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## gagewestern (Mar 24, 2009)

Betsy said:


> *Dovetail vacation*
> 
> In a couple of weeks I get to take part in a week of dovetailing with Frank Klauz at Kelly Mehler's School of Woodworking in Berea, Kentucky. I could not believe my luck when I saw that Frank's class still had a spot in it when I finally decided I could do a school this year. I've understood that Frank is a wonderful teacher and is a joy to just talk to. Besides hoping to learn a little woodworking, I'm very hopeful that I'll get a chance to hear Frank talk a little bit about how the apprenticeship program worked when he was a kid. It's a good chance to learn a little history first hand.
> 
> ...


so you are going from this nasty hot weather here in tx. to some great fall weather in ky. their are some wonderfull state parks their. also and more to the point for this site wonderfull lumbermills in thatpart of ky. if you plan to drive. haev fun. brian


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## lew (Feb 13, 2008)

Betsy said:


> *Dovetail vacation*
> 
> In a couple of weeks I get to take part in a week of dovetailing with Frank Klauz at Kelly Mehler's School of Woodworking in Berea, Kentucky. I could not believe my luck when I saw that Frank's class still had a spot in it when I finally decided I could do a school this year. I've understood that Frank is a wonderful teacher and is a joy to just talk to. Besides hoping to learn a little woodworking, I'm very hopeful that I'll get a chance to hear Frank talk a little bit about how the apprenticeship program worked when he was a kid. It's a good chance to learn a little history first hand.
> 
> ...


Betsy!

So good to hear you're going to get a much needed and obviously enjoyable vacation. I'm looking forward to your blog!!

Lew


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## sikrap (Mar 15, 2009)

Betsy said:


> *Dovetail vacation*
> 
> In a couple of weeks I get to take part in a week of dovetailing with Frank Klauz at Kelly Mehler's School of Woodworking in Berea, Kentucky. I could not believe my luck when I saw that Frank's class still had a spot in it when I finally decided I could do a school this year. I've understood that Frank is a wonderful teacher and is a joy to just talk to. Besides hoping to learn a little woodworking, I'm very hopeful that I'll get a chance to hear Frank talk a little bit about how the apprenticeship program worked when he was a kid. It's a good chance to learn a little history first hand.
> 
> ...


Hi Betsy, One question that I would appreciate an answer to is this; What skill level is recommended for a class such as this? I'm new to woodworking and I don't know if I should take classes like this now (when I know absolutely nothing) or if I should have a certain skill level. Good Luck and enjoy!!


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## patron (Apr 2, 2009)

Betsy said:


> *Dovetail vacation*
> 
> In a couple of weeks I get to take part in a week of dovetailing with Frank Klauz at Kelly Mehler's School of Woodworking in Berea, Kentucky. I could not believe my luck when I saw that Frank's class still had a spot in it when I finally decided I could do a school this year. I've understood that Frank is a wonderful teacher and is a joy to just talk to. Besides hoping to learn a little woodworking, I'm very hopeful that I'll get a chance to hear Frank talk a little bit about how the apprenticeship program worked when he was a kid. It's a good chance to learn a little history first hand.
> 
> ...


good for you girl .
any chance to learn in a class setting ,
is good .
and especially if you are in a vacation 
kind of space .
enjoy !


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## FlWoodRat (Sep 12, 2007)

Betsy said:


> *Dovetail vacation*
> 
> In a couple of weeks I get to take part in a week of dovetailing with Frank Klauz at Kelly Mehler's School of Woodworking in Berea, Kentucky. I could not believe my luck when I saw that Frank's class still had a spot in it when I finally decided I could do a school this year. I've understood that Frank is a wonderful teacher and is a joy to just talk to. Besides hoping to learn a little woodworking, I'm very hopeful that I'll get a chance to hear Frank talk a little bit about how the apprenticeship program worked when he was a kid. It's a good chance to learn a little history first hand.
> 
> ...


Betsy, enjoy the class. I have to ask….... *Are you driving?* If so, please be careful. Somer of us remember your last adventure. Most of all, have fun.

Rat.


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## sbryan55 (Dec 8, 2007)

Betsy said:


> *Dovetail vacation*
> 
> In a couple of weeks I get to take part in a week of dovetailing with Frank Klauz at Kelly Mehler's School of Woodworking in Berea, Kentucky. I could not believe my luck when I saw that Frank's class still had a spot in it when I finally decided I could do a school this year. I've understood that Frank is a wonderful teacher and is a joy to just talk to. Besides hoping to learn a little woodworking, I'm very hopeful that I'll get a chance to hear Frank talk a little bit about how the apprenticeship program worked when he was a kid. It's a good chance to learn a little history first hand.
> 
> ...


Betsy, this is another wonderful opportunity for you. As woodworkers, we do not do enough of this. Too often we let our daily nuances get in the way of continuing to grow and develop our skills by taking formal courses.

Have fun and let us how you like this class. I know you enjoyed the one you took last year. Sounds like a good way to vacation to me.

Be careful driving too, by the way.


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## Betsy (Sep 25, 2007)

Betsy said:


> *Dovetail vacation*
> 
> In a couple of weeks I get to take part in a week of dovetailing with Frank Klauz at Kelly Mehler's School of Woodworking in Berea, Kentucky. I could not believe my luck when I saw that Frank's class still had a spot in it when I finally decided I could do a school this year. I've understood that Frank is a wonderful teacher and is a joy to just talk to. Besides hoping to learn a little woodworking, I'm very hopeful that I'll get a chance to hear Frank talk a little bit about how the apprenticeship program worked when he was a kid. It's a good chance to learn a little history first hand.
> 
> ...


Thanks guys - I can't wait to get going.

Dave - the skill level for this class is intermediate I think. But honestly, I can't see where even a novice would be left behind. I know a lot of woodworkers who can fell a tree and take it all the way to finished product who can't make a hand cut dovetail to save their lives. They would be on the same level as you. I would encourage you to take as many classes as you can. Even if you end up getting in a class that might be a bit over your head you can still learn something. I've been in that spot a couple of times. I'm careful when I am the one that seems to know the least though and try not to bugger things up - but I ask questions, lots of them and most of the time the instructor and other students don't mind a bit. I'd say go for any class you find interesting and learn something new!.

As to the driving to this vacation. Some of you who have followed my vacation blog know the mishaps from last year's trip. I hope to avoid all of that this year. I do not intend to come back from this class with any thing else but a new box made with dovetails! No new cars, no new hillbilly stories and definitely no more surgical scars! So here's to safe driving. Of course, it was not my driving that was the issue - but we'll leave it at that. 

Gage - yep I am most definetly looking forward to the cooler weather. Should be really nice. I plan to get there a day early just so I can enjoy some of the parks in the area and breath some nice fresh air.


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## PurpLev (May 30, 2008)

Betsy said:


> *Dovetail vacation*
> 
> In a couple of weeks I get to take part in a week of dovetailing with Frank Klauz at Kelly Mehler's School of Woodworking in Berea, Kentucky. I could not believe my luck when I saw that Frank's class still had a spot in it when I finally decided I could do a school this year. I've understood that Frank is a wonderful teacher and is a joy to just talk to. Besides hoping to learn a little woodworking, I'm very hopeful that I'll get a chance to hear Frank talk a little bit about how the apprenticeship program worked when he was a kid. It's a good chance to learn a little history first hand.
> 
> ...


that is fantastic- of all the FineWoodworking videos out there - I found those by Frank Klauz to be the BEST! the way he approaches the subjects, and how he transfers that information is just wonderful - easy to follow, he makes sense in all of it, and teaches you the importance of it all. highly recommended!

now if only he comes to Boston


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## Betsy (Sep 25, 2007)

*in advance of dovetail class with Frank Klauz*

Well I made it to Berea today. YEAH! Had no travel troubles this year. The weather was perfect, the can ran well, and no college student tried to introduce himself to me through my back bumper. What more could a girl want?

