# The Craftsman's Path



## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

*An introduction*

Since I already blog at my own domain I did not want to duplicate all of that content here at LumberJocks each time that I made a post. So, I asked Martin if it was appropriate for me to have blog entries here at LumberJocks that link to my own blog. The answer was a resounding yes - in fact it was encouraged!

So, Beginning with this post I will have some short into text and a link to entries on my blog. If you are using an RSS reader you can still subscribe to the posts if you'd like. My blog is fairly new, so I will go ahead and add posts here for each of my posts for September.

In this post I have a short intro about myself and I introduce the blog. Please click here for the post. Thanks for reading!


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## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

*Woodworking choices: hand or power?*

This post is a pragmatic look at the choices between hand a power tool woodworking. Click here for the post. Thanks for reading!


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## MsDebbieP (Jan 4, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Woodworking choices: hand or power?*
> 
> This post is a pragmatic look at the choices between hand a power tool woodworking. Click here for the post. Thanks for reading!


another well written article


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## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

*Furniture design starts with a sketch*

This post talks about the basic process I go through for every furniture design project. Click here for the post. Thanks for reading!


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## MsDebbieP (Jan 4, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Furniture design starts with a sketch*
> 
> This post talks about the basic process I go through for every furniture design project. Click here for the post. Thanks for reading!


this is really helpful for our Dining Table Challenge!!! Thanks for sharing.


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## Tikka (May 14, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Furniture design starts with a sketch*
> 
> This post talks about the basic process I go through for every furniture design project. Click here for the post. Thanks for reading!


Is it just me, but none of the " Click here" links seem to work!


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## MsDebbieP (Jan 4, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Furniture design starts with a sketch*
> 
> This post talks about the basic process I go through for every furniture design project. Click here for the post. Thanks for reading!


they worked for me, Tony.


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## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Furniture design starts with a sketch*
> 
> This post talks about the basic process I go through for every furniture design project. Click here for the post. Thanks for reading!


Tony,

Sorry, I'm not sure what the problem is that you are experiencing with the links - they are working for me. If you right click on the link you should be able to copy it and paste it into another browser window - trying that may give you a clue as to what is happening. Alternatively, you can click on the link in my signature to go directly to the web site. Sorry I can't be of more help.


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## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

*It's woodworking season!*

Tis the season for sawdust! Click here for the post. Thanks for reading!


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## MsDebbieP (Jan 4, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *It's woodworking season!*
> 
> Tis the season for sawdust! Click here for the post. Thanks for reading!


the pre-season tasks… great way to look at it!!

Rick and I have a LOT of pre-season tasking to do! haha And to think that the shop is only a year old.


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## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

*Workshop cleanup and in praise of the workbench*

Weekend activities and some praise for the unsung shop workhorse. Click here for the post. Thanks for reading!


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## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

*Improving your drawing skills for design*

I've posted a new entry on my blog regarding ways to improve your drawing skills in order to help with developing new furniture designs. Check out the post here. Thanks for reading!


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## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

*Guidelines for good design*

I've added a post to my blog on some techniques and guidelines for developing a good furniture design.

Click here for the post. Thanks for reading and please leave a comment and let me know what you think!


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## decoustudio (May 4, 2006)

MarkM said:


> *Guidelines for good design*
> 
> I've added a post to my blog on some techniques and guidelines for developing a good furniture design.
> 
> Click here for the post. Thanks for reading and please leave a comment and let me know what you think!


enjoyed your article. I also am a "Blackburn" fan. I met him once at The Woodworking Show while it was on it's Kansas City stop, while he was doing demonstrations and selling his books. He signed his book for me, and I turn to his principles often.


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## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Guidelines for good design*
> 
> I've added a post to my blog on some techniques and guidelines for developing a good furniture design.
> 
> Click here for the post. Thanks for reading and please leave a comment and let me know what you think!


Mark,

I'm glad to hear that you liked the article. I have not read Blackburn's book, but I've read many of his articles in FWW. I thought that the info provided in this particular piece of his was a good intro to the various techniques using the Golden Ratio as a tool for furniture design.

Thanks for reading and taking to time to comment!


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## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

*Loose Tenon Joinery - A budget alternative to the Festool Domino*

Given all of the buzz about the new Festool Domino, I thought that I'd share a technique that I've been using for years to do loose tenon joinery. While I think that the Festool Domino looks like a great tool, it may be out of reach, price-wise, for many woodworkers. In this post on my blog, I show a budget alternative.

Take a look and let me know what you think. Thanks for reading!


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## lclashley (Feb 19, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Loose Tenon Joinery - A budget alternative to the Festool Domino*
> 
> Given all of the buzz about the new Festool Domino, I thought that I'd share a technique that I've been using for years to do loose tenon joinery. While I think that the Festool Domino looks like a great tool, it may be out of reach, price-wise, for many woodworkers. In this post on my blog, I show a budget alternative.
> 
> Take a look and let me know what you think. Thanks for reading!


Cool jig, thanks Mark.


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## Karson (May 9, 2006)

MarkM said:


> *Loose Tenon Joinery - A budget alternative to the Festool Domino*
> 
> Given all of the buzz about the new Festool Domino, I thought that I'd share a technique that I've been using for years to do loose tenon joinery. While I think that the Festool Domino looks like a great tool, it may be out of reach, price-wise, for many woodworkers. In this post on my blog, I show a budget alternative.
> 
> Take a look and let me know what you think. Thanks for reading!


Great jig Mark.


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## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Loose Tenon Joinery - A budget alternative to the Festool Domino*
> 
> Given all of the buzz about the new Festool Domino, I thought that I'd share a technique that I've been using for years to do loose tenon joinery. While I think that the Festool Domino looks like a great tool, it may be out of reach, price-wise, for many woodworkers. In this post on my blog, I show a budget alternative.
> 
> Take a look and let me know what you think. Thanks for reading!


Karson and lclashley,

Thanks for the comments. GLad you like the jig. Let me kow if you decide to build one and try the technique!


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## tooldad (Mar 24, 2008)

MarkM said:


> *Loose Tenon Joinery - A budget alternative to the Festool Domino*
> 
> Given all of the buzz about the new Festool Domino, I thought that I'd share a technique that I've been using for years to do loose tenon joinery. While I think that the Festool Domino looks like a great tool, it may be out of reach, price-wise, for many woodworkers. In this post on my blog, I show a budget alternative.
> 
> Take a look and let me know what you think. Thanks for reading!


thanks for the jig idea. I am trying to come up with alternatives to the setup and time required for a M&T joint. The problem with my students is limited time, usually 45 min windows. With a jig like this or even a traditional mortising machine is that all the same type of pieces need to be cut without changing the setup. We run into "the bell is going to ring soon, do some today and some tomorrow" with 6 other classes sharing the shop, nearly 100 kids, that just won't work.

I am leaning more and more toward the domino. Any idea how the domino compares to a double pocket hole and screws joint?


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## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

MarkM said:


> *Loose Tenon Joinery - A budget alternative to the Festool Domino*
> 
> Given all of the buzz about the new Festool Domino, I thought that I'd share a technique that I've been using for years to do loose tenon joinery. While I think that the Festool Domino looks like a great tool, it may be out of reach, price-wise, for many woodworkers. In this post on my blog, I show a budget alternative.
> 
> Take a look and let me know what you think. Thanks for reading!


good jig


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## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

*The benefits of rough lumber for design and building*

I was out this weekend at a friend's place where some logging is being done (I'll be posting about that in the near future).

I started to think about the process of gathering lumber for use in the design and building of furniture projects. The work being done at my friends was very small scale when compared to any kind of a commercial operation however, it made me think about the benefits that small operations like this offer to the average woodworker.

I buy rough lumber from small local sawmills for use in virtually all of my woodworking projects. I think that there are a lot of benefits to doing this. I examine some of my rationale for doing so in a *new post* in my blog. Take a look and let me know your thoughts. Thanks!


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## MsDebbieP (Jan 4, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *The benefits of rough lumber for design and building*
> 
> I was out this weekend at a friend's place where some logging is being done (I'll be posting about that in the near future).
> 
> ...


... and don't forget the joy of watching the beautiful smooth surface appear as you remove the roughness. And .. you can use the rough edge if you want (my preference always) when you get the wood in a more natural state.


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## Karson (May 9, 2006)

MarkM said:


> *The benefits of rough lumber for design and building*
> 
> I was out this weekend at a friend's place where some logging is being done (I'll be posting about that in the near future).
> 
> ...


I agree with the rough lumber concept. I do it for price and availability of stock.

You have the ability to bargain for what you are buying and you can buy all the wood from a log which gives you consistent wood colors.


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## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *The benefits of rough lumber for design and building*
> 
> I was out this weekend at a friend's place where some logging is being done (I'll be posting about that in the near future).
> 
> ...


Debbie: good point on revealing the new surface as you plane the rough wood to smooth…that's really an enjoyable and exiting part of the process!

Karson: Getting all of the wood from a log for consistent grain is another good benefit if it is available. Unfortunately, for me that's not always the case 

Thanks for the comments!


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## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

*Super-simple drill press table upgrade*

Sometimes after you complete a task, you wonder why you procrastinated so long to do it. I had a good day in the shop yesterday doing a simple but, long-overdue upgrade to my drill press. If you are considering a similar upgrade, or you are just looking for some inspiration to tackle a project that you've been putting off, you might want to take a look at the *post* about it on my blog. Thanks for reading and let me know what you think!


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## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Super-simple drill press table upgrade*
> 
> Sometimes after you complete a task, you wonder why you procrastinated so long to do it. I had a good day in the shop yesterday doing a simple but, long-overdue upgrade to my drill press. If you are considering a similar upgrade, or you are just looking for some inspiration to tackle a project that you've been putting off, you might want to take a look at the *post* about it on my blog. Thanks for reading and let me know what you think!


Just updating to add a picture of the DP table upgrade…there's lots more detail in the blog post.


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## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

*Sam Maloof on design*

I've recently been doing some reading on various designers in search of guidance and inspiration. Sam Maloof has always been one of my favorites. In doing so, I came across some quotes from Maloof that express some of his philosophies on woodworking and design. In *this post* on my blog I explore these and share some of my thoughts on them. I'd be interested in hearing the perspectives on this subject from all of you LumberJocks out there. Thanks for reading!


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## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

*The joy of a well tuned hand plane*

I spent some time in the shop this past weekend working on a couple of final tasks for a new table before starting on the finishing.

I had a choice on how to do the work and opted for a simple block plane. If you've done work with well-tuned hand tools, then you know how my experience was…either way, you can read about it *here*.


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## WayneC (Mar 8, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *The joy of a well tuned hand plane*
> 
> I spent some time in the shop this past weekend working on a couple of final tasks for a new table before starting on the finishing.
> 
> I had a choice on how to do the work and opted for a simple block plane. If you've done work with well-tuned hand tools, then you know how my experience was…either way, you can read about it *here*.


Better add a Jointer plane to your list. : ^ )

Enjoy the slippery slope.


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## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *The joy of a well tuned hand plane*
> 
> I spent some time in the shop this past weekend working on a couple of final tasks for a new table before starting on the finishing.
> 
> I had a choice on how to do the work and opted for a simple block plane. If you've done work with well-tuned hand tools, then you know how my experience was…either way, you can read about it *here*.


Wayne,

It's possible that a Jointer plane could be not too far down the road as well. However, I think that the smoother is first. I am still pondering between a cast iron and a wooden smoother. I've considered making a wooden smoother. Any thoughts?


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## Tangle (Jul 21, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *The joy of a well tuned hand plane*
> 
> I spent some time in the shop this past weekend working on a couple of final tasks for a new table before starting on the finishing.
> 
> I had a choice on how to do the work and opted for a simple block plane. If you've done work with well-tuned hand tools, then you know how my experience was…either way, you can read about it *here*.


Mark,
They all work, from a $12 Stanley Bailey #4 to a$4500 Norris. Tune 'em up and learn to use them. REad Wayne's blogs on how to rehab planes. Start with a flea market special and when it works like it should you have earned the good ones but probably won't need them. Until you understand how they work you can't keep the best of them working. Good luck on the slippery slope.


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## WayneC (Mar 8, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *The joy of a well tuned hand plane*
> 
> I spent some time in the shop this past weekend working on a couple of final tasks for a new table before starting on the finishing.
> 
> I had a choice on how to do the work and opted for a simple block plane. If you've done work with well-tuned hand tools, then you know how my experience was…either way, you can read about it *here*.


I've got several nice metal smoothers (Stanely and LN). I've not played much with the wooden smoothers. I have in my near term project plans the intent to build a couple of wooden smoothers. I have all of the materials including a couple of Krenov style Hock blades. I'm just not as productive as Tom these days.

Have you gotten or looked at this book?

http://www.amazon.com/Making-Mastering-Wood-Planes-Revised/dp/140272022X/ref=sr_1_1/102-3415546-3882525?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1192650447&sr=8-1

It is a great book on planes in general. A must read.


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## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *The joy of a well tuned hand plane*
> 
> I spent some time in the shop this past weekend working on a couple of final tasks for a new table before starting on the finishing.
> 
> I had a choice on how to do the work and opted for a simple block plane. If you've done work with well-tuned hand tools, then you know how my experience was…either way, you can read about it *here*.


Tom,

I've tuned up a couple of older Record planes and they work well. I do like the Veritas block plane that I pictured (and used for this task) so I'm also looking at the Veritas bevel-up smoother and the low-angle smoother. I don't have any wooden planes so I have considered making one - thought it would be a quick fun project.

Wayne: I don't have that book, but I've seen it mentioned favorably several times. Maybe I'll see if I can pick a copy up for reference. The last hand plane book I read was Garrett Hack's book.


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## Tangle (Jul 21, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *The joy of a well tuned hand plane*
> 
> I spent some time in the shop this past weekend working on a couple of final tasks for a new table before starting on the finishing.
> 
> I had a choice on how to do the work and opted for a simple block plane. If you've done work with well-tuned hand tools, then you know how my experience was…either way, you can read about it *here*.


Wayne showed me a video on Ron Hock making a plane and there is a set of instructions from The College of The Redwoods that Wayne found. Maybe he can highlight them for you.


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## WayneC (Mar 8, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *The joy of a well tuned hand plane*
> 
> I spent some time in the shop this past weekend working on a couple of final tasks for a new table before starting on the finishing.
> 
> I had a choice on how to do the work and opted for a simple block plane. If you've done work with well-tuned hand tools, then you know how my experience was…either way, you can read about it *here*.


Can do - Video

http://www.hocktools.com/kf175.htm

and Plans

http://www.crfinefurniture.com/1pages/sitelinks/howplane.html


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## WayneC (Mar 8, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *The joy of a well tuned hand plane*
> 
> I spent some time in the shop this past weekend working on a couple of final tasks for a new table before starting on the finishing.
> 
> I had a choice on how to do the work and opted for a simple block plane. If you've done work with well-tuned hand tools, then you know how my experience was…either way, you can read about it *here*.


Here is a better video link….


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## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *The joy of a well tuned hand plane*
> 
> I spent some time in the shop this past weekend working on a couple of final tasks for a new table before starting on the finishing.
> 
> I had a choice on how to do the work and opted for a simple block plane. If you've done work with well-tuned hand tools, then you know how my experience was…either way, you can read about it *here*.


Thanks, Wayne! I was looking at the Hock kit.


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## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

*Asian/Arts and Crafts inspired table*

I've completed the table based on a design that I blogged about in a previous post. I talk about the construction and design details in a new *post* on my blog. There are some pictures of the detail there as well. Take a look and let me know what you think. Thanks!


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## DanYo (Jun 30, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Asian/Arts and Crafts inspired table*
> 
> I've completed the table based on a design that I blogged about in a previous post. I talk about the construction and design details in a new *post* on my blog. There are some pictures of the detail there as well. Take a look and let me know what you think. Thanks!


dig it !


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## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Asian/Arts and Crafts inspired table*
> 
> I've completed the table based on a design that I blogged about in a previous post. I talk about the construction and design details in a new *post* on my blog. There are some pictures of the detail there as well. Take a look and let me know what you think. Thanks!