My brother tells me that I'm not really on a vacation unless it involves a little hiking or a museum trip. So when on my way outside of Nashville and just past the state line I saw a sign for a Shaker Village museum I decided to take a side trip. Round trip it was 100 miles out of my way - but it was so very worth it. For one, I had forgotten how nice it is to drive a car with your windows open for fresh air-- you can't do that in Fort Worth and still breath well.

This is not something you see much where I live either. We have green - but not this green. The color is so vivid and it goes on for as far as the eye can see.



Also - I've not seen one of these since I was a kid.





Regardless of your feelings about tobacco-- it's nice to see that small farmers are still able to produce and I'm hoping sale their goods.

So I made it to the Shaker Village.



Some of you can see this coming - but I didn't. It was closed--- imagine that. I did get some shots of the buildings. I'm thinking I may try to go by on my way back home - it's a pretty large village so I'm thinking there is plenty to see inside.









I finished the trip to Berea and decided I better make a dry run out to the school. This is a shot of the historic Boone Tavern. I'll have to do a little research to refresh my memory about why it's historic-- will save that tidbit for later though.



Berea is home to Berea College which I believe is the only tuition free university in the nation. It's a beautiful campus. As a woodworker though there was one thing I could not pass up taking photos off. This is an old tree stump on the edge of campus. The first snap shows the side that I think looks like a ladies hairstyle



The second snap shows the side that apparently had been used to house a sign of some sort at one time or another.



So now I'm going to do a little resting so I can be ready to go to class in the morning.

Stay tuned for my blog about this class.


----------



## JuniorJoiner (Dec 24, 2008)

Betsy said:


> *in advance of dovetail class with Frank Klauz*
> 
> Well I made it to Berea today. YEAH! Had no travel troubles this year. The weather was perfect, the can ran well, and no college student tried to introduce himself to me through my back bumper. What more could a girl want?
> 
> ...


great post about a great trip. I hope the class is as good as or better than the ride. 
I think more people should take woodworking vacations.


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## lew (Feb 13, 2008)

Betsy said:


> *in advance of dovetail class with Frank Klauz*
> 
> Well I made it to Berea today. YEAH! Had no travel troubles this year. The weather was perfect, the can ran well, and no college student tried to introduce himself to me through my back bumper. What more could a girl want?
> 
> ...


Betsy,

Looks like you are really enjoying yourself. It would be nice if you could swing up through Pennsylvania on your way home. Some of the leaves are beginning to change color and the farmers are harvesting corn and soy beans.


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## sbryan55 (Dec 8, 2007)

Betsy said:


> *in advance of dovetail class with Frank Klauz*
> 
> Well I made it to Berea today. YEAH! Had no travel troubles this year. The weather was perfect, the can ran well, and no college student tried to introduce himself to me through my back bumper. What more could a girl want?
> 
> ...


Betsy, I am glad to see that you are able to take in some of the local sites on your way to the class. I will be looking forward to seeing your posts on the class.


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## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

Betsy said:


> *in advance of dovetail class with Frank Klauz*
> 
> Well I made it to Berea today. YEAH! Had no travel troubles this year. The weather was perfect, the can ran well, and no college student tried to introduce himself to me through my back bumper. What more could a girl want?
> 
> ...


I enjoyed your post great travels


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## Karson (May 9, 2006)

Betsy said:


> *in advance of dovetail class with Frank Klauz*
> 
> Well I made it to Berea today. YEAH! Had no travel troubles this year. The weather was perfect, the can ran well, and no college student tried to introduce himself to me through my back bumper. What more could a girl want?
> 
> ...


Hope that the class works out greater than your tour of the Shaker Village.


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## Kindlingmaker (Sep 29, 2008)

Betsy said:


> *in advance of dovetail class with Frank Klauz*
> 
> Well I made it to Berea today. YEAH! Had no travel troubles this year. The weather was perfect, the can ran well, and no college student tried to introduce himself to me through my back bumper. What more could a girl want?
> 
> ...


WOW! Do you need someone to carry your bags, drive, sit beside you during class… Oh drool! : )

Have lots of fun Betsy and keep those photos and discriptions coming…


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## FatherHooligan (Mar 27, 2008)

Betsy said:


> *in advance of dovetail class with Frank Klauz*
> 
> Well I made it to Berea today. YEAH! Had no travel troubles this year. The weather was perfect, the can ran well, and no college student tried to introduce himself to me through my back bumper. What more could a girl want?
> 
> ...


Good to see that you are taking this course, looking forward to the blog!


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## lightweightladylefty (Mar 27, 2008)

Betsy said:


> *in advance of dovetail class with Frank Klauz*
> 
> Well I made it to Berea today. YEAH! Had no travel troubles this year. The weather was perfect, the can ran well, and no college student tried to introduce himself to me through my back bumper. What more could a girl want?
> 
> ...


Betsy,

I hope you have an incredible vacation at Berea. Thanks for your willingness to share what you learn with us.

(I've often thought about visiting Berea to see if the people there are like the Bereans in Acts 17:11.)


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## degoose (Mar 20, 2009)

Betsy said:


> *in advance of dovetail class with Frank Klauz*
> 
> Well I made it to Berea today. YEAH! Had no travel troubles this year. The weather was perfect, the can ran well, and no college student tried to introduce himself to me through my back bumper. What more could a girl want?
> 
> ...


Just as a lot of you all like to see what Australia looks like I really enjoyed the journey through your eyes.. 
I thank you greatly.. I really like to see things that I may not actually be able to otherwise.
Larry


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## rtb (Mar 26, 2008)

Betsy said:


> *in advance of dovetail class with Frank Klauz*
> 
> Well I made it to Berea today. YEAH! Had no travel troubles this year. The weather was perfect, the can ran well, and no college student tried to introduce himself to me through my back bumper. What more could a girl want?
> 
> ...


Betsy, The Boone tavern still has a reputation for fine food, don't know about prices though. There is a Shaker village in Harodsburg which quite close to where you are at, if you wish to follow this theme further. Many of the shaker furniture have done the research there and it has quite a lot to see. I'm sorry that we haven't gotten back to KY yet or I would make a point of dropping down and buying dinner. Best wishes for a great vacation. ralph


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## stefang (Apr 9, 2009)

Betsy said:


> *in advance of dovetail class with Frank Klauz*
> 
> Well I made it to Berea today. YEAH! Had no travel troubles this year. The weather was perfect, the can ran well, and no college student tried to introduce himself to me through my back bumper. What more could a girl want?
> 
> ...


Thanks much for the travelogue Betsy. The Shaker village sure looked well maintained as did the Inn. Looking forward to seeing the continuation of your blog. Hope you enjoy your course. Maybe you can teach us old dogs some new tricks afterwards.


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## SCOTSMAN (Aug 1, 2008)

Betsy said:


> *in advance of dovetail class with Frank Klauz*
> 
> Well I made it to Berea today. YEAH! Had no travel troubles this year. The weather was perfect, the can ran well, and no college student tried to introduce himself to me through my back bumper. What more could a girl want?
> 
> ...


Young lady if you want fresh air and green grass come to Scotland it can't be beaten seriously, we get lot's of rain and so the grass and countryside is beautiful.And nice fresh air too , here on the Holy loch.So many thanks for the beautiful pghoto's and I love shaker stuff one day I will get back to USA and see for myself also I would like to meet the Amish people they sound fascinating to me, thanks again Alistair


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## boboswin (May 23, 2007)

Betsy said:


> *in advance of dovetail class with Frank Klauz*
> 
> Well I made it to Berea today. YEAH! Had no travel troubles this year. The weather was perfect, the can ran well, and no college student tried to introduce himself to me through my back bumper. What more could a girl want?
> 
> ...


Betsy, you are so lucky. Franz is a "real' craftsman. 
It would be amazing to watch him in person.

So much to do , so little time.
Enjoy!
p.s. I picked that tobacco in my youth. Hardest job I ever had. each stick contianed 30 hands . 
3000 sticks to a barn. 
6 of us filled a barn(kiln) a day.

Bob


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## Betsy (Sep 25, 2007)

*Day one - dovetails with Frank Klauz*

First lets just say that Frank is a very interesting and entertaining person. Woodworking aside, I think you could spend quite a lot of time with him discussing everyday things and never be bored. He knows what he knows and has strong opinions which he backs up with good reasoning.

Here's a bad picture of Frank if you have never seen him.



I have to admit to being in stitches quite a lot today.

So onto to the class.

The first thing Frank tells you is his four main areas of thought. 1) Wood technology; 2) tools (hand and machine); 3) joinery; and 4) finishing. If you don't understand wood technology - you don't need tools. If you understand wood technology but don't have the proper tools, joinery is not possible; If you can't make a joint - you don't need to do finishing. It all adds up.

As for wood technology - one of the most important things that Frank kept saying is that "the inside of the tree is the outside of the box." Another way is the inside of the tree is the top of the table. In other words the rings go up on the table top or out on the sides of the box.

Frank does not alternate rings when making a panel. He says that does not allow for a good looking top. He opines that the skirt/apron and the buttons will keep the table top from warping. He makes good points for not alternating rings up rings down.

With the rings toward the outside of the box or drawer/case the joint is very strong. If there is any warping the corners are pulled together tight - it does not come apart.

As always there is the argument of cutting pins or tails first. Frank cuts pins first and he makes a good argument for it. The most compelling argument is that tracing the pins onto the tail board only means standing it on end on the tail board. Cutting tails first means that you have to place the tail board on the end of the pin board at a 90 degree angle and find a way to balance the board and hold it in place while you trace the tails onto the pin board. Having done it both ways now - it does seem easier to do pins first.

One thing that always escaped me is when you cut the dovetails do you have the inside of the piece facing you or away from you in the vise! Well-- the answer is the inside of your box/drawer/case faces you in the vise.

Frank also makes no bones about it - you don't need a gazilion marks on your wood. You need one to start. Just a scribble to mark the outside and the top of the each piece. If you keep those scribbles in order you are going to be in good shape.

First off you have to decide if you are going to put your pins on the sides or the front (i.e. will your tails ends show on the front of the box or the sides?). For this box Frank is having us put the pins on the front and back and the tails on the sides. His sample box looks great this way so I have no argument with it.

Next you have to mark your pieces with your marking gauge. He advocates using the gauge at exactly the width of the work piece. He has no quarrel with the barrel type marking gauge, but prefers the old fashioned ones with the bar and nail/knife. Mine needed work - and he went right to it and fixed my gauge so that it actually cut the wood.

Here is the sequence of cutting the pins. Frank does not draw on the board - he just cuts! I've watched his video a number of times and still could not get exactly what he was doing - his sequence. Now I can see what he's doing.

I've tried to draw what he does below. Looking at the picture - my handwriting stinks!



The pins are cut with the saw completely 90 degrees to the board *but* held with the toe/at an angle. So the saw is not titled in any fashion - but is held at an angle. That is soooo hard to describe - but see the picture above to get a better idea.

The first two cuts are the half pins. The way to remember which direction the saw should angle to cut the half pins - just remember that the larger/wider portion of the pin should be nearest to you. Big end towards you little end away from you.

The third cut is to make a full tail next to your first half-pin. Now is where I was getting confused before. The fourth cut is made at the same angle of the third cut. The fourth cut is made in the center of the portion of the board that is left between the cut number 3 and cut number 2. (confused?).

The fifth and sixth cuts go at the same angle as the cut no. 1. The picture is probably better than my explanation.

My trouble is that by not drawing out the cuts I freehand too-steep an angle. I managed to make an ok set of cuts - Frank says his son would give me a hug - apparently he likes a steep angle as well. Nothing wrong with it other than it's hard to cut the tails when your pins have such a steep angle. But as you can see - I didn't do to badly.



Once you have your cuts made on your pin board - you hand to chisel them out. This is how Frank sets his boards from chiseling/chopping.



One thing Frank made a point of is that if you going to use a clamp to hold the material down to chop it- you need to use a scrap piece to protect the work piece AND you need to put that scrap pretty close to the chopping area. This adds a lot of hold down power and keeps the boards flat on the bench allowing your blows to do their job without bouncing around.

Next is picking a chisel to fit the part you are chopping. Don't use a 1/4" chisel to do a job if you can use a 3/4" chisel. Use the chisel that will allow you to make the fewest strokes. Fewer strokes leads to fewer mistakes.

Frank starts by chopping from the inside of the box/sides - chops half way through and then turns over the piece and chops the second half freeing the waste. The chopping sequence is certainly harder to describe than to do. But let me try.

Oh first - let me say - that I was concerned that my chisels would not be sharp enough. I really was not sure I had managed to get them to even close to what they needed to be. But alas - they passed Franks inspection and I was told "beautiful!. Made me feel better! 

OK so Frank starts with the chisel straight up and down right on the marking gauge line. Light taps to define the line - then slight back cut to pop out a sliver of wood - then another soft chop straight down. Then flip the board - put the chisel about 1/16th in front of the gauge line and make a chop - then back cut to pop out the sliver of wood. Then some more straight down chopping until the waste pops out.

Once you get the waste chopped out - you need to place the pins on the tail board. I will have to carry that on tomorrow's blog though. I'm about wiped out and need to hit the rack. I hope this blog has been helpful to some of you.

Please feel free to ask questions or add comments.

Thanks for reading.


----------



## gizmodyne (Mar 15, 2007)

Betsy said:


> *Day one - dovetails with Frank Klauz*
> 
> First lets just say that Frank is a very interesting and entertaining person. Woodworking aside, I think you could spend quite a lot of time with him discussing everyday things and never be bored. He knows what he knows and has strong opinions which he backs up with good reasoning.
> 
> ...


Great post. More please.


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## Radish (Apr 11, 2007)

Betsy said:


> *Day one - dovetails with Frank Klauz*
> 
> First lets just say that Frank is a very interesting and entertaining person. Woodworking aside, I think you could spend quite a lot of time with him discussing everyday things and never be bored. He knows what he knows and has strong opinions which he backs up with good reasoning.
> 
> ...


Love it Betsy. 
There are some videos on the net of Frank chopping doves and cutting them with a frame saw.

Kinda makes me ashamed to use that Incra jig all the time. Frank is a national treasure.


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## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

Betsy said:


> *Day one - dovetails with Frank Klauz*
> 
> First lets just say that Frank is a very interesting and entertaining person. Woodworking aside, I think you could spend quite a lot of time with him discussing everyday things and never be bored. He knows what he knows and has strong opinions which he backs up with good reasoning.
> 
> ...


Hey Betsy 
Sounds like fun .Thanks for the blog,


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## sbryan55 (Dec 8, 2007)

Betsy said:


> *Day one - dovetails with Frank Klauz*
> 
> First lets just say that Frank is a very interesting and entertaining person. Woodworking aside, I think you could spend quite a lot of time with him discussing everyday things and never be bored. He knows what he knows and has strong opinions which he backs up with good reasoning.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the update, Betsy. It does look like you are having fun.


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## lew (Feb 13, 2008)

Betsy said:


> *Day one - dovetails with Frank Klauz*
> 
> First lets just say that Frank is a very interesting and entertaining person. Woodworking aside, I think you could spend quite a lot of time with him discussing everyday things and never be bored. He knows what he knows and has strong opinions which he backs up with good reasoning.
> 
> ...


Great Post, Betsy!!

Of course you know, now you have become the LumberJocks resident dovetail expert ;^)

Lew


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## MikeGager (Jun 15, 2009)

Betsy said:


> *Day one - dovetails with Frank Klauz*
> 
> First lets just say that Frank is a very interesting and entertaining person. Woodworking aside, I think you could spend quite a lot of time with him discussing everyday things and never be bored. He knows what he knows and has strong opinions which he backs up with good reasoning.
> 
> ...


i enjoyed franks dovetail video. he makes it look soooooo easy


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## stefang (Apr 9, 2009)

Betsy said:


> *Day one - dovetails with Frank Klauz*
> 
> First lets just say that Frank is a very interesting and entertaining person. Woodworking aside, I think you could spend quite a lot of time with him discussing everyday things and never be bored. He knows what he knows and has strong opinions which he backs up with good reasoning.
> 
> ...