Thanks, Dan.


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## SPalm (Oct 9, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Asian/Arts and Crafts inspired table*
> 
> I've completed the table based on a design that I blogged about in a previous post. I talk about the construction and design details in a new *post* on my blog. There are some pictures of the detail there as well. Take a look and let me know what you think. Thanks!


A fine piece Sir. I am humbled.

My current passion is the asian/arts&crafts blend. You have done it well.

Steve


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## Dorje (Jun 17, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Asian/Arts and Crafts inspired table*
> 
> I've completed the table based on a design that I blogged about in a previous post. I talk about the construction and design details in a new *post* on my blog. There are some pictures of the detail there as well. Take a look and let me know what you think. Thanks!


beautiful!


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## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Asian/Arts and Crafts inspired table*
> 
> I've completed the table based on a design that I blogged about in a previous post. I talk about the construction and design details in a new *post* on my blog. There are some pictures of the detail there as well. Take a look and let me know what you think. Thanks!


Steve and Dorje,

Thanks for the kind words.


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## dennis (Aug 3, 2006)

MarkM said:


> *Asian/Arts and Crafts inspired table*
> 
> I've completed the table based on a design that I blogged about in a previous post. I talk about the construction and design details in a new *post* on my blog. There are some pictures of the detail there as well. Take a look and let me know what you think. Thanks!


Just beautiful.


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## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Asian/Arts and Crafts inspired table*
> 
> I've completed the table based on a design that I blogged about in a previous post. I talk about the construction and design details in a new *post* on my blog. There are some pictures of the detail there as well. Take a look and let me know what you think. Thanks!


Thanks, Dennis.


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## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

*An evening with Kelly Mehler*

The woodworking club that I belong to hosted Kelly Mehler for a lecture last night and a demonstration today. I had the pleasure of attending his lecture last night and I wrote about it at my *blog*. Take a look!


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## Paul (Mar 13, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *An evening with Kelly Mehler*
> 
> The woodworking club that I belong to hosted Kelly Mehler for a lecture last night and a demonstration today. I had the pleasure of attending his lecture last night and I wrote about it at my *blog*. Take a look!


If you have the opportunity, take a class from Kelly . I took a class - hand-cut dovetail blanket chest - from Kelly at Marc Adams School of Woodworking before he built his own school. Although I have not attended his school, it looks like a wonderful facility and I know the teacher is excellent!


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## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *An evening with Kelly Mehler*
> 
> The woodworking club that I belong to hosted Kelly Mehler for a lecture last night and a demonstration today. I had the pleasure of attending his lecture last night and I wrote about it at my *blog*. Take a look!


Paul,

As evidenced by his lecture (and also his videos), I can certainly agree that Kelly is a good teacher. During the talk he showed some examples of student work at his school - the hand cut dovetail blanket chest was on of the projects. It looks like that would be a wonderful class to take with him. I'm sure during that class you gained some of Kelly's insight on wood and grain matching to highlight the chest. It was most impressive to me that he took simple designs and made them outstanding through the use of the material.

Thanks for sharing your experience with him.


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## Paul (Mar 13, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *An evening with Kelly Mehler*
> 
> The woodworking club that I belong to hosted Kelly Mehler for a lecture last night and a demonstration today. I had the pleasure of attending his lecture last night and I wrote about it at my *blog*. Take a look!


Kelly Mehler Class

Handcut Dovetail Blanket Chest



You might notice how the grain wraps around the chest. We tried to apply his insights to our projects.


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## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *An evening with Kelly Mehler*
> 
> The woodworking club that I belong to hosted Kelly Mehler for a lecture last night and a demonstration today. I had the pleasure of attending his lecture last night and I wrote about it at my *blog*. Take a look!


Paul,

Beautiful work! You can definitely see some of Kelly's influence in there.


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## Dorje (Jun 17, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *An evening with Kelly Mehler*
> 
> The woodworking club that I belong to hosted Kelly Mehler for a lecture last night and a demonstration today. I had the pleasure of attending his lecture last night and I wrote about it at my *blog*. Take a look!


I'll have to make it back to read your blog - sounds interesting…I admire Kelly Mehler's work…

Your's too Mark!


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## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *An evening with Kelly Mehler*
> 
> The woodworking club that I belong to hosted Kelly Mehler for a lecture last night and a demonstration today. I had the pleasure of attending his lecture last night and I wrote about it at my *blog*. Take a look!


Dorje,

Thanks. Take a look at the blog post. Kelly is an interesting guy to talk with and listen to. His designs are fairly simple, but he makes up for that in material selection and use. There's something in the saying "simple but elegant" that I definitely agree with.


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## Dorje (Jun 17, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *An evening with Kelly Mehler*
> 
> The woodworking club that I belong to hosted Kelly Mehler for a lecture last night and a demonstration today. I had the pleasure of attending his lecture last night and I wrote about it at my *blog*. Take a look!


Made it back and was good to read the blog - loved hearing that he buys all the boards from whole trees!


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## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *An evening with Kelly Mehler*
> 
> The woodworking club that I belong to hosted Kelly Mehler for a lecture last night and a demonstration today. I had the pleasure of attending his lecture last night and I wrote about it at my *blog*. Take a look!


Dorje,

Thanks! Please keep visiting. Kelly is a nice guy and certainly an accomplished woodworker. I think that it is a testament to his abilities that he can take designs with simple and create pieces that are exceptional without a lot of adornments.


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## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

*The legacy of one woodworker*

I recently went to a sale for a wood shop that was being sold off. What I came home with was a bit more than what I had expected. You can take a look at my thoughts on the subject *here*. Thanks for reading!


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## Dorje (Jun 17, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *The legacy of one woodworker*
> 
> I recently went to a sale for a wood shop that was being sold off. What I came home with was a bit more than what I had expected. You can take a look at my thoughts on the subject *here*. Thanks for reading!


I'm heading over now!


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## Karson (May 9, 2006)

MarkM said:


> *The legacy of one woodworker*
> 
> I recently went to a sale for a wood shop that was being sold off. What I came home with was a bit more than what I had expected. You can take a look at my thoughts on the subject *here*. Thanks for reading!


Great insight. A legacy we would all like to leave.


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## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *The legacy of one woodworker*
> 
> I recently went to a sale for a wood shop that was being sold off. What I came home with was a bit more than what I had expected. You can take a look at my thoughts on the subject *here*. Thanks for reading!


Karson, thanks. It was an interesting feeling walking through his shop - seeing the jigs and tool cabinets. You could almost close your eyes and see the activity in the shop. I went looking for bargains and came away with a different sentiment.

Dorje, let me know your thoughts!


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## toddc (Mar 6, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *The legacy of one woodworker*
> 
> I recently went to a sale for a wood shop that was being sold off. What I came home with was a bit more than what I had expected. You can take a look at my thoughts on the subject *here*. Thanks for reading!


I really enjoyed your article on the woodworker's legacy.

I have thought about my legacy. What do I want to leave behind? I determined that sharing the skills and knowledge was something that I wanted to do. LJ helps in that, but I have learned so much myself too.

Certainly my projects are part of my legacy as well.


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## Dorje (Jun 17, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *The legacy of one woodworker*
> 
> I recently went to a sale for a wood shop that was being sold off. What I came home with was a bit more than what I had expected. You can take a look at my thoughts on the subject *here*. Thanks for reading!


I had a very similar experience this past summer. I didn't leave with any tools, but just felt like I could be there to contemplate what went on in the shop and the mind of the fellow that used to live and work there.

Puts my grandpa in mind. Although my grandpa was not a woodworker, he was a very skilled in many trades and taught voc ed for many years, built his home and worked his land. I have many of his tools for the various trades. I have that sense of awe and history when I use them. Also, I have a sense that I am continuing his legacy - that my interests are somehow connected to who he was and what he may have wanted to experience. They're my interests, but I'm always taking my grandfather along for the ride, continuing the ride he took me along for many years.


----------



## cajunpen (Apr 9, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *The legacy of one woodworker*
> 
> I recently went to a sale for a wood shop that was being sold off. What I came home with was a bit more than what I had expected. You can take a look at my thoughts on the subject *here*. Thanks for reading!


Mark thank you for your wonderful story. We are all walking that path to the end. The choices we make now and in the future will determine how we are remembered - will be our Legacy. I think that this group, Lumber Jocks, are the type of people that will leave legacies that will make their families and friends proud.

Mark's wonderful story started me thinking about my on immortality. I don't know how many of you are like me - but my wife has absolutely no idea size the investment in tools that I have. I recently got my oldest son into the shop and started letting him know the cost of the equipment - I'd hate to see my wife end up selling it for pennies on the dollar, not knowing the actual value. I don't mind if she finds out - but please Lord let it be AFTER I'm gone. I was talking to a friend recently and he related a story about one of his friends' whose father had passed away. Neither he (the friend), nor his mother had any idea of the value of the tools in the shop and they liquidated EVERYTHING to one person for $500. The father had a shop full of tools, both power and hand tools - the shop was about 30'x40', so I can only imagine that it was worth a bit more than $500.


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## MsDebbieP (Jan 4, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *The legacy of one woodworker*
> 
> I recently went to a sale for a wood shop that was being sold off. What I came home with was a bit more than what I had expected. You can take a look at my thoughts on the subject *here*. Thanks for reading!


beautifully told and a great insight from the experience. 
Thank you


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## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *The legacy of one woodworker*
> 
> I recently went to a sale for a wood shop that was being sold off. What I came home with was a bit more than what I had expected. You can take a look at my thoughts on the subject *here*. Thanks for reading!


Thanks all, for the nice comments.

This visit certainly caused me to reflect on my own legacy - something that is passed on from person to person not only in tools but, also in skills and lessons. This is something that I hope to leave with my children and woodworking friends down the road. Hopefully, the road is a long and fruitful one.


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## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

*Twin boxes in Cherry, Maple and Walnut*

Not nearly as much time in the shop as I would like lately. I did however, get a bit of time in between other things for a small project. I did two twin boxes with some offcuts. Take a look at the *post* on my blog for details. Thanks for reading!


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## Chip (Mar 13, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Twin boxes in Cherry, Maple and Walnut*
> 
> Not nearly as much time in the shop as I would like lately. I did however, get a bit of time in between other things for a small project. I did two twin boxes with some offcuts. Take a look at the *post* on my blog for details. Thanks for reading!


Beautiful boxes Mark.


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## SPalm (Oct 9, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Twin boxes in Cherry, Maple and Walnut*
> 
> Not nearly as much time in the shop as I would like lately. I did however, get a bit of time in between other things for a small project. I did two twin boxes with some offcuts. Take a look at the *post* on my blog for details. Thanks for reading!


Very nice Mark. I like the grain orientation on the top. Heck, I like the whole thing.

Steve


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## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Twin boxes in Cherry, Maple and Walnut*
> 
> Not nearly as much time in the shop as I would like lately. I did however, get a bit of time in between other things for a small project. I did two twin boxes with some offcuts. Take a look at the *post* on my blog for details. Thanks for reading!


Chip and Steve,

Thanks for the nice comments.


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## Betsy (Sep 25, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Twin boxes in Cherry, Maple and Walnut*
> 
> Not nearly as much time in the shop as I would like lately. I did however, get a bit of time in between other things for a small project. I did two twin boxes with some offcuts. Take a look at the *post* on my blog for details. Thanks for reading!


Stunning. I really enjoyed your explanation on your website. Its obvious that you put a lot of time into all your projects and posts. Thanks for sharing.


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## Dorje (Jun 17, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Twin boxes in Cherry, Maple and Walnut*
> 
> Not nearly as much time in the shop as I would like lately. I did however, get a bit of time in between other things for a small project. I did two twin boxes with some offcuts. Take a look at the *post* on my blog for details. Thanks for reading!


What nice boxes!


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## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Twin boxes in Cherry, Maple and Walnut*
> 
> Not nearly as much time in the shop as I would like lately. I did however, get a bit of time in between other things for a small project. I did two twin boxes with some offcuts. Take a look at the *post* on my blog for details. Thanks for reading!


Betsy and Dorje,

Thanks for the compliments.


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## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

*Gene Landon lecture*

I had the opportunity to hear a talk given by Gene Landon recently. If you don't know Gene, he has been featured in Fine Woodworking numerous times (that's him in his shop pictured below) and he specializes in period furniture reproductions from his shop in Pennsylvania - for the most part all done with traditional hand tool methods.

Gene gave a good talk about the his home and shop and the furniture he has done over the years. His capabilities and work were inspirational. I talk about what it's inspired me to do in a post on my *blog*. Thanks for reading!


----------



## toddc (Mar 6, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Gene Landon lecture*
> 
> I had the opportunity to hear a talk given by Gene Landon recently. If you don't know Gene, he has been featured in Fine Woodworking numerous times (that's him in his shop pictured below) and he specializes in period furniture reproductions from his shop in Pennsylvania - for the most part all done with traditional hand tool methods.
> 
> Gene gave a good talk about the his home and shop and the furniture he has done over the years. His capabilities and work were inspirational. I talk about what it's inspired me to do in a post on my *blog*. Thanks for reading!


Lucky Dawg!


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## Karson (May 9, 2006)

MarkM said:


> *Gene Landon lecture*
> 
> I had the opportunity to hear a talk given by Gene Landon recently. If you don't know Gene, he has been featured in Fine Woodworking numerous times (that's him in his shop pictured below) and he specializes in period furniture reproductions from his shop in Pennsylvania - for the most part all done with traditional hand tool methods.
> 
> Gene gave a good talk about the his home and shop and the furniture he has done over the years. His capabilities and work were inspirational. I talk about what it's inspired me to do in a post on my *blog*. Thanks for reading!


Congratulation for being able to attend.


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## cajunpen (Apr 9, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Gene Landon lecture*
> 
> I had the opportunity to hear a talk given by Gene Landon recently. If you don't know Gene, he has been featured in Fine Woodworking numerous times (that's him in his shop pictured below) and he specializes in period furniture reproductions from his shop in Pennsylvania - for the most part all done with traditional hand tool methods.
> 
> Gene gave a good talk about the his home and shop and the furniture he has done over the years. His capabilities and work were inspirational. I talk about what it's inspired me to do in a post on my *blog*. Thanks for reading!


Congratulations on hearing from a legend. I wish for two things 1. That I live as long as he has and that I will still be able to work the wood and 2. That I somehow acquire his skill level.


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## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Gene Landon lecture*
> 
> I had the opportunity to hear a talk given by Gene Landon recently. If you don't know Gene, he has been featured in Fine Woodworking numerous times (that's him in his shop pictured below) and he specializes in period furniture reproductions from his shop in Pennsylvania - for the most part all done with traditional hand tool methods.
> 
> Gene gave a good talk about the his home and shop and the furniture he has done over the years. His capabilities and work were inspirational. I talk about what it's inspired me to do in a post on my *blog*. Thanks for reading!


Thanks guys. He was quite an inspiration. It was amazing to me all that he accomplishes with almost all hand tool and traditional methods. He creates probably 4 to 5 times more beautiful furniture that way (both for himself as well as commissions) than the average woodworker can with power tools. Of course, he is also an expert on the period pieces and how they were built.

I was inspired enough to tackle a Philadelphia Queen Anne Side Table for my next project. I'll be covering the construction on my blog and posting entries here so, keep an eye out!


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## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

*Queen Anne Side Table - Roughing out the legs*

As I mentioned in my last blog post, I was recently inspired to build a period reproduction piece of furniture. I chose to do a side table in the Queen Anne style based on a Glen Huey design with cabriole legs, scrolled aprons and a single drawer. I like this style and it poses some challenges in developing new skills. The picture is Glen Huey's version.

I've started down the path of building this piece and I hope that you'll follow along as I post entries about its development. The first task at hand was to obtain the rough lumber for the entire piece and then to rough out the beautiful cabriole legs. Take a look at the *post* on my blog to get the details. Thanks for reading!