Sounds like you are enjoying yourself Betsy. You could certainly have worse teachers than Frank. He was brought up in the old school and probably has forgotten more than any of us will ever know about woodworking. You picked a great way to spend your free time. Have fun, and thanks for the photos!


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## boboswin (May 23, 2007)

Betsy said:


> *Day one - dovetails with Frank Klauz*
> 
> First lets just say that Frank is a very interesting and entertaining person. Woodworking aside, I think you could spend quite a lot of time with him discussing everyday things and never be bored. He knows what he knows and has strong opinions which he backs up with good reasoning.
> 
> ...


Good job of docuennting Betsy. It's almost like I was there reading your notes.

Bob


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## Betsy (Sep 25, 2007)

*Day two - dovetails with Frank Klauz*

Wow - another productive day. Most of us actually have the box together and close to ready to cut the lids off!

I apologize first that I left my camera and notes at the school. Too tired to go back for them so I'll try to do the best I can from memory.

I think I left off on having just finished the pins and getting ready to mark and cut the tails.

My first issue with my pins is that they are really steep - way to steep - but workable. The problem with steep pins as that the tails are hard to cut at so steep an angle to match - the saw binds a bit. Also the tails being so steep the edges are easier to break. So take heed my friends - steep is not so good - its workable certainly - but not the best. I've been cutting quite a few practice pins/tails today and still have trouble eyeballing the angle so that it is not so steep. Don't tell Frank - but I'll probably mark my boards before I cut them in the future.

With all this said - I think it's quite important when going to a class - to do what the instructor tells you to do. If you are going to go into a class and try to tell the teacher - that's wrong or I'm going to do it my way--save your money. I take a class to learn something new - even if its a method. Besides - who am I to doubt Frank - he has more woodworking knowledge in his pinky finger than I'll ever dream of knowing.

OK - you have to mark your tail board by placing the pin board on it's end on the end of the tail board. Make sure all the edges are flush and even - then use a sharp pencil to mark the tails. Now here is one thing that I did ok - I was able to cut a straight line at an angle *without* extending my marks to the end of the board. I had to pat myself on the back for that!

When you cut your tails - the saw is drawn straight across the end of the board - but then tilted to match the angle of the pin. You also cut on the waste side of the pencil line and you *leave* the line. The waste side would be the pin being cut out.

Once cut, you chop out the waste the same as you did the pins.

Now if you did things pretty close to right - the boards should fit together. Hummmm - OK - I failed that part. I had to do quite a bit of "fixing." But with Frank as the instructor - the fixing was not so hard to do.

Most of the videos and articles say you should not fit your tails together and then take them apart. Seems like they say that the boards go together on the first try. Frank says nope-- if you have to do some adjusting - so what! I like this guy! 

Let me back up one step. When you put your first pin board on the first tail board - you should make a small "x" on both boards so that you know those two boards go together. Believe it or not, that's the only mark you need to know which board goes where. It's true. If you put those two boards together - there is only one way the other boards will fit together.

Now back to fitting. My tails were too tight. So Frank showed me to simply place my boards together and give them a solid "rap" with the mallet. Then take the boards apart. You will easily see where you need to trim the tails - the areas to be trimmed are crushed. Trim those areas and you should fit. And it did work!

With that said - too tight and too big of a rap could split your board. I had a tiny split - but take heart - just put a little glue in the split and clamp it-- all better.

Now when you have all four corners fit - you glue it all up.

Frank uses white glue exclusively for his interior projects. The same white glue your kids use at school is the stuff Frank uses. He also uses the Tite Bond Extended glue. The yellow glue just does not give you enough time to get all the edges prepped and ready to assemble. Frank simply says - to get rid of the yellow stuff and get the white stuff - it works great and is cheaper to boot.

Frank also tests all the glue when he buys it. Of course he generally buys 4-5 gallons at a time. The reason he tests the glue is that if at any point in transit it gets frozen - its no good. So what he does is takes a little glue from each jug and glues two pieces together - lets it dry and then bangs them - first softly then gradually a little harder. When the board finally gives and breaks - if there are *no* wood fibers from one piece left on the other - then the glue is no good and it goes back to the store. If there are wood fibers - then the glue is good. Glue that is over a year old should be thrown out.

Frank does not have to clamp his dovetails (OK - occasionally he'll have one wonky tail that needs a clamp). But with our boxes - we clamped to pull the joints together. I must admit to thinking that just can't be right-- but all the boxes look great and they are all square. One clamp went on each tail. So for these boxes we used quite a lot of clamps. Each box was left clamped about an hour or so before we moved on to the next step.

Next step was to flatten the box - to know if its flat - just place the box on a flat surface like MDF - if it rocks - it's not flat. Simply use a piece of sandpaper secured to a piece of mdf and applying strong downward force move the box quickly over the paper - in no time flat - you'll have a flat box (small pun). Frank gave a couple of the guys a hard time because they were going very slowly on this step--he says go faster, go faster! So we did - doesn't take long to get them flat.

This particular box is going to have a solid top and bottom - no grooves to worry about. The bottoms and tops were cut very slightly oversized. We glued both the top and bottom onto the body at one time. Frank had precut some MDF the same size as the tops/bottoms to use as cauls. (One for the top, one for the bottom.) I've not done this before for a box and as a result, I asked why???? Well why - is because the cauls allow the clamps to send out more pressure across a larger area - thus needing fewer clamps to do the job. I used cauls for edge gluing but never for a box - but it works quite well.

Once the the glue cured then it's time to plane off the excess edges and clean up the dovetails. Pretty easy if your planes are sharp. Frank took some time to go through some sharpening and grinding. Without my notes I'm not sure I should get too much into this section. What I can say is that a hollow grind sure makes honing your chisels and plane irons easier. I never quite understood this concept from the books and articles - but *seeing* it makes all the difference. Makes perfect sense now.

Once the sides are pretty clean - next was to fix any goofs that you find. Such goofs as overcuts, chips or gaps. Some of the gaps were fixed with little wedges. Others were fixed using 5-minute epoxy colored with sanding dust. Once the epoxy was dried then it was time to sand the sides smooth.

That's pretty much as far as we got today with the boxes.

Frank took some time to show us hand cutting a sliding dovetail and demonstrating the technique to use to make his water pond for his water stones. Pretty amazing for sure.

Well that's all for today. Thanks for reading.


----------



## lew (Feb 13, 2008)

Betsy said:


> *Day two - dovetails with Frank Klauz*
> 
> Wow - another productive day. Most of us actually have the box together and close to ready to cut the lids off!
> 
> ...


Betsy- I envy you. What a wealth of information you will have to take home.

Lew


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## Rev_John (Oct 3, 2007)

Betsy said:


> *Day two - dovetails with Frank Klauz*
> 
> Wow - another productive day. Most of us actually have the box together and close to ready to cut the lids off!
> 
> ...


I know what you are talking about. I took joinery from Marc Adams and it was a great experience. I know it it specail to take it from Frank. Have fun!


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## sbryan55 (Dec 8, 2007)

Betsy said:


> *Day two - dovetails with Frank Klauz*
> 
> Wow - another productive day. Most of us actually have the box together and close to ready to cut the lids off!
> 
> ...


Thanks for the update, Betsy. It sounds as if you are having fun and enjoying yourself.


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## toddc (Mar 6, 2007)

Betsy said:


> *Day two - dovetails with Frank Klauz*
> 
> Wow - another productive day. Most of us actually have the box together and close to ready to cut the lids off!
> 
> ...


I am jealous - verrry jealous.

Have fun tomorrow!


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## gabill (May 24, 2009)

Betsy said:


> *Day two - dovetails with Frank Klauz*
> 
> Wow - another productive day. Most of us actually have the box together and close to ready to cut the lids off!
> 
> ...


No better way to learn than in a hands-on situation like you have there.I know what you are learning will last for years. Enjoy it. Thanks for thinking of us.


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## mattd (Aug 8, 2007)

Betsy said:


> *Day two - dovetails with Frank Klauz*
> 
> Wow - another productive day. Most of us actually have the box together and close to ready to cut the lids off!
> 
> ...


Great write up. Frank is one of my idols. His video on drawer making is one of my favorites. I immediately bought a card scraper after watching that.


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## lightweightladylefty (Mar 27, 2008)

Betsy said:


> *Day two - dovetails with Frank Klauz*
> 
> Wow - another productive day. Most of us actually have the box together and close to ready to cut the lids off!
> 
> ...


Betsy,

It certainly is generous of you to share all of the knowledge you're gaining at this class. You do an excellent job of explaining-even without the pictures.


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## Betsy (Sep 25, 2007)

Betsy said:


> *Day two - dovetails with Frank Klauz*
> 
> Wow - another productive day. Most of us actually have the box together and close to ready to cut the lids off!
> 
> ...


Thanks all. I hope that I can at least pass on a few tidbits to everyone. Frank is a very good instructor, an excellent woodworker and an all around good guy. Stay tuned!


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## Betsy (Sep 25, 2007)

*Day three - dovetails with Frank Klauz*

It only keeps getting better and better. Today was a very interesting day - not just for the woodworking but for the conversation and friendly interaction. Kelly always has a "reception" on Wednesday evening - just sit around a talk with one another with some wine or beer and some *great* finger food to share. Tonight was extra special as we had a well known woodworker drop in for some chat. Don Weber dropped by and it was fascinating listening to him talk about his work and additionally telling stories on Frank and getting Frank wound up telling stories about Hungary. If you don't know who Don Weber is - please take the time to check out his website: http://www.handcraftwoodworks.com/ - he has had several articles over the years in most of the woodworking magazines so you'll probably recognize his work even if the name does not sound familiar.

Back to the class - today we finished up gluing the rest of the boxes and putting on the tops and bottoms.



The picture above does not show this very well, if at all, but Frank very strongly encourages you to put glue not only inside the sockets - but on the inside of the piece itself. I've not seen anyone else really saying this - but it certainly makes sense and I can't see any argument against it. It's gluing end grain onto face grain - but it's another anchor point. And don't scrimp on the glue (don't be messy either) or Frank will let you know it pretty quick that you need more glue!

This is my box so far.



Frank took some time to go through some table saw instructions. It was quite informative for me. No matter the articles I've read I never quite got the idea of putting dents into your miter gauge to get it to fit better in the miter slot. Kelly has a new Saw stop so Frank took the opportunity to show how to get a few things set - including the miter gauge. It's amazing to see with just a few whacks with a punch and all the slop is gone from the miter gauge. Frank teaches a table saw class that takes all weekend. I think it would be well worth the time, but we only had about 15 minutes to go over quite a lot. But just the miter gauge thing made it a very worthwhile 15 minutes for me.

The table saw came up because we are going to use the table saw to cut the tops off. Frank uses a 7.25" (I think that's the diameter) circular saw blade that is about 1/16" in thickness. Talk about tiny! But the thin kerf takes out so much less material and it's cuts baby bottom smooth.

I should have taken a picture of this - but I didn't (my apologies). But it's really is the simple things that makes you want to do "I could have had a V-8" slap on the head. I've probably cut 25+ boxes apart over the years and not once have I done this. Frank cuts the box, just like I do, but his way of keeping the box sides even while you cut the ends is just pure genius. First you cut both long sides - then I usually tape in two shims on each long side so that I can cut the ends without the sides caving in. Frank uses shims also-- but only two. Two *long* shims that reach from one side to the other. Also each shim has been shaped into a wedge on one end so that it is easily slipped from one side to the other. And to add to that he puts an arrow pointing to the wedge side so that he does not even have to really look to know what side to feed through first. He tapes both wedges down with a few pieces of blue painter's tape and he's good to go.

After cutting the tops off - we then flattened them on the pieces of mdf covered with 220 grit paper. The boards we are using are mahagony so the boards sanded very easily. I must mention that the blade Frank used left very little to sand.

Mostly, however, the day was about installing the hinges and the lock mechanism. The hinges we are using are your typical barrel hinges from Rockler.

The hinges are placed about the same distance from the edge as they are long. Our hinges are about 1.5" so that's about how far they are in from the edges. Mark your hinge position with a pencil and hold onto your hats from here! I consider myself very well read, but in all the articles and books I've read and all the classes I've taken I've never, ever seen this done - but it sure works well.

First no surprise here - but use some spring clamps to hold the top and bottom pieces together and aligned.



Then - this just blows my mind - but get that dovetail saw back out. Frank defined his hinge edges with the saw - not a chisel. You can use a chisel - but apparently he likes using the saw.



You certainly get a good clean line to chop to. One caveat to keep in mind using the saw though. You must be careful not to pull the saw back so far that you accidently cut into the front of the box.



Next step is to make a series of small chipping cuts to bring up the material to but pared out.



After the initial chipping cuts your hinge area will look like this.



Use your chisel bevel side down to clean out the chips.



Your mortise should be deep enough to house the hinge leaf just a smidge below the surface of the wood - but not more than a smidge into the barrel of the hinge. I know, I know, that's almost impossible to understand - but I've never said I could explain everything!

Next are the screws - geez where to start. First use an awl to cut the holes. But not just any awl - a round awl will split your wood. You certainly don't want to do that at this stage. You want a pretty close to square awl - Frank used a mill file to file the edges down to make a good awl to use. Use the point of the awl to find as close to dead center of the screw hole as you can. Once you have that use steady downward pressure while at the same time twisting the awl. - Oh - and keep it straight up and down while doing do.

One of the tricks to get the hinges right, and it makes perfect sense now that he said to do it, is to do the lid hinge holes first. Get the hinges in the lid set just right and tighten them down. Then put one screw in each of the body hinges - open and close your box and see how things fit - use the third and fourth hinges to make any adjustments you need.

In concept this is all so very simple to understand. The carry through though sure can be harder to implement. I started off OK - but then made one hinge mortise to deep and one off a little to the middle of my box. No worries Frank showed me how to fix it. A little sliver of poster board in the hinge mortise fixed the depth issue - and no there is no way you can see that piece of poster board - no way at all. The misalignment was a little harder to fix - but it was doable. The easy part is making the mortise wider with a whack of the chisel. I had to fill the screw hole with a sliver of wood, let it dry and then redrill with the awl. Came out pretty good.

I'm not even going to try to explain how to mortise in the lock mechanism. First off, I don't like the look of the lock so I'm not going to install it on my box. Secondly, it's way, way too complicated for my writing skills. I'll refer you to the internet for this one! Sorry folks.

Well that's all I can really think of at this point. I hope you are enjoying following my blog. If you have any questions that I might be able to answer, feel free to ask. I'll do my best to answer.

Thanks for reading my ramblings.


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## boyd8 (Aug 23, 2009)

Betsy said:


> *Day three - dovetails with Frank Klauz*
> 
> It only keeps getting better and better. Today was a very interesting day - not just for the woodworking but for the conversation and friendly interaction. Kelly always has a "reception" on Wednesday evening - just sit around a talk with one another with some wine or beer and some *great* finger food to share. Tonight was extra special as we had a well known woodworker drop in for some chat. Don Weber dropped by and it was fascinating listening to him talk about his work and additionally telling stories on Frank and getting Frank wound up telling stories about Hungary. If you don't know who Don Weber is - please take the time to check out his website: http://www.handcraftwoodworks.com/ - he has had several articles over the years in most of the woodworking magazines so you'll probably recognize his work even if the name does not sound familiar.
> 
> ...


I am here with Betsy and agree with all she has said, Kelly has a great school and having Frank as the guest teacher is incomparable, meeting Don Weber has been a definite perk. It is a great pleasure to meet so many woodworkers at the same time. All have a clear passion for this craft and a great desire to learn from masters. It is very easy to invest 11 hours a day in such a rich environment.
best regards,
russ


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## sbryan55 (Dec 8, 2007)

Betsy said:


> *Day three - dovetails with Frank Klauz*
> 
> It only keeps getting better and better. Today was a very interesting day - not just for the woodworking but for the conversation and friendly interaction. Kelly always has a "reception" on Wednesday evening - just sit around a talk with one another with some wine or beer and some *great* finger food to share. Tonight was extra special as we had a well known woodworker drop in for some chat. Don Weber dropped by and it was fascinating listening to him talk about his work and additionally telling stories on Frank and getting Frank wound up telling stories about Hungary. If you don't know who Don Weber is - please take the time to check out his website: http://www.handcraftwoodworks.com/ - he has had several articles over the years in most of the woodworking magazines so you'll probably recognize his work even if the name does not sound familiar.
> 
> ...