----------



## Karson (May 9, 2006)

MarkM said:


> *Queen Anne Side Table - Roughing out the legs*
> 
> As I mentioned in my last blog post, I was recently inspired to build a period reproduction piece of furniture. I chose to do a side table in the Queen Anne style based on a Glen Huey design with cabriole legs, scrolled aprons and a single drawer. I like this style and it poses some challenges in developing new skills. The picture is Glen Huey's version.
> 
> I've started down the path of building this piece and I hope that you'll follow along as I post entries about its development. The first task at hand was to obtain the rough lumber for the entire piece and then to rough out the beautiful cabriole legs. Take a look at the *post* on my blog to get the details. Thanks for reading!


Great Blog. A nice start.

I agree about the maple. I don't thing it would look right in this piece. I used curly cherry and satin maple in a baby cradle for my daughter and I like the combination overall. I'm just not sure on this piece.


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## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Queen Anne Side Table - Roughing out the legs*
> 
> As I mentioned in my last blog post, I was recently inspired to build a period reproduction piece of furniture. I chose to do a side table in the Queen Anne style based on a Glen Huey design with cabriole legs, scrolled aprons and a single drawer. I like this style and it poses some challenges in developing new skills. The picture is Glen Huey's version.
> 
> I've started down the path of building this piece and I hope that you'll follow along as I post entries about its development. The first task at hand was to obtain the rough lumber for the entire piece and then to rough out the beautiful cabriole legs. Take a look at the *post* on my blog to get the details. Thanks for reading!


Karson,

Thanks! I agree on the maple for the drawer - that's why I decided to stay with the Cherry. DOn't worry, I'll find some uses or that figured maple!

I made some ore progress on the legs today. Look for another progress posting soon.


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## Dorje (Jun 17, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Queen Anne Side Table - Roughing out the legs*
> 
> As I mentioned in my last blog post, I was recently inspired to build a period reproduction piece of furniture. I chose to do a side table in the Queen Anne style based on a Glen Huey design with cabriole legs, scrolled aprons and a single drawer. I like this style and it poses some challenges in developing new skills. The picture is Glen Huey's version.
> 
> I've started down the path of building this piece and I hope that you'll follow along as I post entries about its development. The first task at hand was to obtain the rough lumber for the entire piece and then to rough out the beautiful cabriole legs. Take a look at the *post* on my blog to get the details. Thanks for reading!


Way to dive into it! Impressive! Have you thought of making a spare leg…in case something goes, well…you know…or at least making one or two up in poplar to practice the turned portion on, and to practice shaping?


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## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Queen Anne Side Table - Roughing out the legs*
> 
> As I mentioned in my last blog post, I was recently inspired to build a period reproduction piece of furniture. I chose to do a side table in the Queen Anne style based on a Glen Huey design with cabriole legs, scrolled aprons and a single drawer. I like this style and it poses some challenges in developing new skills. The picture is Glen Huey's version.
> 
> I've started down the path of building this piece and I hope that you'll follow along as I post entries about its development. The first task at hand was to obtain the rough lumber for the entire piece and then to rough out the beautiful cabriole legs. Take a look at the *post* on my blog to get the details. Thanks for reading!


Thanks Dorje!

I did think about making a trial leg out of framing lumber or something but, once I milled the leg blanks square I just went ahead with it. We'll see how it goes - there's nothing like a little pressure to get you to really focus, right?

I'll keep you all apprised of my progress.


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## Dorje (Jun 17, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Queen Anne Side Table - Roughing out the legs*
> 
> As I mentioned in my last blog post, I was recently inspired to build a period reproduction piece of furniture. I chose to do a side table in the Queen Anne style based on a Glen Huey design with cabriole legs, scrolled aprons and a single drawer. I like this style and it poses some challenges in developing new skills. The picture is Glen Huey's version.
> 
> I've started down the path of building this piece and I hope that you'll follow along as I post entries about its development. The first task at hand was to obtain the rough lumber for the entire piece and then to rough out the beautiful cabriole legs. Take a look at the *post* on my blog to get the details. Thanks for reading!


Sounds like a plan!


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## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Queen Anne Side Table - Roughing out the legs*
> 
> As I mentioned in my last blog post, I was recently inspired to build a period reproduction piece of furniture. I chose to do a side table in the Queen Anne style based on a Glen Huey design with cabriole legs, scrolled aprons and a single drawer. I like this style and it poses some challenges in developing new skills. The picture is Glen Huey's version.
> 
> I've started down the path of building this piece and I hope that you'll follow along as I post entries about its development. The first task at hand was to obtain the rough lumber for the entire piece and then to rough out the beautiful cabriole legs. Take a look at the *post* on my blog to get the details. Thanks for reading!


Dorje,

Next installment with a bit more progress has been posted!


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## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

*Queen Anne Side Table - Turning and shaping the feet*

After band sawing the legs to rough shape in my last post, the next steps in developing the legs were to turn and shape the feet and to smooth and mark them for final shaping.

This was an interesting process. There's a good description and lots of pictures in the latest *post* on my blog. Let me know what you think - thanks for reading!


----------



## Betsy (Sep 25, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Queen Anne Side Table - Turning and shaping the feet*
> 
> After band sawing the legs to rough shape in my last post, the next steps in developing the legs were to turn and shape the feet and to smooth and mark them for final shaping.
> 
> This was an interesting process. There's a good description and lots of pictures in the latest *post* on my blog. Let me know what you think - thanks for reading!


Mark - I've been following this with interest. I can't wait to see the completed project.


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## rpmurphy509 (Nov 6, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Queen Anne Side Table - Turning and shaping the feet*
> 
> After band sawing the legs to rough shape in my last post, the next steps in developing the legs were to turn and shape the feet and to smooth and mark them for final shaping.
> 
> This was an interesting process. There's a good description and lots of pictures in the latest *post* on my blog. Let me know what you think - thanks for reading!


Beautiful legs, will you be carving the feet?


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## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Queen Anne Side Table - Turning and shaping the feet*
> 
> After band sawing the legs to rough shape in my last post, the next steps in developing the legs were to turn and shape the feet and to smooth and mark them for final shaping.
> 
> This was an interesting process. There's a good description and lots of pictures in the latest *post* on my blog. Let me know what you think - thanks for reading!


Betsy - Thanks for following along. It may take a bit of time before it's complete, but don't worry I'll be keeping the Lumberjocks updated as I progress.

rpmurphy - Thanks for the compliments on the legs. They are coming along. Hopefully I will get enough time to complete the shaping soon. The feet will not be carved. The period/design of this piece has plain pad feet rather than ball & claw, trifed or slipper feet - though I'd like to try those at some point too!


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## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

*Queen Anne Side Table - More leg shaping*

I was out of town last weekend for a family wedding so, progress on the table was stalled a bit. I got some more time in the shop yesterday and went to work shaping the legs for the table toward their final state. I had started this process before my trip but, I was not quite happy with some parts of the effort. The trip away allowed me to think about how I wanted to approach making changes for the better. You can read about my progress at my *blog* where there are a lot of pictures of the process. Thanks for reading!


----------



## Betsy (Sep 25, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Queen Anne Side Table - More leg shaping*
> 
> I was out of town last weekend for a family wedding so, progress on the table was stalled a bit. I got some more time in the shop yesterday and went to work shaping the legs for the table toward their final state. I had started this process before my trip but, I was not quite happy with some parts of the effort. The trip away allowed me to think about how I wanted to approach making changes for the better. You can read about my progress at my *blog* where there are a lot of pictures of the process. Thanks for reading!


Mark this has been an interesting read. I'm curious about your rasps and files. What brand of rasps do you use? I've been looking for a set of rasps and am considering the Auriou rasps. They are a bit pricey so would be interested in your thoughts on brands.

My understanding is that the rasps with teeth that are *not* uniformly spaced are actually better than the ones with evenly spaced teeth because they leave a smoother surface.

I want to introduce these shaping tools to my woodworking so I can fiddle with making odd shaped boxes that there would be no way to make with machines. I think they will help me be a bit more artistic with my work. I've used all kinds of very small rasps/files in my scroll saw work but never anything large like boxes.

Thanks for your thoughts. I look forward to reading more of this blog as you progress along.


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## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Queen Anne Side Table - More leg shaping*
> 
> I was out of town last weekend for a family wedding so, progress on the table was stalled a bit. I got some more time in the shop yesterday and went to work shaping the legs for the table toward their final state. I had started this process before my trip but, I was not quite happy with some parts of the effort. The trip away allowed me to think about how I wanted to approach making changes for the better. You can read about my progress at my *blog* where there are a lot of pictures of the process. Thanks for reading!


Betsy,

Thanks! I'm glad you're enjoying the blog.

With respect to rasps, I do not have anything fancy. I know that the Auriou rasps are supposed to be the cream of the crop. I have been using a couple of things: The Microplane with both coarse and fine blades in both flat and curved profiles (nice because it creats little shavings rather than dust), a Nicholson half round coarse rasp/file and a Nicholson Bastard Cut mill file. These, along with a card scraper and some sand paper have served me well. I don't think that you could get one Auriou rasp for what I paid for all of these tools! Having said that, the random cut rasps are the best. I know that Nicholson also makes #49 and #50 pattern makers rasps that are random cut and well regarded.


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## Betsy (Sep 25, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Queen Anne Side Table - More leg shaping*
> 
> I was out of town last weekend for a family wedding so, progress on the table was stalled a bit. I got some more time in the shop yesterday and went to work shaping the legs for the table toward their final state. I had started this process before my trip but, I was not quite happy with some parts of the effort. The trip away allowed me to think about how I wanted to approach making changes for the better. You can read about my progress at my *blog* where there are a lot of pictures of the process. Thanks for reading!


Thanks Mark. I'm definitely going have to put the Auriou on the back burner because of the cost. I looked over the Mircroplanes on the net and they are not hugely expensive. Woodcraft carries them and so I picked up a set today. I'm going to try them out later on. I like the idea of little dust. I'll have to give the Nicholoson's a look see also. I'll let you know my progress.

I'm really getting a kick out of these hand tools. It's so much more fun than the loud noise of the power tools.

Looking forward to your progress on this project.


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## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

*Queen Anne Side Table - Leg mortises, knee blocks and posts*

I've been progressing on the legs for the Queen Anne Side Table. In my last post, I had shaped the feet and reworked the heel transitions on the legs. This left the tasks of adding and shaping the knee blocks, cutting the mortises and trimming the posts to final size to be done. There's more on this with a bunch of pictures of the process in *this post* on my blog. Thanks for reading!


----------



## Dadoo (Jun 23, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Queen Anne Side Table - Leg mortises, knee blocks and posts*
> 
> I've been progressing on the legs for the Queen Anne Side Table. In my last post, I had shaped the feet and reworked the heel transitions on the legs. This left the tasks of adding and shaping the knee blocks, cutting the mortises and trimming the posts to final size to be done. There's more on this with a bunch of pictures of the process in *this post* on my blog. Thanks for reading!


This will be an interesting read Mark. Not too many people here willing to tackle a Queen Anne project.


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## MsDebbieP (Jan 4, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Queen Anne Side Table - Leg mortises, knee blocks and posts*
> 
> I've been progressing on the legs for the Queen Anne Side Table. In my last post, I had shaped the feet and reworked the heel transitions on the legs. This left the tasks of adding and shaping the knee blocks, cutting the mortises and trimming the posts to final size to be done. There's more on this with a bunch of pictures of the process in *this post* on my blog. Thanks for reading!


the legs seem to be talking to each other. I think they are saying, "Hey. You look pretty sweet! Mark did a nice job, don't you think?"


----------



## toddc (Mar 6, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Queen Anne Side Table - Leg mortises, knee blocks and posts*
> 
> I've been progressing on the legs for the Queen Anne Side Table. In my last post, I had shaped the feet and reworked the heel transitions on the legs. This left the tasks of adding and shaping the knee blocks, cutting the mortises and trimming the posts to final size to be done. There's more on this with a bunch of pictures of the process in *this post* on my blog. Thanks for reading!


Queen Anne - intimidating.


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## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Queen Anne Side Table - Leg mortises, knee blocks and posts*
> 
> I've been progressing on the legs for the Queen Anne Side Table. In my last post, I had shaped the feet and reworked the heel transitions on the legs. This left the tasks of adding and shaping the knee blocks, cutting the mortises and trimming the posts to final size to be done. There's more on this with a bunch of pictures of the process in *this post* on my blog. Thanks for reading!


Debbie,

I'm not sure if the legs did any talking to each other but, I may have been talking to myself at times during the shaping process with these legs! It has been a fairly long process but so far, very rewarding.


----------



## motthunter (Dec 31, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Queen Anne Side Table - Leg mortises, knee blocks and posts*
> 
> I've been progressing on the legs for the Queen Anne Side Table. In my last post, I had shaped the feet and reworked the heel transitions on the legs. This left the tasks of adding and shaping the knee blocks, cutting the mortises and trimming the posts to final size to be done. There's more on this with a bunch of pictures of the process in *this post* on my blog. Thanks for reading!


Congrats on taking on the challenge. looks like you are well on your way. Good luck!


----------



## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Queen Anne Side Table - Leg mortises, knee blocks and posts*
> 
> I've been progressing on the legs for the Queen Anne Side Table. In my last post, I had shaped the feet and reworked the heel transitions on the legs. This left the tasks of adding and shaping the knee blocks, cutting the mortises and trimming the posts to final size to be done. There's more on this with a bunch of pictures of the process in *this post* on my blog. Thanks for reading!


Todd,

Intimidating?...Yes, a bit. However, that's exactly why I decided to give this a try. I had never attempted a period piece of furniture before but I was inspired to try. Like you, my feeling is that every new piece brings the opportunity to build some new skills…I'm learning lots on this one, for sure!


----------



## woodtimes (Jun 14, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Queen Anne Side Table - Leg mortises, knee blocks and posts*
> 
> I've been progressing on the legs for the Queen Anne Side Table. In my last post, I had shaped the feet and reworked the heel transitions on the legs. This left the tasks of adding and shaping the knee blocks, cutting the mortises and trimming the posts to final size to be done. There's more on this with a bunch of pictures of the process in *this post* on my blog. Thanks for reading!


Mark

Very nice work, the legs, especially the knee aprons look great. I'm going to have another go on this project, the next one will be done with walnut vs the cherry one I posted

I'll be following your blog, it's interesting how we get the same results buy using different techniques. For instance, your mortises are cut on with the router vs mine were done on the drill press.

Good luck with the rest of the project, looks like you're off to a great start.


----------



## Dorje (Jun 17, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Queen Anne Side Table - Leg mortises, knee blocks and posts*
> 
> I've been progressing on the legs for the Queen Anne Side Table. In my last post, I had shaped the feet and reworked the heel transitions on the legs. This left the tasks of adding and shaping the knee blocks, cutting the mortises and trimming the posts to final size to be done. There's more on this with a bunch of pictures of the process in *this post* on my blog. Thanks for reading!


Great work Mark - fun to see the process - and the progress…


----------



## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Queen Anne Side Table - Leg mortises, knee blocks and posts*
> 
> I've been progressing on the legs for the Queen Anne Side Table. In my last post, I had shaped the feet and reworked the heel transitions on the legs. This left the tasks of adding and shaping the knee blocks, cutting the mortises and trimming the posts to final size to be done. There's more on this with a bunch of pictures of the process in *this post* on my blog. Thanks for reading!


Bob A - Thanks. Yes, I guess there are always a few ways to get to the desired results. I do tend to favor the router for mortising because of the clean results that can be obtained. I've see your Queen Anne Dressing Table - very nice work. Please keep following along. I'd like to hear about how you approached certain aspects of the project.

Dorje - Thanks to you as well. Things are moving along. Hopefully, I will be able to get the joinery completed on the aprons this weekend.


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## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

*Queen Anne Side Table - Cutting tenons on the aprons*

Well, after milling the stock and making a new tenoning jig for the table saw I was ready to cut the tenons on the aprons of the table. The jig was worth the effort and I was able to do a first dry fit of most the table parts. There's more info in *this post* on my blog along with pictures of the new jig and the process. Take a look and thanks for reading!