Betsy, thanks for the update on what went on today. It does sound like you are going to come away from the class with a marked improvement in your box making skills and having a lot of fun as well.


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## rtb (Mar 26, 2008)

Betsy said:


> *Day three - dovetails with Frank Klauz*
> 
> It only keeps getting better and better. Today was a very interesting day - not just for the woodworking but for the conversation and friendly interaction. Kelly always has a "reception" on Wednesday evening - just sit around a talk with one another with some wine or beer and some *great* finger food to share. Tonight was extra special as we had a well known woodworker drop in for some chat. Don Weber dropped by and it was fascinating listening to him talk about his work and additionally telling stories on Frank and getting Frank wound up telling stories about Hungary. If you don't know who Don Weber is - please take the time to check out his website: http://www.handcraftwoodworks.com/ - he has had several articles over the years in most of the woodworking magazines so you'll probably recognize his work even if the name does not sound familiar.
> 
> ...


Betsey, am enjoying your vacation. A few more trips to KY and they will want to make you a Ky Col. You might consider moving, summers area lot nicer that Tx but somewhat more humid. Russ Summer is nice in fairbanks but you might consider winter vacations. Please to continue to keep us informed.


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## woodbutcher (Dec 29, 2006)

Betsy said:


> *Day three - dovetails with Frank Klauz*
> 
> It only keeps getting better and better. Today was a very interesting day - not just for the woodworking but for the conversation and friendly interaction. Kelly always has a "reception" on Wednesday evening - just sit around a talk with one another with some wine or beer and some *great* finger food to share. Tonight was extra special as we had a well known woodworker drop in for some chat. Don Weber dropped by and it was fascinating listening to him talk about his work and additionally telling stories on Frank and getting Frank wound up telling stories about Hungary. If you don't know who Don Weber is - please take the time to check out his website: http://www.handcraftwoodworks.com/ - he has had several articles over the years in most of the woodworking magazines so you'll probably recognize his work even if the name does not sound familiar.
> 
> ...


Betsy,
I've been following your blog and only now have had the chance to comment. TY so much for your time and effort to write these blogs. Seems there is always another way of doing somethings and something new to learn. I vote that you get more vacations each year, as I've enjoyed this one emensely.

Sincerely,
Ken McGinnis


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## Betsy (Sep 25, 2007)

Betsy said:


> *Day three - dovetails with Frank Klauz*
> 
> It only keeps getting better and better. Today was a very interesting day - not just for the woodworking but for the conversation and friendly interaction. Kelly always has a "reception" on Wednesday evening - just sit around a talk with one another with some wine or beer and some *great* finger food to share. Tonight was extra special as we had a well known woodworker drop in for some chat. Don Weber dropped by and it was fascinating listening to him talk about his work and additionally telling stories on Frank and getting Frank wound up telling stories about Hungary. If you don't know who Don Weber is - please take the time to check out his website: http://www.handcraftwoodworks.com/ - he has had several articles over the years in most of the woodworking magazines so you'll probably recognize his work even if the name does not sound familiar.
> 
> ...


Thanks for reading folks.

Ken-I'll be sure to pass your vote onto my boss.


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## Betsy (Sep 25, 2007)

*Day four - dovetailing with Frank Klauz*

I realized today that I've failed to mention the multitude of things that we have been discussing during the day beside dovetails and box making. Frank is a wealth of information. Actually that is really an understatement. Frank has more to teach than he possibly has time to share. I whole heartily recommend taking a class with Frank if you ever get half the chance.

Some of the things we have discussed are sharpening, finishing, sanding, scraping, planing, different types of dovetails, tools, companies, hardware, gluing, customer service, attention to detail, and more. Frank is more than willing to answer *any* questions everyone has.

One thing that I've noticed about Frank is although he is a very well respected woodworker and he knows his stuff and has a strong opinion about his craft - he is very flexible. If you have a better idea or tool - he's willing to try it. He basically says that this is how he makes his living - if he can cut a miter on a chop saw faster than by hand - then he uses the chop saw. Time is money. The hand tools are very important - but if you can do the job as well or better with one type of tool or another - use that tool. He says if his grandfather had a powered router he would have used it. Gotta feed the family basically.

Before I get into today, thought I'd share a picture of the shims we used to hold the box together while we cut the lid off. Notice the arrows pointing to the chamfered ends and the tiny, tiny saw blade we used to do the cutting.



You'll notice that the saw blade is protruding through a "zero clearance" insert. For those who are not familiar with these, a zero clearance insert helps avoid tear out when the blade exists the work piece. It also helps to keep small pieces from falling into the saw. The less space between your blade and the work piece the better most of the time.

We spent a lot of time today just getting everyone close to having the boxes done. I think we are pretty much there as when I left everyone was at least gluing on their feet.

Clamping the feet on can be tricky with the sloped lid. But easy enough to solve - we simply clamped the box to a caul and clamped the whole thing in the vise.



Once this part is set up - the feet were easy. Notice the paper towel which is located between the top of my box and the caul and also notice the little scrap piece on the top. Both the towel and the scrap piece are to protect the finished box. No sense working this long on a project and ruin it by not protecting it as you continue to work on it.



Every morning I tell myself I'll take more pictures and every night I say to myself - "you didn't take enough pictures!" Sorry folks - you just get caught up in listening and doing that you forget the pictures.

We are getting into the home stretch so naturally you have to think finishing. Before you can finish you have to prepare the surface. Most of the articles say you have to prepare the work by planing, scraping or sanding. Frank say--not so - you can't do just one - you need to do all three and in that order - plane, scrap and sand. If you sand first then plane or scrap you will just dull your tool because the sanding abrasive is left in the wood - which dulls the edge tools. You can plane then sand - but better to plane, scrap and then sand - lightly - with the grain.

Of course planing and scraping is a major subject that I can't hope to even come close to adding anything to - but sanding - there are some tidbits I'd like to pass along. First while Frank is not totally against using a wood block to do sanding - he prefers using a cork block - such as this http://www.highlandwoodworking.com/corksandingblock.aspx from Highland. (Sorry I could not get a picture to work - just the link). The cork is softer and is less likely to mar your work piece - the cork is firm enough to do the job without hurting in the long run. Now the cork block is for rough finishing - for the sanding to be done between finish coats - he recommends a felt block. I could not find a picture of a felt block - but suffice it to say that it is a firm felt material that works well. The reason for the felt is that it is soft enough not to sand through the finish but firm enough to get off the knubs.

One of the guys in the class had both a cork and felt block that were different from what Frank was using in that they were tapered on the sides - which makes it very easy to use up against a cabinet side, etc. I've not found any while surfing the net - but have not looked to hard. Long and short though cork and felt are the recommended blocks to use.

Another tidbit on the blocks. They come to you rough - They need to be run across a piece of 320 or 400 grit paper to smooth out the surfaces. The cork especially needs this - the cork used is basically the same stuff you use for a bulletin board - pretty rough stuff.

OK so here are the steps to finishing as I understand it from Frank.

First plane, scrap and sand to 220 grit.

Rinse the work with water to raise the grain.

Allow to dry completely - a sunny window sill helps to speed things along.

Sand lightly with 220 grit to knock off the knubs.

Then apply a coat of sanding sealer. We used Zinzer Seal Coat - but you could also use a coat of Water Lox as your first coat. But we used the Zinzer for this project.

Allow this to dry completely and sand lightly with the 320 grit - this is where you start using the felt block.

Apply a coat of Water Lox and allow to dry 24 hours.

Sand lightly with the 320 with the felt block. You want to sand until you get a dull even sheen. Sand lightly to get the sheen - but be careful not to sand so much that you sand through the finish all together.