----------



## Dorje (Jun 17, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Queen Anne Side Table - Cutting tenons on the aprons*
> 
> Well, after milling the stock and making a new tenoning jig for the table saw I was ready to cut the tenons on the aprons of the table. The jig was worth the effort and I was able to do a first dry fit of most the table parts. There's more info in *this post* on my blog along with pictures of the new jig and the process. Take a look and thanks for reading!


That tenoning jig based on a Frank Klasz design isn't it? Nice process that you're going through. I recently cut very similar twin tenons on the foot board of a bed I'm currently working on. You've gotta love what that shoulder plane can do!

The photo of the chisel hanging over the edge made me a bit nervous - I think I would have opted to play it safe and use a chisel narrower than the width of the stock but wide enough to clean up the waste there. Wouldn't want to hit that outside edge!


----------



## rikkor (Oct 17, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Queen Anne Side Table - Cutting tenons on the aprons*
> 
> Well, after milling the stock and making a new tenoning jig for the table saw I was ready to cut the tenons on the aprons of the table. The jig was worth the effort and I was able to do a first dry fit of most the table parts. There's more info in *this post* on my blog along with pictures of the new jig and the process. Take a look and thanks for reading!


Can't wait to see the finished product.


----------



## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Queen Anne Side Table - Cutting tenons on the aprons*
> 
> Well, after milling the stock and making a new tenoning jig for the table saw I was ready to cut the tenons on the aprons of the table. The jig was worth the effort and I was able to do a first dry fit of most the table parts. There's more info in *this post* on my blog along with pictures of the new jig and the process. Take a look and thanks for reading!


Dorje,

Thanks for the comments.

I know which Klausz jig you are referring to, but that one is a bit more elaborate (it actually has a piece at a right angle to the fence allowing the stock to also be placed there. He does have the cam clamps though. This one is actually adapted from one I saw by Bill Hylton in Popular Woodworking some time ago. It was well worth the time invested to make it.

I agree on the shoulder plane. I really like how I can clean things up for a near perfect fit with it. What a great tool!

I probably could have used a narrower chisel (that one was 3/4" - as wide as the stock). 1/2" may have been a good choice. However, my method was to pare away small slivers of the waste until I had gone across the entire area - this is in contrast to trying to take the whole bite at once which is difficult. The reason for a wider chisel than say 1/4" is that I wanted it to eventually bridge across to the two outside shoulders to give me my flat reference and to avoid any dips via a narrower chisel in between. Probably a lot of ways to do this - this is just one.


----------



## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Queen Anne Side Table - Cutting tenons on the aprons*
> 
> Well, after milling the stock and making a new tenoning jig for the table saw I was ready to cut the tenons on the aprons of the table. The jig was worth the effort and I was able to do a first dry fit of most the table parts. There's more info in *this post* on my blog along with pictures of the new jig and the process. Take a look and thanks for reading!


Rikkor,

It's kind of exciting to finally see the table taking shape with the first dry fit of the joinery. I'm just as anxious for the finished product! Thanks.


----------



## Dorje (Jun 17, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Queen Anne Side Table - Cutting tenons on the aprons*
> 
> Well, after milling the stock and making a new tenoning jig for the table saw I was ready to cut the tenons on the aprons of the table. The jig was worth the effort and I was able to do a first dry fit of most the table parts. There's more info in *this post* on my blog along with pictures of the new jig and the process. Take a look and thanks for reading!


Got it! Makes sense -

It was the cam clamp that reminded me of Klausz' design but couldn't remember the specifics…Bill Hylton/Pop Wood….I'll have to check it out.


----------



## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Queen Anne Side Table - Cutting tenons on the aprons*
> 
> Well, after milling the stock and making a new tenoning jig for the table saw I was ready to cut the tenons on the aprons of the table. The jig was worth the effort and I was able to do a first dry fit of most the table parts. There's more info in *this post* on my blog along with pictures of the new jig and the process. Take a look and thanks for reading!


Dorje,

If it helps, I think that the Bill Hylton tenoning jig may have been in Popular Woodworking in either October or November of 2004.


----------



## Dorje (Jun 17, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Queen Anne Side Table - Cutting tenons on the aprons*
> 
> Well, after milling the stock and making a new tenoning jig for the table saw I was ready to cut the tenons on the aprons of the table. The jig was worth the effort and I was able to do a first dry fit of most the table parts. There's more info in *this post* on my blog along with pictures of the new jig and the process. Take a look and thanks for reading!


Thanks - I've always been interested in the possibility of building a jig like that. I've used the table saw for shoulders, band saw for cheeks method up to this point. Router on larger/longer pieces.

What do you think/feel are the advantages to this jig?


----------



## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Queen Anne Side Table - Cutting tenons on the aprons*
> 
> Well, after milling the stock and making a new tenoning jig for the table saw I was ready to cut the tenons on the aprons of the table. The jig was worth the effort and I was able to do a first dry fit of most the table parts. There's more info in *this post* on my blog along with pictures of the new jig and the process. Take a look and thanks for reading!


Dorje,

I've done the table saw/band saw method tool. I've sometimes used the router in special cases as well.

This jig first of all gives you very clean cut tenon cheeks - I can never get them this clean on the band saw. I also feel that I can tune the size of the tenons much more precisely than on the band saw - though I still fit with the shoulder plane as I described in the post. Using the jig I feel that the stock is very controlled while cutting the tenon.

One downside is that if you are tenoning the end of a very long piece then it may be more difficult to stand it on end without obstruction, etc.

You could certainly make a very simple jig that rides over your table saw fence a do some quick tests before investing too much time in a more extensive version of the jig. Let me know the results if you try it.


----------



## Dorje (Jun 17, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Queen Anne Side Table - Cutting tenons on the aprons*
> 
> Well, after milling the stock and making a new tenoning jig for the table saw I was ready to cut the tenons on the aprons of the table. The jig was worth the effort and I was able to do a first dry fit of most the table parts. There's more info in *this post* on my blog along with pictures of the new jig and the process. Take a look and thanks for reading!


Will do - Thanks for the added info Mark…I'm always afraid to get too close with the band saw, preferring to trim to fit (with the shoulder plane), but have felt that I'm probably trimming by hand more than necessary sometimes. Sneaking up even closer on the fit (off of the machine) would be nice. Sounds like this type of tenon jig does that for you…


----------



## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

*In search of a smoothing plane*

After contemplating adding a smoothing plane to my shop for quite some time, I finally took the plunge. I looked at some of the beautiful new tools available out there and made my decision…what I decided may surprise you. I take you through the process in *this post* on my blog.


----------



## Dorje (Jun 17, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *In search of a smoothing plane*
> 
> After contemplating adding a smoothing plane to my shop for quite some time, I finally took the plunge. I looked at some of the beautiful new tools available out there and made my decision…what I decided may surprise you. I take you through the process in *this post* on my blog.


Fun stuff!


----------



## Caliper (Mar 12, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *In search of a smoothing plane*
> 
> After contemplating adding a smoothing plane to my shop for quite some time, I finally took the plunge. I looked at some of the beautiful new tools available out there and made my decision…what I decided may surprise you. I take you through the process in *this post* on my blog.


Nice post, Mark. Thanks for the tip on the Evapo-Rust. I've been looking for a non-toxic solution. I cleaned up mine with the Citric acid approach but I'm not completely satisfied. What was the cost?

I just bought a Hock blade for my #4 that I finished tuning last weekend. Worth EVERY penny.


----------



## rikkor (Oct 17, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *In search of a smoothing plane*
> 
> After contemplating adding a smoothing plane to my shop for quite some time, I finally took the plunge. I looked at some of the beautiful new tools available out there and made my decision…what I decided may surprise you. I take you through the process in *this post* on my blog.


I'm with you Jeff, Hocks make quite the difference.


----------



## sbryan55 (Dec 8, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *In search of a smoothing plane*
> 
> After contemplating adding a smoothing plane to my shop for quite some time, I finally took the plunge. I looked at some of the beautiful new tools available out there and made my decision…what I decided may surprise you. I take you through the process in *this post* on my blog.


thanks for the tip on the Evapo-Rust. I have used electrolysis to remove rust before and, while it works, I would prefer an easier method since finding containers to hold the tools can be a challenge. I am currently working on two inherited planes, #5 and #8, that have been unused in my shop for years.

I have to go out and try to find a part for the #5 today so I will try the Evapo-Rust as well.


----------



## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *In search of a smoothing plane*
> 
> After contemplating adding a smoothing plane to my shop for quite some time, I finally took the plunge. I looked at some of the beautiful new tools available out there and made my decision…what I decided may surprise you. I take you through the process in *this post* on my blog.


Thanks guys.

I've been thinking about a Hock blade. Did you guys get a Hock chip-breaker as well?

The Evapo-Rust did work very well. It was about $8 for a quart and it is reusable. Do note that there seem to be at least two products with that name (I noticed this when I searched for the link to put in my blog). The one that I linked is the one I can vouch for - though the others may work, I have no direct experience with them. I got mine at Auto-Zone.


----------



## Dorje (Jun 17, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *In search of a smoothing plane*
> 
> After contemplating adding a smoothing plane to my shop for quite some time, I finally took the plunge. I looked at some of the beautiful new tools available out there and made my decision…what I decided may surprise you. I take you through the process in *this post* on my blog.


Just saw the same Evapo-Rust in the recent Lee Valley circular…thought that was funny after hearing about it for the firest time yesterday in your blog.


----------



## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

*Thomas Pafk Lecture*

I had the opportunity to listen to a lecture by Thomas Pafk - a Roycroft Master Artisan about his work and methods of construction. His work is made unique buy his use of veneers in its design and construction. I wrote about the tlk in *this post* on my blog. Thanks for readng!


----------



## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

*Queen Anne Side Table - Dovetailed top rail and scroll work*

Well, after a brief diversion with the new (old) smoothing plane, I have been back to work on the Queen Anne Side Table. This *post* covers dovetailing the top rail above the drawer and cutting the Queen Anne style scroll work on the aprons. Next up will be the glue up and drawer runner assembly. Take a look and let me know what you think. Thanks for reading!


----------



## Dorje (Jun 17, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Queen Anne Side Table - Dovetailed top rail and scroll work*
> 
> Well, after a brief diversion with the new (old) smoothing plane, I have been back to work on the Queen Anne Side Table. This *post* covers dovetailing the top rail above the drawer and cutting the Queen Anne style scroll work on the aprons. Next up will be the glue up and drawer runner assembly. Take a look and let me know what you think. Thanks for reading!


Looks like it's coming along beautifully!


----------



## rikkor (Oct 17, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Queen Anne Side Table - Dovetailed top rail and scroll work*
> 
> Well, after a brief diversion with the new (old) smoothing plane, I have been back to work on the Queen Anne Side Table. This *post* covers dovetailing the top rail above the drawer and cutting the Queen Anne style scroll work on the aprons. Next up will be the glue up and drawer runner assembly. Take a look and let me know what you think. Thanks for reading!


That is wonderful! Can't wait to see the finished project.


----------



## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Queen Anne Side Table - Dovetailed top rail and scroll work*
> 
> Well, after a brief diversion with the new (old) smoothing plane, I have been back to work on the Queen Anne Side Table. This *post* covers dovetailing the top rail above the drawer and cutting the Queen Anne style scroll work on the aprons. Next up will be the glue up and drawer runner assembly. Take a look and let me know what you think. Thanks for reading!


Dorje and Rikkor,

Thanks, more to come soon!


----------



## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

*Queen Anne Side Table - Glue up and drawer runner assembly*

With the joinery completed on the table I set out to pull all of the pieces together. In this *post* I tackled the glue up of the table carcase and top along with the building and installation of the drawer runner assembly. With this completed the next step will be building the dovetailed drawer. Take a look and let me know what you think - thanks for reading!


----------



## Tomcat1066 (Jan 3, 2008)

MarkM said:


> *Queen Anne Side Table - Glue up and drawer runner assembly*
> 
> With the joinery completed on the table I set out to pull all of the pieces together. In this *post* I tackled the glue up of the table carcase and top along with the building and installation of the drawer runner assembly. With this completed the next step will be building the dovetailed drawer. Take a look and let me know what you think - thanks for reading!


It's looking good so far! I can't wait to see the finished piece!


----------



## rpmurphy509 (Nov 6, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Queen Anne Side Table - Glue up and drawer runner assembly*
> 
> With the joinery completed on the table I set out to pull all of the pieces together. In this *post* I tackled the glue up of the table carcase and top along with the building and installation of the drawer runner assembly. With this completed the next step will be building the dovetailed drawer. Take a look and let me know what you think - thanks for reading!


Queen Anne style pieces are without a doubt my favorite.
If this is all I ever built, I'd be a very happy man.

Looks great!


----------



## GaryK (Jun 25, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Queen Anne Side Table - Glue up and drawer runner assembly*
> 
> With the joinery completed on the table I set out to pull all of the pieces together. In this *post* I tackled the glue up of the table carcase and top along with the building and installation of the drawer runner assembly. With this completed the next step will be building the dovetailed drawer. Take a look and let me know what you think - thanks for reading!


Queen Anne is my favorite as you can tell by looking at my projects.

Yours looks great.


----------



## Partridge (Jul 27, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Queen Anne Side Table - Glue up and drawer runner assembly*
> 
> With the joinery completed on the table I set out to pull all of the pieces together. In this *post* I tackled the glue up of the table carcase and top along with the building and installation of the drawer runner assembly. With this completed the next step will be building the dovetailed drawer. Take a look and let me know what you think - thanks for reading!


you are doing a great job


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## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Queen Anne Side Table - Glue up and drawer runner assembly*
> 
> With the joinery completed on the table I set out to pull all of the pieces together. In this *post* I tackled the glue up of the table carcase and top along with the building and installation of the drawer runner assembly. With this completed the next step will be building the dovetailed drawer. Take a look and let me know what you think - thanks for reading!


Thanks, all. The Queen Anne style is definitely very attractive and also interesting to build. Getting closer on this one - the dovetailed drawer construction is next. Then I need to decide how I am going to finish it.


----------



## woodtimes (Jun 14, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Queen Anne Side Table - Glue up and drawer runner assembly*
> 
> With the joinery completed on the table I set out to pull all of the pieces together. In this *post* I tackled the glue up of the table carcase and top along with the building and installation of the drawer runner assembly. With this completed the next step will be building the dovetailed drawer. Take a look and let me know what you think - thanks for reading!


You're doing a terrific job on this, looks better than the one I did.


----------



## sbryan55 (Dec 8, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Queen Anne Side Table - Glue up and drawer runner assembly*
> 
> With the joinery completed on the table I set out to pull all of the pieces together. In this *post* I tackled the glue up of the table carcase and top along with the building and installation of the drawer runner assembly. With this completed the next step will be building the dovetailed drawer. Take a look and let me know what you think - thanks for reading!


So far so good. It is nice to see a step by step post of a project.

I look forward to the project's completion.


----------



## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Queen Anne Side Table - Glue up and drawer runner assembly*
> 
> With the joinery completed on the table I set out to pull all of the pieces together. In this *post* I tackled the glue up of the table carcase and top along with the building and installation of the drawer runner assembly. With this completed the next step will be building the dovetailed drawer. Take a look and let me know what you think - thanks for reading!


Bob - Thanks for the compliments. However, I've seen your lowboy and you did a very finy job on it yourself!

Scott- Thanks. I'm glad to hear that you like the step-by-step posting of the project. I've always been partial to seeing how things evolve both in their design and construction. So, I thought others would as well.


----------



## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

*Queen Anne Side Table - Dovetailing the drawer*

With the table carcase complete it was time to build and dovetail the drawer. I have a fairly long and detailed *post* on my blog with the process that I used to do this. Please take a look and let me know your thoughts. Thanks for reading!


----------



## GregSalata (Feb 6, 2008)

MarkM said:


> *Queen Anne Side Table - Dovetailing the drawer*
> 
> With the table carcase complete it was time to build and dovetail the drawer. I have a fairly long and detailed *post* on my blog with the process that I used to do this. Please take a look and let me know your thoughts. Thanks for reading!


Nice hand cut dovetails…..............