Apply the Water Lox, dry and sand two or three more times. The number of coats really depends on the look you are going for.

Next is the steel wool step. Frank likes to use Liberon steel wool which is a 0000 steel wool that you can also get from Highlands - http://www.highlandwoodworking.com/liberon40steelwool250g.aspx. The Liberon is so much softer than the general 0000 steel wool you'd get at one of the big box stores - it's almost silky smooth.

Next is to use a tack cloth to clean off the piece as cleanly as you can get it.

Then apply one last coat of Water Lox - be sure to use a circular motion to apply it and then even it out by using an airplane landing and taking off motion.

Allow the piece to dry completely. Frank said today that you would be wise to let the box sit for several weeks before moving on to the next step. Of course, you could also stop right here. But Frank believes in "finishing the finish." He does this by waxing and buffing the piece. He uses a good butcher's wax - amber color and then uses a lot of good elbow grease to shine it up. I've seen some of his stuff - and this finish is worth the effort - looks great.

After all this you work on the interior which for this box is the velvet lining and some leather. The leather will go on the bottom of each foot and on the bottom of the tray insert. Adds a lot of class to the project.

The bottom liner is made up of thin poster board, some thin quilt fiber fill and then the velvet.



You can see in this picture (almost anyway) the sandwich used. Notice the corners are cut at an angle to make folding the corners easier. Use 3M 77 spray adhesive to adhere the velvet to the board. The board should be fit so that it sits nicely in the bottom without wrinkling. In other words - it should not have to be pushed into place - it should be placed into place. Most of us are not putting in the velvet until we get home because you want to have the finish done so that you don't get any finish on the velvet. Also you need to have your mirror installed before you put in the velvet in the top. The bottom is the only piece that gets the fiber fill. All the other pieces are just poster board and velvet. The side pieces are glued into place.

A tid bit about the mirror. You should get a mirror that is less than 1/8" thick and you should spend the money on mirror mastic. The mirror mastic will not telegraph through the mirror and show. (That would be quite ugly.) You also only need to use a small spot of mastic in each corner. Don't use silicone adhesive or heaven forbid-liquid nails.

Well that is all I can think of for today. I'm quite sure I've left out so many good things - so I'll try to catch those up later on.

Thanks for reading and for your comments.


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## sbryan55 (Dec 8, 2007)

Betsy said:


> *Day four - dovetailing with Frank Klauz*
> 
> I realized today that I've failed to mention the multitude of things that we have been discussing during the day beside dovetails and box making. Frank is a wealth of information. Actually that is really an understatement. Frank has more to teach than he possibly has time to share. I whole heartily recommend taking a class with Frank if you ever get half the chance.
> 
> ...


Thanks, again Besty. This has been an informative series that you have blogged. Being able to take formal classes like this is a wonderful opportunity and I am glad to see that you have made the most of this one.


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## woodbutcher (Dec 29, 2006)

Betsy said:


> *Day four - dovetailing with Frank Klauz*
> 
> I realized today that I've failed to mention the multitude of things that we have been discussing during the day beside dovetails and box making. Frank is a wealth of information. Actually that is really an understatement. Frank has more to teach than he possibly has time to share. I whole heartily recommend taking a class with Frank if you ever get half the chance.
> 
> ...


Betsy,
Thanks again for continuing this blog. I'm sure we'll even let you do a final one after you've completed everything and have a few days to reflect back. You sure are one lucky Lady to be able to perform this project under the tutilage of Mr Klaus. Would you please start over and install the shims in the box so I can see exactly how you taped them in place, when cutting the lid loose on the ends? I'm just kidding! I am suprised that they were as wide as they were. I assume that the thickness of the shims is the same as the kerf width of the blade used. Thanks again and just keep on keeping on.

Sincerely,
Ken McGinnis
p.s. You're not expecting me to reimburse you for part of the tuition for this class are you?
p.p.s. If you were, you'd better send me a big box of sawdust!


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## Radish (Apr 11, 2007)

Betsy said:


> *Day four - dovetailing with Frank Klauz*
> 
> I realized today that I've failed to mention the multitude of things that we have been discussing during the day beside dovetails and box making. Frank is a wealth of information. Actually that is really an understatement. Frank has more to teach than he possibly has time to share. I whole heartily recommend taking a class with Frank if you ever get half the chance.
> 
> ...


Thanks, Betsy. It's been most informative. Have to say I envy you a bit, as I am a big fan of Mr. Klauz.


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## Betsy (Sep 25, 2007)

Betsy said:


> *Day four - dovetailing with Frank Klauz*
> 
> I realized today that I've failed to mention the multitude of things that we have been discussing during the day beside dovetails and box making. Frank is a wealth of information. Actually that is really an understatement. Frank has more to teach than he possibly has time to share. I whole heartily recommend taking a class with Frank if you ever get half the chance.
> 
> ...


Thanks guys.

Ken - nah - this is a free thing for you. But once I get famous as a woodworker - I might consider charging you! But don't hold your breath on the famous part. 

Glad you are enjoying my blog.


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## toddc (Mar 6, 2007)

Betsy said:


> *Day four - dovetailing with Frank Klauz*
> 
> I realized today that I've failed to mention the multitude of things that we have been discussing during the day beside dovetails and box making. Frank is a wealth of information. Actually that is really an understatement. Frank has more to teach than he possibly has time to share. I whole heartily recommend taking a class with Frank if you ever get half the chance.
> 
> ...


Just rubbin' it in with another entry, "I'm here with Frank Klauz and you are not. HA!"

I think it is wonderful that you got to spend some time with such a great name in woodworking. I am sure that I would glean tons of information from him.

You are right about the mirror mastic. As a remodeling contractor I have seen many mirrors over the years that were glued in place with silicone or liquid nails. The acid in them eats through the reflective silver lining on the glass. Mirror mastic is formulated to avoid this issue.


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## Betsy (Sep 25, 2007)

*Day 5 - dovetails with Frank Klausz*

Made it home safe and sound. Always great to get away and have a good vacation - but also so very nice to be home.

The last day in class was such a good time. Someone asked Frank to talk a bit about his life in Hungary and his ventures to the US. Frank essentially gave us a two hour talk on history and it's a talk I very much enjoyed. Frank is a genuinely nice man who has a lot to teach besides woodworking. He spoke in great detail about his apprenticeship and how it worked in Hungary, his time in the communist army, his living arrangements when he first got married, his search for work (did you know he was a butler?), his desire to leave Hungary, his time in Austria and his eventual coming to America. I daresay I would not do it justice trying to recap it here. Suffice it to say, the living history lesson was as interesting as the woodworking. This is one class I will not soon forget.

As always the last day of any class is used to tie up loose ends and to touch on some oddball questions that people are just curious about.

As for the box - we spent a bit of time on the tray. It's difficult to actually do the tray until you get the lining done, and it's difficult to do the lining until you get the finish done.

Here is what we are looking for in the tray.



Using contrasting wood with a spline material that matches your exterior box looks really cool. The spline cuts are made with a hand saw and the kerfs are made as if you were cutting dovetails.



The neat thing with doing the cuts this way - if you use the same wood for the tray as you do the exterior - make these cuts then fill the cuts with the same material - it looks like you have cut miniature dovetails! It would take another woodworker looking very closely to know that they are not real dovetails.

Well - I'm just about worn out from the drive so I'm going to cut this short. I'll blog some more as I finish my box.

Finally, and for fear of beating that dead horse to death - if you ever get a chance to take a class with Frank - jump on it! Likewise for taking a class at Kelly Mehler's school. Kelly runs a first class school.

Happy woodworking. Thanks for reading.


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## patron (Apr 2, 2009)

Betsy said:


> *Day 5 - dovetails with Frank Klausz*
> 
> Made it home safe and sound. Always great to get away and have a good vacation - but also so very nice to be home.
> 
> ...


glad you made it home safe ,
and that you got to have a good " vacation " ,
learning something you love !

well see the rest of this project later .


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## toddc (Mar 6, 2007)

Betsy said:


> *Day 5 - dovetails with Frank Klausz*
> 
> Made it home safe and sound. Always great to get away and have a good vacation - but also so very nice to be home.
> 
> ...


Loved following along, thanks for sharing. It sounds like you had a great time and it was well worth it.

Coincidentally, look what I made this afternoon with the only scraps left over from the tea box cabinet.



I looked at your second picture and thought, "Hey, I was just doing that a little bit ago!"


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## Betsy (Sep 25, 2007)

Betsy said:


> *Day 5 - dovetails with Frank Klausz*
> 
> Made it home safe and sound. Always great to get away and have a good vacation - but also so very nice to be home.
> 
> ...


Todd - I think you were looking over my shoulder! That's a nice looking piece. 

Thanks for following my blog.


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## sbryan55 (Dec 8, 2007)

Betsy said:


> *Day 5 - dovetails with Frank Klausz*
> 
> Made it home safe and sound. Always great to get away and have a good vacation - but also so very nice to be home.
> 
> ...


Betsy, thanks for taking us along on this ride. It has been enjoyable and I will have to look into trying to take one of these courses.


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## woodbutcher (Dec 29, 2006)

Betsy said:


> *Day 5 - dovetails with Frank Klausz*
> 
> Made it home safe and sound. Always great to get away and have a good vacation - but also so very nice to be home.
> 
> ...


Betsy,
Glad to hear that you're back home safely. I know what you mean about, it's always good to get back home. I'm the sameway, no matter how much fun I'm having while away, there's no place like home! I think I saw the Wizard of Oz one too many times growing up-LOL. We'll be very interested in seeing your finished project once time allows. While we weren't away on vacation, your blogs did allow us to enjoy it also. Thanks again for sharing.

Sincerely,
Ken McGinnis


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## rtb (Mar 26, 2008)

Betsy said:


> *Day 5 - dovetails with Frank Klausz*
> 
> Made it home safe and sound. Always great to get away and have a good vacation - but also so very nice to be home.
> 
> ...


Betsy, as always your vacation teaches and enlightens us all. I for one am quite happy that this years trip will not be followed by all the complications that last years was. And I am quite certain that this one was much more comfortable.


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## Betsy (Sep 25, 2007)

Betsy said:


> *Day 5 - dovetails with Frank Klausz*
> 
> Made it home safe and sound. Always great to get away and have a good vacation - but also so very nice to be home.
> 
> ...


Thanks guys. I really am glad that my blog provides some entertainment and maybe some tidbits for others to use.

RTB - yep this year was sooo much more comfortable. No trials and tribulations this year!


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## Betsy (Sep 25, 2007)

*Staycation - it's what you make it.*

No yearly trek off to wonderful places for an exotic woodworking vacation this year. Between my health, my schedule and just simply not finding a class that I really wanted to take, I decided to stay home and just take a few classes at my local Woodcraft. I decided this for several reasons, but the most important was that I really needed some refresher courses to get me feeling comfortable with my tools again and to make sure I've not forgotten all the rules of safety.

So far I've taken four classes. You've seen the one with the shelf in my projects section. Here are the two I'm working on finishing up now.










This box was made using the table saw to make the cove cut. This was fun for me as I've always wanted to make some crown molding but was not really sure about cove cutting on the table saw. So now I know how and it was pretty cool.










You can see that the lid is simply a drop on. The bottoms were cut using a router table and decorative bit.

You can see that I did not get my corners exactly right and I still have some sanding to do. One thing for sure is that you really want to do the sanding of the cove before you actually cut the sides and put the box together - but since this was a weekend class - that is not going to happen. But that's OK - I learned a new technique and made some friends. I'm working on finish sanding this weekend and will put a finish on the box and then post onto my projects hopefully by the end of the week.

Another class I took was to build a clock. I really thought this would be just a small table clock. Boy was I wrong - this thing is HUGE! As you can see, I still have to do the finish sanding, assembly and finish coat - but this gives you the idea of what I'm working on.



















This clock would be so cool in quarter sawn white oak and I may just have to do another to accomplish that. When this gets finished I'm pretty sure I'll be taking it to work to hang on the old office wall. But we'll see.

Hope you've enjoyed my little staycation story.


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## lew (Feb 13, 2008)

Betsy said:


> *Staycation - it's what you make it.*
> 
> No yearly trek off to wonderful places for an exotic woodworking vacation this year. Between my health, my schedule and just simply not finding a class that I really wanted to take, I decided to stay home and just take a few classes at my local Woodcraft. I decided this for several reasons, but the most important was that I really needed some refresher courses to get me feeling comfortable with my tools again and to make sure I've not forgotten all the rules of safety.
> 
> ...


I'd say you haven't forgotten anything and you certainly haven't lost your "edge"!!

The box is fantastic! Bet there was a bunch of sanding on the coves!

Not sure what you have planned for the box- and don't want to sound morbid- but I think it would make a beautiful urn for a beloved pet.

Great clock, too!!!!!!!!

Lew


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## cutmantom (Feb 2, 2010)

Betsy said:


> *Staycation - it's what you make it.*
> 
> No yearly trek off to wonderful places for an exotic woodworking vacation this year. Between my health, my schedule and just simply not finding a class that I really wanted to take, I decided to stay home and just take a few classes at my local Woodcraft. I decided this for several reasons, but the most important was that I really needed some refresher courses to get me feeling comfortable with my tools again and to make sure I've not forgotten all the rules of safety.
> 
> ...


I like the clock, don't forget the finished pictures please


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## lightweightladylefty (Mar 27, 2008)

Betsy said:


> *Staycation - it's what you make it.*
> 
> No yearly trek off to wonderful places for an exotic woodworking vacation this year. Between my health, my schedule and just simply not finding a class that I really wanted to take, I decided to stay home and just take a few classes at my local Woodcraft. I decided this for several reasons, but the most important was that I really needed some refresher courses to get me feeling comfortable with my tools again and to make sure I've not forgotten all the rules of safety.
> 
> ...


Betsy,

What a great way to spend a staycation! And your memories aren't just pictures in a photo album!

Thanks for sharing.


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## cajunpen (Apr 9, 2007)

Betsy said:


> *Staycation - it's what you make it.*
> 
> No yearly trek off to wonderful places for an exotic woodworking vacation this year. Between my health, my schedule and just simply not finding a class that I really wanted to take, I decided to stay home and just take a few classes at my local Woodcraft. I decided this for several reasons, but the most important was that I really needed some refresher courses to get me feeling comfortable with my tools again and to make sure I've not forgotten all the rules of safety.
> 
> ...


Outstanding clock and box. I agree with lew - you haven't lost a step. Your craftsmanship has really progressed.


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## Robb (Aug 18, 2007)

Betsy said:


> *Staycation - it's what you make it.*
> 
> No yearly trek off to wonderful places for an exotic woodworking vacation this year. Between my health, my schedule and just simply not finding a class that I really wanted to take, I decided to stay home and just take a few classes at my local Woodcraft. I decided this for several reasons, but the most important was that I really needed some refresher courses to get me feeling comfortable with my tools again and to make sure I've not forgotten all the rules of safety.
> 
> ...


I somehow missed this blog until you posted the finished box. I really like the self-made cove sides on the box. I've read about that technique, but not worked up the nerve to try it yet. One day soon, I hope.

That clock would be killer in qswo - I hope you do make another!


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## HerbC (Jul 28, 2010)

Betsy said:


> *Staycation - it's what you make it.*
> 
> No yearly trek off to wonderful places for an exotic woodworking vacation this year. Between my health, my schedule and just simply not finding a class that I really wanted to take, I decided to stay home and just take a few classes at my local Woodcraft. I decided this for several reasons, but the most important was that I really needed some refresher courses to get me feeling comfortable with my tools again and to make sure I've not forgotten all the rules of safety.
> 
> ...


Betsy,

I've just finished reading all 187 entries in your blog. You have a lot of talent, both in the wood working and word working worlds. I note that you've taken quite a hiatus from regularly blogging and hope that has been because your life has been so filled with other good things that you just haven't had time to write…

I hope you are well and look forward to seeing and reading more of your amazing adventures exploring wood working.

Be Careful.

Herb


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