----------



## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Queen Anne Side Table - Dovetailing the drawer*
> 
> With the table carcase complete it was time to build and dovetail the drawer. I have a fairly long and detailed *post* on my blog with the process that I used to do this. Please take a look and let me know your thoughts. Thanks for reading!


Greg,

Thanks for the kind words.


----------



## Dorje (Jun 17, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Queen Anne Side Table - Dovetailing the drawer*
> 
> With the table carcase complete it was time to build and dovetail the drawer. I have a fairly long and detailed *post* on my blog with the process that I used to do this. Please take a look and let me know your thoughts. Thanks for reading!


Another great entry Mark! I really like your process of documenting your work.


----------



## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Queen Anne Side Table - Dovetailing the drawer*
> 
> With the table carcase complete it was time to build and dovetail the drawer. I have a fairly long and detailed *post* on my blog with the process that I used to do this. Please take a look and let me know your thoughts. Thanks for reading!


Dorje,

Thanks! I try to take pictures of the process while doing it, all the while thinking about how I can explain things in the blog. Of course, with still photos we are somewhat limited to convey every detail. I may yet try some audio and/or video…if only I could train the dog could operate the video camera!


----------



## Dorje (Jun 17, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Queen Anne Side Table - Dovetailing the drawer*
> 
> With the table carcase complete it was time to build and dovetail the drawer. I have a fairly long and detailed *post* on my blog with the process that I used to do this. Please take a look and let me know your thoughts. Thanks for reading!


Or, get a tripod! Have fun Mark - video would be really great to see.


----------



## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

*The loss of a teacher*

Sometimes the best teachers are not who you might imagine they would be and sometimes the best lessens are the hardest to learn. I recently experienced the loss of the best teacher I have ever had. I'd be honored if you'd like to read my thoughts on the subject. The *post* about it is on my blog. Thanks for reading.


----------



## Dorje (Jun 17, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *The loss of a teacher*
> 
> Sometimes the best teachers are not who you might imagine they would be and sometimes the best lessens are the hardest to learn. I recently experienced the loss of the best teacher I have ever had. I'd be honored if you'd like to read my thoughts on the subject. The *post* about it is on my blog. Thanks for reading.


Mark - thank you for sharing your words - your expression is quite a gift to your father and those around you.


----------



## dennis (Aug 3, 2006)

MarkM said:


> *The loss of a teacher*
> 
> Sometimes the best teachers are not who you might imagine they would be and sometimes the best lessens are the hardest to learn. I recently experienced the loss of the best teacher I have ever had. I'd be honored if you'd like to read my thoughts on the subject. The *post* about it is on my blog. Thanks for reading.


A great tribute to fathers everywhere. Thanks Mark.


----------



## sbryan55 (Dec 8, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *The loss of a teacher*
> 
> Sometimes the best teachers are not who you might imagine they would be and sometimes the best lessens are the hardest to learn. I recently experienced the loss of the best teacher I have ever had. I'd be honored if you'd like to read my thoughts on the subject. The *post* about it is on my blog. Thanks for reading.


Mark,

You have my condolences on the loss of your father.

I think that many of us share parallel stories about our fathers/grandfathers or other influential male members in our families who have had an immeasurable influence on our lives. Your story speaks volumes for the rest of us as well.

Thank you.


----------



## MsDebbieP (Jan 4, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *The loss of a teacher*
> 
> Sometimes the best teachers are not who you might imagine they would be and sometimes the best lessens are the hardest to learn. I recently experienced the loss of the best teacher I have ever had. I'd be honored if you'd like to read my thoughts on the subject. The *post* about it is on my blog. Thanks for reading.


a beautiful tribute. 
I'm sorry about your loss…... my dad died in '82 and still have that empty spot in my heart


----------



## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *The loss of a teacher*
> 
> Sometimes the best teachers are not who you might imagine they would be and sometimes the best lessens are the hardest to learn. I recently experienced the loss of the best teacher I have ever had. I'd be honored if you'd like to read my thoughts on the subject. The *post* about it is on my blog. Thanks for reading.


Dorje, Dennis, Scott and MsDebbie:

Thanks for your kind words.


----------



## jockmike2 (Oct 10, 2006)

MarkM said:


> *The loss of a teacher*
> 
> Sometimes the best teachers are not who you might imagine they would be and sometimes the best lessens are the hardest to learn. I recently experienced the loss of the best teacher I have ever had. I'd be honored if you'd like to read my thoughts on the subject. The *post* about it is on my blog. Thanks for reading.


A wonderful tribute to your father. It sounds like you not only admired and loved him very much, but you lost a great mentor and friend. You have his memory and all the wonderful gifts he left you in the way of appreciation and education of woodworking, but also learning to live life on lifes terms. That doesn't come easy too most people. God Bless. mike


----------



## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *The loss of a teacher*
> 
> Sometimes the best teachers are not who you might imagine they would be and sometimes the best lessens are the hardest to learn. I recently experienced the loss of the best teacher I have ever had. I'd be honored if you'd like to read my thoughts on the subject. The *post* about it is on my blog. Thanks for reading.


Mike,

Thanks for your nice comments.


----------



## Robb (Aug 18, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *The loss of a teacher*
> 
> Sometimes the best teachers are not who you might imagine they would be and sometimes the best lessens are the hardest to learn. I recently experienced the loss of the best teacher I have ever had. I'd be honored if you'd like to read my thoughts on the subject. The *post* about it is on my blog. Thanks for reading.


Mark, I'm sorry to hear about losing your father. It sounds like he lives on in you, through the lessons you've learned.


----------



## PanamaJack (Mar 28, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *The loss of a teacher*
> 
> Sometimes the best teachers are not who you might imagine they would be and sometimes the best lessens are the hardest to learn. I recently experienced the loss of the best teacher I have ever had. I'd be honored if you'd like to read my thoughts on the subject. The *post* about it is on my blog. Thanks for reading.


Mighty nice words about a wonderful teacher you had. You were indeed blessed. Always keep those memories alive within you.


----------



## Max (Sep 13, 2006)

MarkM said:


> *The loss of a teacher*
> 
> Sometimes the best teachers are not who you might imagine they would be and sometimes the best lessens are the hardest to learn. I recently experienced the loss of the best teacher I have ever had. I'd be honored if you'd like to read my thoughts on the subject. The *post* about it is on my blog. Thanks for reading.


Mark,

Your words ring very true indeed. You, like me, was blessed with a great teacher. I offer you my deepest heart felt condolences. I too just lost my greatest teacher, My Farther, two months ago at age 89 and have a big void within my heart as I am sure you do yours. Their memories will be with us forever..


----------



## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

*Queen Anne Side Table - Contemplating the finish*

With most of the construction done it was time for detailing and contemplating how to finish the table. I share my thoughts on how I will proceed in this *post* in my blog. Thanks for reading!


----------



## Betsy (Sep 25, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Queen Anne Side Table - Contemplating the finish*
> 
> With most of the construction done it was time for detailing and contemplating how to finish the table. I share my thoughts on how I will proceed in this *post* in my blog. Thanks for reading!


That is one very nice piece of furniture. When are you going to ship it to me? 

Can't wait to see the final pictures after you get the finish on.

The shellac primer was a good read as well.

oops-this is the edited version - I forgot to ask about the planing and sanding. I'm still learning this angle. But I thought that if you use a smoothing plane that you would not have to sand after wards - I'm assuming that is just opinion of the author of the article. Do you always plane and then sand?

Thanks Mark.


----------



## GaryK (Jun 25, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Queen Anne Side Table - Contemplating the finish*
> 
> With most of the construction done it was time for detailing and contemplating how to finish the table. I share my thoughts on how I will proceed in this *post* in my blog. Thanks for reading!


That looks great. Those legs can be a pain. I know I have built a few of them. I don't think I have ever
seen a table like that with such an oversized top. All the ones I have ever seen overlapped maybe
1 to 2 inches.

Maybe that's because I always see them with a highboy next to them lke these I built:

http://lumberjocks.com/projects/1753


----------



## sbryan55 (Dec 8, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Queen Anne Side Table - Contemplating the finish*
> 
> With most of the construction done it was time for detailing and contemplating how to finish the table. I share my thoughts on how I will proceed in this *post* in my blog. Thanks for reading!


Very nice piece and thanks for the info on your finishing technique. It is essentially the same that I follow when I work with cherry.


----------



## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Queen Anne Side Table - Contemplating the finish*
> 
> With most of the construction done it was time for detailing and contemplating how to finish the table. I share my thoughts on how I will proceed in this *post* in my blog. Thanks for reading!


Betsy: Thanks for the compliments. Sorry, but I think my wife has fist dibs on this one! As far as the planing/scraping vs. sanding, that's a matter of preference. A planed surface will usually still have minor tool marks left on the surface. But that is definitely acceptable and it is arguable that a planed/scraped surface yeilds a clearer view of the grain that a sanded one. I usually do at least a bit of sanding. The planing/scraping just allows me to do less of it. I hate sanding! In fact if I did not have to go lower in grit on the legs of this piece I probably would have started higher in grit.

Gary: Thanks. The top is actually only 3/4" over on the front and back and about 3" on the sides (could appear more from the angle of the picture). Probably a bit more that the standard highboy or lowboy. But, I do like the proportions on this one.

Scott: Thanks. I am hoping that the finish is what I am after. These boards hd some variation in color so, I'm hopeful that I can even things a bit with the shellac. We''ll see how I do! If not, it's not a great tragedy.


----------



## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

*Looking ahead - How about lutherie?*

Things are winding down on the Queen Anne Side Table project (more tom come on that in a future post) so, I've been thinking ahead to what is next. I have lots of furniture projects queued up but, I won't start those until the table is finished and out. I'm always up for a challenge so, I've come up with something interesting…take a look at my latest *post* and let me know what you think.


----------



## Betsy (Sep 25, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Looking ahead - How about lutherie?*
> 
> Things are winding down on the Queen Anne Side Table project (more tom come on that in a future post) so, I've been thinking ahead to what is next. I have lots of furniture projects queued up but, I won't start those until the table is finished and out. I'm always up for a challenge so, I've come up with something interesting…take a look at my latest *post* and let me know what you think.


Good luck Mark - both at making the guitar and not having to buy new tools! If the guitar turns out as nice as your table-- you'll have a bragging piece.


----------



## Dorje (Jun 17, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Looking ahead - How about lutherie?*
> 
> Things are winding down on the Queen Anne Side Table project (more tom come on that in a future post) so, I've been thinking ahead to what is next. I have lots of furniture projects queued up but, I won't start those until the table is finished and out. I'm always up for a challenge so, I've come up with something interesting…take a look at my latest *post* and let me know what you think.


Looks like a challenge that you're up for!


----------



## cajunpen (Apr 9, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Looking ahead - How about lutherie?*
> 
> Things are winding down on the Queen Anne Side Table project (more tom come on that in a future post) so, I've been thinking ahead to what is next. I have lots of furniture projects queued up but, I won't start those until the table is finished and out. I'm always up for a challenge so, I've come up with something interesting…take a look at my latest *post* and let me know what you think.


That's on my to do list one of these days - but I think I'll go the electric route.


----------



## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Looking ahead - How about lutherie?*
> 
> Things are winding down on the Queen Anne Side Table project (more tom come on that in a future post) so, I've been thinking ahead to what is next. I have lots of furniture projects queued up but, I won't start those until the table is finished and out. I'm always up for a challenge so, I've come up with something interesting…take a look at my latest *post* and let me know what you think.


Thanks for the encouragement guys & gals. I'm looking forward to the new challenge.

Betsy - You could be right about the battle with new tools but, I guess that battle would not be so painful to loose ;-)


----------



## kjwoodworking (Oct 4, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Looking ahead - How about lutherie?*
> 
> Things are winding down on the Queen Anne Side Table project (more tom come on that in a future post) so, I've been thinking ahead to what is next. I have lots of furniture projects queued up but, I won't start those until the table is finished and out. I'm always up for a challenge so, I've come up with something interesting…take a look at my latest *post* and let me know what you think.


I am going to build a guitar from a kit soon. I started a site to sell guitar stands but haven't worked out the legalities on my stands so I have listed a few guitars and what I think are great priced guitar kits but have along way to go to finish site. These kits are not as in depth as the one you have listed, more for beginners.

When you get a kit finished let me know Mark I would like to link to it.


----------



## rikkor (Oct 17, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Looking ahead - How about lutherie?*
> 
> Things are winding down on the Queen Anne Side Table project (more tom come on that in a future post) so, I've been thinking ahead to what is next. I have lots of furniture projects queued up but, I won't start those until the table is finished and out. I'm always up for a challenge so, I've come up with something interesting…take a look at my latest *post* and let me know what you think.


You are going to love it, but you will suffer through some frustrations, too. Just keep building parts. Here is one I posted.


----------



## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Looking ahead - How about lutherie?*
> 
> Things are winding down on the Queen Anne Side Table project (more tom come on that in a future post) so, I've been thinking ahead to what is next. I have lots of furniture projects queued up but, I won't start those until the table is finished and out. I'm always up for a challenge so, I've come up with something interesting…take a look at my latest *post* and let me know what you think.


Rikkor,

I think seeing your posting originally pushed me over the edge to finally get moving on this. Thanks for the nudge!

By the way did you finish the Parlor Guitar? I'd love to see some completed pictures.


----------



## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Looking ahead - How about lutherie?*
> 
> Things are winding down on the Queen Anne Side Table project (more tom come on that in a future post) so, I've been thinking ahead to what is next. I have lots of furniture projects queued up but, I won't start those until the table is finished and out. I'm always up for a challenge so, I've come up with something interesting…take a look at my latest *post* and let me know what you think.


Kirk,

Keep an eye out for my blog postings and you will see the entire porject unfold fromo start to finish!


----------



## rikkor (Oct 17, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Looking ahead - How about lutherie?*
> 
> Things are winding down on the Queen Anne Side Table project (more tom come on that in a future post) so, I've been thinking ahead to what is next. I have lots of furniture projects queued up but, I won't start those until the table is finished and out. I'm always up for a challenge so, I've come up with something interesting…take a look at my latest *post* and let me know what you think.


I haven't worked on it for a while. There were the Christmas projects, Easter, the challenge, and the pen swap all getting in the way. Soon, I hope.


----------



## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

*Dreadnought Guitar - Assembling the sides and kerfed linings*

Well, I've officially started down the road of lutherie! The guitar project has started and I've *posted* about my first efforts at my blog. Take a look at the initial steps in creating an instrument. Please let me know what you think - it's definitely an interesting process so far. Thanks for reading!


----------



## GaryK (Jun 25, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Dreadnought Guitar - Assembling the sides and kerfed linings*
> 
> Well, I've officially started down the road of lutherie! The guitar project has started and I've *posted* about my first efforts at my blog. Take a look at the initial steps in creating an instrument. Please let me know what you think - it's definitely an interesting process so far. Thanks for reading!


This will be interesting to follow!


----------



## Betsy (Sep 25, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Dreadnought Guitar - Assembling the sides and kerfed linings*
> 
> Well, I've officially started down the road of lutherie! The guitar project has started and I've *posted* about my first efforts at my blog. Take a look at the initial steps in creating an instrument. Please let me know what you think - it's definitely an interesting process so far. Thanks for reading!


This is going to be fun to watch. Mark your detail in the blogs is amazing. Looking forward to the next installment.


----------



## rikkor (Oct 17, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Dreadnought Guitar - Assembling the sides and kerfed linings*
> 
> Well, I've officially started down the road of lutherie! The guitar project has started and I've *posted* about my first efforts at my blog. Take a look at the initial steps in creating an instrument. Please let me know what you think - it's definitely an interesting process so far. Thanks for reading!


I'll be eagerly watching this thread.


----------



## sbryan55 (Dec 8, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Dreadnought Guitar - Assembling the sides and kerfed linings*
> 
> Well, I've officially started down the road of lutherie! The guitar project has started and I've *posted* about my first efforts at my blog. Take a look at the initial steps in creating an instrument. Please let me know what you think - it's definitely an interesting process so far. Thanks for reading!


Hi Mark,

This is going to be an interesting post. I really like seeing a step-by-step construction post on a project. I look forward to seeing yours.

Thanks


----------



## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Dreadnought Guitar - Assembling the sides and kerfed linings*
> 
> Well, I've officially started down the road of lutherie! The guitar project has started and I've *posted* about my first efforts at my blog. Take a look at the initial steps in creating an instrument. Please let me know what you think - it's definitely an interesting process so far. Thanks for reading!


Thanks all! This project has been fun so far. It will be filling time between furniture builds - have to have something to do while the glue dries, you know??!!

Keep watching for more on this as well as my final post on the completed Queen Anne Side Table.


----------



## Chipncut (Aug 18, 2006)

MarkM said:


> *Dreadnought Guitar - Assembling the sides and kerfed linings*
> 
> Well, I've officially started down the road of lutherie! The guitar project has started and I've *posted* about my first efforts at my blog. Take a look at the initial steps in creating an instrument. Please let me know what you think - it's definitely an interesting process so far. Thanks for reading!


I'll be looking forward to later installments of this project.


----------



## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Dreadnought Guitar - Assembling the sides and kerfed linings*
> 
> Well, I've officially started down the road of lutherie! The guitar project has started and I've *posted* about my first efforts at my blog. Take a look at the initial steps in creating an instrument. Please let me know what you think - it's definitely an interesting process so far. Thanks for reading!


Dick,

Thanks. Keep an eye out for the next post.

I have already determined that because of a lack of deep reach cam-type clamps usually used in lutherie, some creative clamping solutions will be needed. I went out and gathered some materials to address that last night. The next post on this should include creating a clamping fixture for the next steps.


----------



## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

*Dreadnought Guitar - Sanding the kerfed linings and installing the rosette*

This weekend I took the next steps in the guitar project. I posted about an interesting process for contouring the kerfed linings to accept the radiused top and back later in the prokect. I also got quite a surprise while installing the rosette that took a bit of thinking to recover from. Take a look and let me know what you think. Thanks for reading!


----------



## teenagewoodworker (Jan 31, 2008)

MarkM said:


> *Dreadnought Guitar - Sanding the kerfed linings and installing the rosette*
> 
> This weekend I took the next steps in the guitar project. I posted about an interesting process for contouring the kerfed linings to accept the radiused top and back later in the prokect. I also got quite a surprise while installing the rosette that took a bit of thinking to recover from. Take a look and let me know what you think. Thanks for reading!


looking good. can't wait to see how it comes out!


----------



## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Dreadnought Guitar - Sanding the kerfed linings and installing the rosette*
> 
> This weekend I took the next steps in the guitar project. I posted about an interesting process for contouring the kerfed linings to accept the radiused top and back later in the prokect. I also got quite a surprise while installing the rosette that took a bit of thinking to recover from. Take a look and let me know what you think. Thanks for reading!


Thanks, more to come soon!


----------



## Roz (Jan 13, 2008)

MarkM said:


> *Dreadnought Guitar - Sanding the kerfed linings and installing the rosette*
> 
> This weekend I took the next steps in the guitar project. I posted about an interesting process for contouring the kerfed linings to accept the radiused top and back later in the prokect. I also got quite a surprise while installing the rosette that took a bit of thinking to recover from. Take a look and let me know what you think. Thanks for reading!


These things look cool. I have been thinking of building one. Your's is coming along nicely.


----------



## GaryK (Jun 25, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Dreadnought Guitar - Sanding the kerfed linings and installing the rosette*
> 
> This weekend I took the next steps in the guitar project. I posted about an interesting process for contouring the kerfed linings to accept the radiused top and back later in the prokect. I also got quite a surprise while installing the rosette that took a bit of thinking to recover from. Take a look and let me know what you think. Thanks for reading!


Looking forward to see how this turns out.


----------



## rikkor (Oct 17, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Dreadnought Guitar - Sanding the kerfed linings and installing the rosette*
> 
> This weekend I took the next steps in the guitar project. I posted about an interesting process for contouring the kerfed linings to accept the radiused top and back later in the prokect. I also got quite a surprise while installing the rosette that took a bit of thinking to recover from. Take a look and let me know what you think. Thanks for reading!


Glad to see you figured out how to fix the split. The rosette looks nice. You are making good progress.


----------



## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

*Dreadnought Guitar - Adding the back braces*

I spent some more time on the guitar project. This time adding the bracing to the back plate. Doing this glue-up required some interesting clamping operations which I describe in the *post*. Take a look and let me know what you think. Thanks for reading!


----------



## Dorje (Jun 17, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Dreadnought Guitar - Adding the back braces*
> 
> I spent some more time on the guitar project. This time adding the bracing to the back plate. Doing this glue-up required some interesting clamping operations which I describe in the *post*. Take a look and let me know what you think. Thanks for reading!


Looks like your making good progress on this - I'm going to have to get caught up on you guitar series soon!


----------



## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Dreadnought Guitar - Adding the back braces*
> 
> I spent some more time on the guitar project. This time adding the bracing to the back plate. Doing this glue-up required some interesting clamping operations which I describe in the *post*. Take a look and let me know what you think. Thanks for reading!


Thanks Dorje. Yes…take a look at what I've been up to. It's definitely a unique set of operations. It's been fun so far!


----------



## rikkor (Oct 17, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Dreadnought Guitar - Adding the back braces*
> 
> I spent some more time on the guitar project. This time adding the bracing to the back plate. Doing this glue-up required some interesting clamping operations which I describe in the *post*. Take a look and let me know what you think. Thanks for reading!


I have used curved cauls and clamps to glue back braces. I am hoping to get to having a vacuum bag arrangement for backs and tops. Keep plugging. This is good.


----------



## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Dreadnought Guitar - Adding the back braces*
> 
> I spent some more time on the guitar project. This time adding the bracing to the back plate. Doing this glue-up required some interesting clamping operations which I describe in the *post*. Take a look and let me know what you think. Thanks for reading!


Rikkor,

I considered going the caul route but I thought that ultimately the Go-Bar Deck would be a useful fixture in the long run. It was fairly simple to build and use. Though I found fiberglass bars to use now (re-purposed from another application) as you will see in my next post.

Now, getting the back and top attached to the sides should be interesting!


----------



## rikkor (Oct 17, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Dreadnought Guitar - Adding the back braces*
> 
> I spent some more time on the guitar project. This time adding the bracing to the back plate. Doing this glue-up required some interesting clamping operations which I describe in the *post*. Take a look and let me know what you think. Thanks for reading!


I bought a bunch of spool clamps from Stew-Mac for attaching tops and backs. Works great.


----------



## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Dreadnought Guitar - Adding the back braces*
> 
> I spent some more time on the guitar project. This time adding the bracing to the back plate. Doing this glue-up required some interesting clamping operations which I describe in the *post*. Take a look and let me know what you think. Thanks for reading!


I just bought some supplies to make some. Hopefully they will work as good as the commercial versions once I make them. Good to know that they work well for attaching the back and top.


----------



## GaryK (Jun 25, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Dreadnought Guitar - Adding the back braces*
> 
> I spent some more time on the guitar project. This time adding the bracing to the back plate. Doing this glue-up required some interesting clamping operations which I describe in the *post*. Take a look and let me know what you think. Thanks for reading!


Go-bars have been used for hundreds of year. It's one of my favorite methods.

You can see my post about them here:

http://lumberjocks.com/jocks/GaryK/blog/2554


----------



## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

*Dreadnought Guitar - Bracing the top*

There was more bracing work to do on the guitar. This time a more complex operation on the underside of the guitar top. I found an alternative to the wooden dowel go-bars that I used last time. Take a look at the latest *post* to see the operation. Thanks for reading!


----------



## GaryK (Jun 25, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Dreadnought Guitar - Bracing the top*
> 
> There was more bracing work to do on the guitar. This time a more complex operation on the underside of the guitar top. I found an alternative to the wooden dowel go-bars that I used last time. Take a look at the latest *post* to see the operation. Thanks for reading!


All I saw was the go-bar use. What was your alternative?


----------



## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Dreadnought Guitar - Bracing the top*
> 
> There was more bracing work to do on the guitar. This time a more complex operation on the underside of the guitar top. I found an alternative to the wooden dowel go-bars that I used last time. Take a look at the latest *post* to see the operation. Thanks for reading!


Gary,

In my previous post I showed the Go-bar Deck with wooden dowels as the go-bars. I had a couple of them break so, this time I switched to fiberglass bars for the bracing on the top.


----------



## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

*Queen Anne Side Table - Completed finish and hardware*

After waiting a while for the finish to cure and a brief hiatus out of town, the Queen Anne Side Table is finally complete. I *posted* about the final finish process, and adding the hardware at my blog. There are a bunch of pictures of the finished table and some close-ups as well. Thanks for reading!


----------



## GaryK (Jun 25, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Queen Anne Side Table - Completed finish and hardware*
> 
> After waiting a while for the finish to cure and a brief hiatus out of town, the Queen Anne Side Table is finally complete. I *posted* about the final finish process, and adding the hardware at my blog. There are a bunch of pictures of the finished table and some close-ups as well. Thanks for reading!


Looks great!

Nice and clean.


----------



## sbryan55 (Dec 8, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Queen Anne Side Table - Completed finish and hardware*
> 
> After waiting a while for the finish to cure and a brief hiatus out of town, the Queen Anne Side Table is finally complete. I *posted* about the final finish process, and adding the hardware at my blog. There are a bunch of pictures of the finished table and some close-ups as well. Thanks for reading!


Mark,

Thanks for the pictures and the finish post. The table looks great and you did a nice job with the finish.

Thanks for the post. I enjoyed looking at this.


----------



## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Queen Anne Side Table - Completed finish and hardware*
> 
> After waiting a while for the finish to cure and a brief hiatus out of town, the Queen Anne Side Table is finally complete. I *posted* about the final finish process, and adding the hardware at my blog. There are a bunch of pictures of the finished table and some close-ups as well. Thanks for reading!


Gary and Bryan,

Thanks for the comments. It was a fun project.


----------



## Kerry (Jan 9, 2008)

MarkM said:


> *Queen Anne Side Table - Completed finish and hardware*
> 
> After waiting a while for the finish to cure and a brief hiatus out of town, the Queen Anne Side Table is finally complete. I *posted* about the final finish process, and adding the hardware at my blog. There are a bunch of pictures of the finished table and some close-ups as well. Thanks for reading!


This is a great table. I like it very much. I'm just finishing up a tea table and chose a similar finish routine to your own.

Kerry


----------



## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Queen Anne Side Table - Completed finish and hardware*
> 
> After waiting a while for the finish to cure and a brief hiatus out of town, the Queen Anne Side Table is finally complete. I *posted* about the final finish process, and adding the hardware at my blog. There are a bunch of pictures of the finished table and some close-ups as well. Thanks for reading!


Kerry,

Thanks for the kind words. Let us know when you finish the tea table. I'd like to see it.


----------



## Dorje (Jun 17, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Queen Anne Side Table - Completed finish and hardware*
> 
> After waiting a while for the finish to cure and a brief hiatus out of town, the Queen Anne Side Table is finally complete. I *posted* about the final finish process, and adding the hardware at my blog. There are a bunch of pictures of the finished table and some close-ups as well. Thanks for reading!


That came out so well! Really a stunning piece!


----------



## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Queen Anne Side Table - Completed finish and hardware*
> 
> After waiting a while for the finish to cure and a brief hiatus out of town, the Queen Anne Side Table is finally complete. I *posted* about the final finish process, and adding the hardware at my blog. There are a bunch of pictures of the finished table and some close-ups as well. Thanks for reading!


Dorje,

Thanks! Lots of fun doing this one. I'm thinking maybe a piece in the Federal style next.


----------



## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

*Dreadnaught Guitar: Notching the sides for the top braces*

Finally getting back to the guitar project…I've done some more work toward bringing the top and the sides together. Things are coming along. Take a look at my recent *post* for details. Thanks for reading!


----------



## Betsy (Sep 25, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Dreadnaught Guitar: Notching the sides for the top braces*
> 
> Finally getting back to the guitar project…I've done some more work toward bringing the top and the sides together. Things are coming along. Take a look at my recent *post* for details. Thanks for reading!


That's an impressive project Mark. Thanks for blogging about it. I always learn something new.


----------



## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Dreadnaught Guitar: Notching the sides for the top braces*
> 
> Finally getting back to the guitar project…I've done some more work toward bringing the top and the sides together. Things are coming along. Take a look at my recent *post* for details. Thanks for reading!


Betsy,

Thanks. Keep a look out…I should have more on this one soon.


----------



## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

*Dreadnought Guitar - Attaching the top*

Interesting clamping challenges abound in this project. In the picture you can see the solution for attaching the top of the guitar. Take a look at my latest *post* to see what they are and how they are used. Thanks for reading!


----------



## rikkor (Oct 17, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Dreadnought Guitar - Attaching the top*
> 
> Interesting clamping challenges abound in this project. In the picture you can see the solution for attaching the top of the guitar. Take a look at my latest *post* to see what they are and how they are used. Thanks for reading!


I have 60 of these.


----------



## JohnGray (Oct 6, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Dreadnought Guitar - Attaching the top*
> 
> Interesting clamping challenges abound in this project. In the picture you can see the solution for attaching the top of the guitar. Take a look at my latest *post* to see what they are and how they are used. Thanks for reading!


Very interesting, thanks for the posts!


----------



## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

*Dreadnought Guitar - Enclosing the body*

It was finally time to close up the body of the guitar. Yet another fun clamping operation.Things went reasonably well. The stage is now set for routing the channels for the binding and purfling. Take a look at the *post* for details. Thanks for reading!


----------



## saddlesore (Oct 17, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Dreadnought Guitar - Enclosing the body*
> 
> It was finally time to close up the body of the guitar. Yet another fun clamping operation.Things went reasonably well. The stage is now set for routing the channels for the binding and purfling. Take a look at the *post* for details. Thanks for reading!


Looking good. This is something I want to do someday.


----------



## GaryK (Jun 25, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Dreadnought Guitar - Enclosing the body*
> 
> It was finally time to close up the body of the guitar. Yet another fun clamping operation.Things went reasonably well. The stage is now set for routing the channels for the binding and purfling. Take a look at the *post* for details. Thanks for reading!


Yea, I think I'm going to have to try making one of those.

Looking good so far!


----------



## sbryan55 (Dec 8, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Dreadnought Guitar - Enclosing the body*
> 
> It was finally time to close up the body of the guitar. Yet another fun clamping operation.Things went reasonably well. The stage is now set for routing the channels for the binding and purfling. Take a look at the *post* for details. Thanks for reading!


Mark,

This is looking pretty nice so far.


----------



## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Dreadnought Guitar - Enclosing the body*
> 
> It was finally time to close up the body of the guitar. Yet another fun clamping operation.Things went reasonably well. The stage is now set for routing the channels for the binding and purfling. Take a look at the *post* for details. Thanks for reading!


Thanks, Guys!

Gary and Tom - Go for it!


----------



## Texasgaloot (Apr 8, 2008)

MarkM said:


> *Dreadnought Guitar - Enclosing the body*
> 
> It was finally time to close up the body of the guitar. Yet another fun clamping operation.Things went reasonably well. The stage is now set for routing the channels for the binding and purfling. Take a look at the *post* for details. Thanks for reading!


This is when it begins to really get exciting. Did you reinforce the top x-bracing with glued gauze at all, or leave it au natural?

Very cool, my friend!

Mack, who was born and raised in Lockport, NY!


----------



## rikkor (Oct 17, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Dreadnought Guitar - Enclosing the body*
> 
> It was finally time to close up the body of the guitar. Yet another fun clamping operation.Things went reasonably well. The stage is now set for routing the channels for the binding and purfling. Take a look at the *post* for details. Thanks for reading!


Have you done the candle-thump yet?


----------



## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Dreadnought Guitar - Enclosing the body*
> 
> It was finally time to close up the body of the guitar. Yet another fun clamping operation.Things went reasonably well. The stage is now set for routing the channels for the binding and purfling. Take a look at the *post* for details. Thanks for reading!


Mack: The X-Bracing was au natural - no gauze. Should be plenty strong.

Rikkor: No not yet. That's trying to put out a candle via the sound hole by thumping the top, right?


----------



## rikkor (Oct 17, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Dreadnought Guitar - Enclosing the body*
> 
> It was finally time to close up the body of the guitar. Yet another fun clamping operation.Things went reasonably well. The stage is now set for routing the channels for the binding and purfling. Take a look at the *post* for details. Thanks for reading!


That's trying to put out a candle via the sound hole by thumping the top, right?
Yes.


----------



## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

*Dreadnought Guitar - Routing channels for binding and purfling*

Well, I just got the body together - so, what else would I do but take a router to it ??!

Seriously though, this was probably the most nerve-racking part of the build so far. Read about my adventures in my latest blog *post*. Take a look and let me know what you think. Thanks for reading!


----------



## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

*In design simple is elegant*

With some impetus from a post that Chuck Bender (*acanthuscarver*) recently *wrote*, I discussed some of my thoughts on design in a recent post at my *blog*. As the title suggests, my take is that: "Simple is Elegant".

I'd be interested in your thoughts on the subject. Take a look and let me know what you think. Thanks for reading!


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## Dorje (Jun 17, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *In design simple is elegant*
> 
> With some impetus from a post that Chuck Bender (*acanthuscarver*) recently *wrote*, I discussed some of my thoughts on design in a recent post at my *blog*. As the title suggests, my take is that: "Simple is Elegant".
> 
> I'd be interested in your thoughts on the subject. Take a look and let me know what you think. Thanks for reading!


Simple is elegant - yes indeed… I read your entry with interest.


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## Taigert (Nov 20, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *In design simple is elegant*
> 
> With some impetus from a post that Chuck Bender (*acanthuscarver*) recently *wrote*, I discussed some of my thoughts on design in a recent post at my *blog*. As the title suggests, my take is that: "Simple is Elegant".
> 
> I'd be interested in your thoughts on the subject. Take a look and let me know what you think. Thanks for reading!


A good link to some great blogs,

Yhat gives a lot to think about, a great many good points about design.


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## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *In design simple is elegant*
> 
> With some impetus from a post that Chuck Bender (*acanthuscarver*) recently *wrote*, I discussed some of my thoughts on design in a recent post at my *blog*. As the title suggests, my take is that: "Simple is Elegant".
> 
> I'd be interested in your thoughts on the subject. Take a look and let me know what you think. Thanks for reading!


Thanks guys.

I am interested in what the collective thinking is hear at LJ on design. I will certainly be exploring it more on my blog.


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## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

*Dreadnought Guitar - Installing the binding and purfling*

Now that the channels have been routed it was time to install the binding along the back and top as well as the decorative purfling along the top. It was interesting and a bit tricky at times. Take a look at the details at my *blog*. Thanks for reading!


----------



## Betsy (Sep 25, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Dreadnought Guitar - Installing the binding and purfling*
> 
> Now that the channels have been routed it was time to install the binding along the back and top as well as the decorative purfling along the top. It was interesting and a bit tricky at times. Take a look at the details at my *blog*. Thanks for reading!


that is just amazing Mark. You definitely have more patience than I do. Bet you can't wait to make some music with this beautiful instrument.


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## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Dreadnought Guitar - Installing the binding and purfling*
> 
> Now that the channels have been routed it was time to install the binding along the back and top as well as the decorative purfling along the top. It was interesting and a bit tricky at times. Take a look at the details at my *blog*. Thanks for reading!


Betsy,

Thanks. I'm definitely interested in hearing how it will sound. Time will tell…there's still a ways to go before that stage. Thanks for your comments.


----------



## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

*Turned Walnut Bowl*

I don't consider myself an accomplished turner…yet. Though, I'm working on it! I like to turn and the relative instant gratification that turning projects can offer. I had not turned anything in a while but, recently I spied a small off-cut of Walnut in the shop that was left over from the *sofa table* project. It looked like it had a bowl hiding inside it. *Read on* and I'll walk you through the process I followed to create the Walnut bowl.

Thanks for reading!


----------



## lew (Feb 13, 2008)

MarkM said:


> *Turned Walnut Bowl*
> 
> I don't consider myself an accomplished turner…yet. Though, I'm working on it! I like to turn and the relative instant gratification that turning projects can offer. I had not turned anything in a while but, recently I spied a small off-cut of Walnut in the shop that was left over from the *sofa table* project. It looked like it had a bowl hiding inside it. *Read on* and I'll walk you through the process I followed to create the Walnut bowl.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


Nice Work!

The tutorial is very interesting.

Lew


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## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Turned Walnut Bowl*
> 
> I don't consider myself an accomplished turner…yet. Though, I'm working on it! I like to turn and the relative instant gratification that turning projects can offer. I had not turned anything in a while but, recently I spied a small off-cut of Walnut in the shop that was left over from the *sofa table* project. It looked like it had a bowl hiding inside it. *Read on* and I'll walk you through the process I followed to create the Walnut bowl.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


Thanks Lew! Not exactly a complete tutorial but it does outline the process that I follow to create a turned bowl.


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## thetimberkid (Apr 5, 2008)

MarkM said:


> *Turned Walnut Bowl*
> 
> I don't consider myself an accomplished turner…yet. Though, I'm working on it! I like to turn and the relative instant gratification that turning projects can offer. I had not turned anything in a while but, recently I spied a small off-cut of Walnut in the shop that was left over from the *sofa table* project. It looked like it had a bowl hiding inside it. *Read on* and I'll walk you through the process I followed to create the Walnut bowl.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


Great job!

Thanks for the post

Callum


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## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

*Moving the target in design*

Recently, I was watching *Neil Lamens'* interview (Part 1 and Part 2) with Wendell Castle. Neil did a great job talking with Mr. Castle about his approach to the craft and art of woodworking and his approach to design.

I wrote about my thoughts on the interview and what Mr. Castle's words meant to me in this *post* on my blog. Take a look and give me your thoughts. I'd be interested in hearing your perspectives. Thanks for reading!


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## woodspar (Mar 6, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Moving the target in design*
> 
> Recently, I was watching *Neil Lamens'* interview (Part 1 and Part 2) with Wendell Castle. Neil did a great job talking with Mr. Castle about his approach to the craft and art of woodworking and his approach to design.
> 
> I wrote about my thoughts on the interview and what Mr. Castle's words meant to me in this *post* on my blog. Take a look and give me your thoughts. I'd be interested in hearing your perspectives. Thanks for reading!


Thanks for the reference.

Yes - one must practice everyday. I liked the part about the pencil sketch everyday.

Simple is elegant - why is Shaker such a popular style?

Ya gotta make mistakes or you are not learning.

good food for thought.


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## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

*Using the Band Saw and Jigsaw for Rough Stock Prep*

Previously, I wrote about the merits of using rough stock in your woodworking. In that *post* I discussed the benefits offered to every woodworker through milling your own boards from rough to ready. What I did not cover is how to go about preparing rough stock for use on a project.

In a new *post* on my blog, I focus on the first steps in the process and discuss how I typically approach them, and why. Take a look and let me know what you think. Thanks for reading!


----------



## HarveyDunn (Aug 29, 2013)

MarkM said:


> *Using the Band Saw and Jigsaw for Rough Stock Prep*
> 
> Previously, I wrote about the merits of using rough stock in your woodworking. In that *post* I discussed the benefits offered to every woodworker through milling your own boards from rough to ready. What I did not cover is how to go about preparing rough stock for use on a project.
> 
> In a new *post* on my blog, I focus on the first steps in the process and discuss how I typically approach them, and why. Take a look and let me know what you think. Thanks for reading!


I know is a 4 year old post, but I just read your blog entry and thought it was very interesting.

I'm equipping a very small shop and would like to splash out on a really nice bandsaw. I have a workbench and am restoring a set of old Stanley hand planes.

Is there any clever way that a bandsaw in conjunction with sleds/fixtures/jigs can be used to square up boards that don't have one known-to-be-dead-flat edge or face?

If it is not possible to get perfectly squared up boards using just the bandsaw, could I at least use it to get partly/nearly there and then finish up with the hand planes?


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## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

*Graham Blackburn Lecture*

This weekend marked the opening of my woodworking club's season. Our first guest speaker was Graham Blackburn speaking on the topics of design and hand tools in the modern shop. I've started a series of posts on the lecture as well as a subsequent workshop. Take a look at the first *entry*. Thanks for reading!


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## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

*Three Pillars of Design - Part 1 Function*

Building on the information that I gleaned from the Graham Blackburn workshop that I attended, I wanted to go into a little more depth on the topics of design that were discussed.

According to Blackburn, there are three pillars of design: Function, Construction, and Proportion. I explore how the function of a piece relates to its design in the latest *post* on my blog. Thanks for reading!


----------



## MsDebbieP (Jan 4, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Three Pillars of Design - Part 1 Function*
> 
> Building on the information that I gleaned from the Graham Blackburn workshop that I attended, I wanted to go into a little more depth on the topics of design that were discussed.
> 
> According to Blackburn, there are three pillars of design: Function, Construction, and Proportion. I explore how the function of a piece relates to its design in the latest *post* on my blog. Thanks for reading!


great write-up 
thank you!


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## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Three Pillars of Design - Part 1 Function*
> 
> Building on the information that I gleaned from the Graham Blackburn workshop that I attended, I wanted to go into a little more depth on the topics of design that were discussed.
> 
> According to Blackburn, there are three pillars of design: Function, Construction, and Proportion. I explore how the function of a piece relates to its design in the latest *post* on my blog. Thanks for reading!


Debbie,

Keep an eye out for some future posts on the other "Pillars". It was an interesting workshop.


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## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

*THree Pillars of Design - Part 2 Construction*

Building on the previous post in this series, it's time to explore Graham Blackburn's second pillar of design: Construction. When one thinks of construction in woodworking, the first thought is inevitably joinery. While joinery is definitely one element of the construction of a piece of furniture, as you might expect, there's more to the equation. Take a look at this *post* for a discussion of construction as it relates to design, according the Blackburn. Thanks for reading.


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## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

*Three Pillars of Design - Part 3 Proportion*

Continuing the *series* with Graham Blackburn's third pillar of design: Proportion. This new *post* on my blog discusses some great design paradigms for use when developing a new furniture design. Take a look and let me know what you think. Thanks for reading!


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## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

*Modern Saker Table - The Design Process*

Deviating from more traditional pieces, I was asked to design and build a table with more modern styling. I started the design process by evaluating the constraints and developing some ideas in my sketchbook before moving on to a more refined design in SKetchup. You can take a look at the latest *post* on my blog for more details. Thanks for reading!


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## Betsy (Sep 25, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Modern Saker Table - The Design Process*
> 
> Deviating from more traditional pieces, I was asked to design and build a table with more modern styling. I started the design process by evaluating the constraints and developing some ideas in my sketchbook before moving on to a more refined design in SKetchup. You can take a look at the latest *post* on my blog for more details. Thanks for reading!


Not sure how I missed this yesterday-- but I am looking forward to following your progress on the table. I always learn something reading your blogs.


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## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Modern Saker Table - The Design Process*
> 
> Deviating from more traditional pieces, I was asked to design and build a table with more modern styling. I started the design process by evaluating the constraints and developing some ideas in my sketchbook before moving on to a more refined design in SKetchup. You can take a look at the latest *post* on my blog for more details. Thanks for reading!


Thanks Debbie. Let me know what you think as you follow along.


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## David (Jan 26, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Modern Saker Table - The Design Process*
> 
> Deviating from more traditional pieces, I was asked to design and build a table with more modern styling. I started the design process by evaluating the constraints and developing some ideas in my sketchbook before moving on to a more refined design in SKetchup. You can take a look at the latest *post* on my blog for more details. Thanks for reading!


Mark -

Too much stuff to keep up with! I finally have a bit of time to look around LJ and catch up with some things of interest. This will be a very interesting blog to follow! I love the sketch book hand drawings on your website.

David


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## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

*Modern Shaker Table - Making the Tapered Legs*

With the rough stock for this table acclimated to my shop for a week or so, I started this project as I usually do, by viewing all of the stock and marking out all of the components for best grain use, etc. The first order of business was to make the tapered and splayed legs from 8/4 stock. The details along with pictures are in the latest *post* at my blog. Thanks for reading!


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## Betsy (Sep 25, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Modern Shaker Table - Making the Tapered Legs*
> 
> With the rough stock for this table acclimated to my shop for a week or so, I started this project as I usually do, by viewing all of the stock and marking out all of the components for best grain use, etc. The first order of business was to make the tapered and splayed legs from 8/4 stock. The details along with pictures are in the latest *post* at my blog. Thanks for reading!


Mark - another good entry. I enjoy following your blog. You are very right about the attention to detail in wood and grain selection. This is an area that I am trying to pay more attention to in my work.

Thanks again for being so detailed in your blog.


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## David (Jan 26, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Modern Shaker Table - Making the Tapered Legs*
> 
> With the rough stock for this table acclimated to my shop for a week or so, I started this project as I usually do, by viewing all of the stock and marking out all of the components for best grain use, etc. The first order of business was to make the tapered and splayed legs from 8/4 stock. The details along with pictures are in the latest *post* at my blog. Thanks for reading!


Mark -

Excellent post. It is good to see your loose tenon jig in use!

David


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## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

*Modern Shaker Table - Making the Top*

With the legs complete I moved on to milling and gluing up the stock for the table top. I also used a simple trammel jig to mark the arcs on the ends of the top and cut them on the band saw. Check out the *post* on my blog for the details and photos of the process. Thanks for reading!


----------



## David (Jan 26, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Modern Shaker Table - Making the Top*
> 
> With the legs complete I moved on to milling and gluing up the stock for the table top. I also used a simple trammel jig to mark the arcs on the ends of the top and cut them on the band saw. Check out the *post* on my blog for the details and photos of the process. Thanks for reading!


Mark -

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Another interesting installment on the Shaker Table build. THanks!


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## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Modern Shaker Table - Making the Top*
> 
> With the legs complete I moved on to milling and gluing up the stock for the table top. I also used a simple trammel jig to mark the arcs on the ends of the top and cut them on the band saw. Check out the *post* on my blog for the details and photos of the process. Thanks for reading!


David,

Thanks and same to you and yours. Keep a look out for another installment shortly - things are moving fast on this project!


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## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

*Modern Shaker Table - Making the Aprons*

With the tapered legs complete, I moved on to the arched aprons. There's a slight complication in making these so that the legs will ultimately splay out by 2 degrees. I cover all of the details in *this post* on my blog. Thanks for reading!


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## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

*Exposing the Jointer...*

With a little bit of white chalk, I exposed my jointer today. The whole sordid tale is covered in the latest *post* on my blog. Thanks for reading!


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## kiwi1969 (Dec 22, 2008)

MarkM said:


> *Exposing the Jointer...*
> 
> With a little bit of white chalk, I exposed my jointer today. The whole sordid tale is covered in the latest *post* on my blog. Thanks for reading!


Mark you either have a crappy jointer or dont know how to use one. Try pushing the stock slower, and your outfeed table looks to low if your getting snipe at the end. In 15 years in the industry i have NEVER had a board look like that. A good tool set up properly with sharp knives will be more than enough to create a clean sprung joint ready for glueing.


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## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Exposing the Jointer...*
> 
> With a little bit of white chalk, I exposed my jointer today. The whole sordid tale is covered in the latest *post* on my blog. Thanks for reading!


As for the quality of my tools and/or my ability to use them, I think I'll let my work speak for itself.

I think if you read my blog post completely you'll see that I stated that if you pass the work over the knives slower you will get a less pronounced effect. However, there is not any debate as to whether a jointer will leave a scalloped edge on a board (no matter how slowly you feed the stock or how finely tuned the tool is) the physics of the machine assure that this will happen, at least to some degree.

What you see revealed in the pictures revealed is almost imperceptible without the help of the chalk - so the error is very small, however real. My intent with this post was to illustrate that even with a good tool and reasonable care to pass the work over the knives there may be room for improvement in the quality of the surface.

Even with your 15 years of experience, I am wondering if you have ever rubbed a piece of white chalk over the edge of jointed Walnut. You may want to try a test yourself to see what is revealed. It may surprise you.


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## kiwi1969 (Dec 22, 2008)

MarkM said:


> *Exposing the Jointer...*
> 
> With a little bit of white chalk, I exposed my jointer today. The whole sordid tale is covered in the latest *post* on my blog. Thanks for reading!


mark, My first sentence was a bit out of line, your workmanship is top notch and I certainly didn,t intend it to sound like I was taking a shot at you or your craftsmanship, which rudely I did, so I apologize for that. I guess my point was, Is it really worth concerning yourself with if it has no negative effect on the joint itself. again I apologize for any offence.


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## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Exposing the Jointer...*
> 
> With a little bit of white chalk, I exposed my jointer today. The whole sordid tale is covered in the latest *post* on my blog. Thanks for reading!


Daryl,

I appreciate you reconsidering your comment. Thanks for that.

I understand your question and it is a valid one. It is true that I could have probably glued the joint in question up and it would have held together easily with the strength of modern glue.

However, the point that I was attempting to make in the post was that it did not really feel/look to me that the joint was good enough. Something was bothering me and that's what triggered me to see what that piece of chalk had to say.

I realize that I did not show the finished glued-up joint in the post but, I can tell you that after the hand planing of the surfaces, the fit was perfect - holding the unglued pieces together and then separating them provided that "suction" fit of a perfectly mated edge joint. The seam was invisible even before gluing. The result was well worth the 60 seconds it took me to plane the two surfaces.


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## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

*Modern Shaker Table - String Inlay and Glue Up*

I moved on to milling and installing the string inlay on the table before gluing it up and readying it for finish. Take a look at the latest *post* on my blog for the details. Thanks for reading!


----------



## Betsy (Sep 25, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Modern Shaker Table - String Inlay and Glue Up*
> 
> I moved on to milling and installing the string inlay on the table before gluing it up and readying it for finish. Take a look at the latest *post* on my blog for the details. Thanks for reading!


Mark - your posts are always informative. I learn something almost every time!

What type of glue do you use for your inlays? I ask as I wonder about the swelling of the string as you apply it-wondering if hide glue is what would be used.

Also - with such small stinging - do you apply the glue to the string or into the inset? Either way-- what do you use to apply it?

One more-- how proud of the top is the stringing?

Thanks in advance-looking forward to the next post.


----------



## motthunter (Dec 31, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Modern Shaker Table - String Inlay and Glue Up*
> 
> I moved on to milling and installing the string inlay on the table before gluing it up and readying it for finish. Take a look at the latest *post* on my blog for the details. Thanks for reading!


good progress…please keep us posted


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## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Modern Shaker Table - String Inlay and Glue Up*
> 
> I moved on to milling and installing the string inlay on the table before gluing it up and readying it for finish. Take a look at the latest *post* on my blog for the details. Thanks for reading!


Betsy,

I just used yellow wood glue for the stringing. I put a small amount of glue directly into the channels and then spread it a bit with a brush. I was as careful as possible, but it was definitely not a neat operation ;-) However, I knew that the stringing would be scraped/planed down to the surface so, that would take care of any squeeze-out. FYI - the stringing was about 1/16" of an inch proud of the surface before I scraped/planed it down even.

If you work quickly you can keep ahead of any swelling. Though, because of the tightness of the fit there is a bit of hydraulic pressure to deal with from the glue.

This stringing was 3/16" of an inch wide, so it was not as delicate as some. I would think that the more delicate the stringing the bigger the issue with potential swelling. Hide glue might be a good choice - though the open time for hot hide glue is not too long.


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## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Modern Shaker Table - String Inlay and Glue Up*
> 
> I moved on to milling and installing the string inlay on the table before gluing it up and readying it for finish. Take a look at the latest *post* on my blog for the details. Thanks for reading!


Motthunter,

Keep a lookout for the final post of the finished product soon!


----------



## Betsy (Sep 25, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Modern Shaker Table - String Inlay and Glue Up*
> 
> I moved on to milling and installing the string inlay on the table before gluing it up and readying it for finish. Take a look at the latest *post* on my blog for the details. Thanks for reading!


Thanks for the answers Mark. I'm looking forward to the next entry.


----------



## baron (May 21, 2011)

MarkM said:


> *Modern Shaker Table - String Inlay and Glue Up*
> 
> I moved on to milling and installing the string inlay on the table before gluing it up and readying it for finish. Take a look at the latest *post* on my blog for the details. Thanks for reading!


why do you use string rather than thin strips of different color wood that slip into the kerf and can be planed off? Is there a reason for string other than it's pliability?
John


----------



## DMIHOMECENTER (Mar 5, 2011)

MarkM said:


> *Modern Shaker Table - String Inlay and Glue Up*
> 
> I moved on to milling and installing the string inlay on the table before gluing it up and readying it for finish. Take a look at the latest *post* on my blog for the details. Thanks for reading!


The strings *are *thin strips of contrasting wood.

Nice work you are doing there. :=)

A good video: http://woodtreks.com/making-and-applying-decorative-string-inlay-woodworking/477/


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## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

*Modern Shaker Table - Completion*

After the glue up I moved on to sanding and finishing tasks. The details are covered in my latest blog *post* along with pictures of the finished product. Take a look and let me know what you think. Thanks for reading!


----------



## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

*Sculpted Rocking Chair - Stock Prep, Layout and Rear Legs*

I'm finally making the time to do a sculpted rocking chair in the Sam Maloof style. This is something that I've wanted to do for a long time. I just had to clear the way of other projects in porder to get to this one! You can follow along as I build this piece. The first *post* is on my blog now. Thanks for reading!


----------



## toddc (Mar 6, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Sculpted Rocking Chair - Stock Prep, Layout and Rear Legs*
> 
> I'm finally making the time to do a sculpted rocking chair in the Sam Maloof style. This is something that I've wanted to do for a long time. I just had to clear the way of other projects in porder to get to this one! You can follow along as I build this piece. The first *post* is on my blog now. Thanks for reading!


Hey Mark! This will be fun to follow!


----------



## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Sculpted Rocking Chair - Stock Prep, Layout and Rear Legs*
> 
> I'm finally making the time to do a sculpted rocking chair in the Sam Maloof style. This is something that I've wanted to do for a long time. I just had to clear the way of other projects in porder to get to this one! You can follow along as I build this piece. The first *post* is on my blog now. Thanks for reading!


Thanks Todd! Should be a fun project!


----------



## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

*Sculpted Rocking Chair - Coopered Headrest and Ripping Thin Rocker Strips*

After completing the rough out of the seat and rear legs for the chair, I moved on to the headrest and rockers. This *post* details coopering of the headrest and cutting thin strips for the rockers at the table saw. Take a look and let me know your thoughts. Thanks for reading!


----------



## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

*Sculpted Rocking Chair - Laminating the Rockers and Back Braces*

Moving on from the work of roughing out components, it was time for some laminations. After making the forms I went to work with lots of thin strips in hand to create the rockers and back braces for the chair. The glue-filled process is covered in the latest *post* on my blog. Thanks for reading!


----------



## David (Jan 26, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Sculpted Rocking Chair - Laminating the Rockers and Back Braces*
> 
> Moving on from the work of roughing out components, it was time for some laminations. After making the forms I went to work with lots of thin strips in hand to create the rockers and back braces for the chair. The glue-filled process is covered in the latest *post* on my blog. Thanks for reading!


Mark -

This is a fun and inspiring blog to follow. I like the idea of adding the aluminum alignment stops. I will bet those were very helpful aligning strips slippery with glue. The rockers look awesome!

David


----------



## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Sculpted Rocking Chair - Laminating the Rockers and Back Braces*
> 
> Moving on from the work of roughing out components, it was time for some laminations. After making the forms I went to work with lots of thin strips in hand to create the rockers and back braces for the chair. The glue-filled process is covered in the latest *post* on my blog. Thanks for reading!


Thanks, David.

The alignment stops were definitely helpful. WIth that many lamination strips and that much glue, these things tend to move around when you are clamping them to a curved surface! The alignment also assures that there will be enough material after cleanup to reach the finished width.

The rockers are not yet complete. I still have to glue up stacks for under each of the legs and then there is the shaping…the last of the back braces are in the form as we speak!

-Mark


----------



## Betsy (Sep 25, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Sculpted Rocking Chair - Laminating the Rockers and Back Braces*
> 
> Moving on from the work of roughing out components, it was time for some laminations. After making the forms I went to work with lots of thin strips in hand to create the rockers and back braces for the chair. The glue-filled process is covered in the latest *post* on my blog. Thanks for reading!


Somehow, I managed to drop this from my watchlist! I learn something new every time I see your posts. I appreciate the time it takes to be so detailed in your descriptions. Looking forward to the next installment!


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## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

*Sculpted Rocking Chair - Seat Joinery*

With the lamination behind me I have moved on to work on the signature joinery of the chair - the Maloof-style joint where the legs join the seat. This *post* on my blog covers the seat portion of this interesting joint. Thanks for reading!


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## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

*Sculpted Rocking Chair - Leg Joinery*

Last time I worked on the seat joinery. This time I complete the Maloof Joint by performing joinery on the front and rear legs of the rocking chair. There are some complication due to the fact that the rear legs need to cant at a six degree angle. Take a look at this *post* to see the details on how this is solved. Thanks for reading!


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## Betsy (Sep 25, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Sculpted Rocking Chair - Leg Joinery*
> 
> Last time I worked on the seat joinery. This time I complete the Maloof Joint by performing joinery on the front and rear legs of the rocking chair. There are some complication due to the fact that the rear legs need to cant at a six degree angle. Take a look at this *post* to see the details on how this is solved. Thanks for reading!


Thanks for the post Mark. Seems like the rocker is coming along nicely. I just started a rocker myself - your blog is partly to blame! I'm sure I'll be asking for some help - have pity on me!

Seriously I think your rocker is coming along famously. I can't wait to see how it ends up.


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## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Sculpted Rocking Chair - Leg Joinery*
> 
> Last time I worked on the seat joinery. This time I complete the Maloof Joint by performing joinery on the front and rear legs of the rocking chair. There are some complication due to the fact that the rear legs need to cant at a six degree angle. Take a look at this *post* to see the details on how this is solved. Thanks for reading!


Thanks, Betsy. Good luck on your chair!


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## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

*Sculpted Rocking Chair - Shaping the Seat*

After a quick task with on front legs on the chair, it was finally on to some of the sculpting - starting with the seat. Take a look at this *post* on my blog for details and a pictorial of the process. Thanks for reading!


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## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

*Do your tools limit your designs?*

I was reading a post at Doug Stowe"s blog, Wisdom of the Hands where he was discussing how the use of specific tools could "self identify" your work. I commented my thoughts to Doug and also posted them and a poll at my blog. Take a look to see my take on the subject and take the poll and leave a comment while you're there!

Thanks for reading!


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## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Do your tools limit your designs?*
> 
> I was reading a post at Doug Stowe"s blog, Wisdom of the Hands where he was discussing how the use of specific tools could "self identify" your work. I commented my thoughts to Doug and also posted them and a poll at my blog. Take a look to see my take on the subject and take the poll and leave a comment while you're there!
> 
> Thanks for reading!


Just a bump to ask you to take the poll at my blog posted above. Also, please feel free to add to the commentary there or here. So far, both the commentary and the poll results have been interesting. I'd like to see more participation in the poll before I interpret the results.


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## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

*Sculpted Rocking Chair: More rear Leg Work*

Well, after a bit of a hiatus, I'm back working at the Sculpted Rocking Chair. In my most recent *post* I continued with processing of the rear legs. This involved making a 20-degree jig for use at the band saw, shaping the areas at the seat joints and also drilling for the headrest. Take a look and let me know your thoughts.

Thanks for reading!


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## gerrymorrell (Jan 14, 2009)

MarkM said:


> *Sculpted Rocking Chair: More rear Leg Work*
> 
> Well, after a bit of a hiatus, I'm back working at the Sculpted Rocking Chair. In my most recent *post* I continued with processing of the rear legs. This involved making a 20-degree jig for use at the band saw, shaping the areas at the seat joints and also drilling for the headrest. Take a look and let me know your thoughts.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


Mark it is good to see you back working on your rocking chair. I have been enjoying following your progress as you build this chair. It seems to be a more complicated way to build a chair than the way I have been doing it. A lot more jigs and laminated parts. But, I also know a lot of people have been successful building chairs with HAL Taylor's plans.
I am looking forward to seeing more installments on your chair as you progress.


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## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Sculpted Rocking Chair: More rear Leg Work*
> 
> Well, after a bit of a hiatus, I'm back working at the Sculpted Rocking Chair. In my most recent *post* I continued with processing of the rear legs. This involved making a 20-degree jig for use at the band saw, shaping the areas at the seat joints and also drilling for the headrest. Take a look and let me know your thoughts.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


Gerry,

Thanks for the comment. There are definitely a few jigs to build. Back slats and rockers are laminated but, there are several areas where stock is face glued to add thickness to an area (for example the seat joint area of the rear legs).


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## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

MarkM said:


> *Sculpted Rocking Chair: More rear Leg Work*
> 
> Well, after a bit of a hiatus, I'm back working at the Sculpted Rocking Chair. In my most recent *post* I continued with processing of the rear legs. This involved making a 20-degree jig for use at the band saw, shaping the areas at the seat joints and also drilling for the headrest. Take a look and let me know your thoughts.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


Good progress


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## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

*Sculpted Rocking Chair - Front Legs and Initial Leg Shaping*

How do you put a round-over on a leg with as many curved and non-flat surfaces as those on this chair (hint: it's not all done with a router)?

Take a look at the most recent *post* on my journey to build a Sculpted Rocking Chair. This time I tackled the front legs and initial shaping of all four of the legs. As a result, it's really starting to look like a chair!


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## toddc (Mar 6, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Sculpted Rocking Chair - Front Legs and Initial Leg Shaping*
> 
> How do you put a round-over on a leg with as many curved and non-flat surfaces as those on this chair (hint: it's not all done with a router)?
> 
> Take a look at the most recent *post* on my journey to build a Sculpted Rocking Chair. This time I tackled the front legs and initial shaping of all four of the legs. As a result, it's really starting to look like a chair!


It's taking shape!


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## gerrymorrell (Jan 14, 2009)

MarkM said:


> *Sculpted Rocking Chair - Front Legs and Initial Leg Shaping*
> 
> How do you put a round-over on a leg with as many curved and non-flat surfaces as those on this chair (hint: it's not all done with a router)?
> 
> Take a look at the most recent *post* on my journey to build a Sculpted Rocking Chair. This time I tackled the front legs and initial shaping of all four of the legs. As a result, it's really starting to look like a chair!


Mark, I am gad to see you are making some progress on your chair. Great pictures on your website.


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## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Sculpted Rocking Chair - Front Legs and Initial Leg Shaping*
> 
> How do you put a round-over on a leg with as many curved and non-flat surfaces as those on this chair (hint: it's not all done with a router)?
> 
> Take a look at the most recent *post* on my journey to build a Sculpted Rocking Chair. This time I tackled the front legs and initial shaping of all four of the legs. As a result, it's really starting to look like a chair!


Todd and Gerry,

Thanks. I've finally had a bit more time to spend on the chair. It's getting there!


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## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

*Sculpted Rocking Chair - Rough Shaping the Arms*

With the shaping of the legs completed. I moved on to working on the arms. The rough sha;ping is done with a jig at the table saw and a cove-cutting process. Take a look at the *post* at my blog for details and a bunch of pictures of the process.

Thanks for reading!


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## woodworm (Jul 27, 2008)

MarkM said:


> *Sculpted Rocking Chair - Rough Shaping the Arms*
> 
> With the shaping of the legs completed. I moved on to working on the arms. The rough sha;ping is done with a jig at the table saw and a cove-cutting process. Take a look at the *post* at my blog for details and a bunch of pictures of the process.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


Very nice work (visited your blog). 
Keep updating us with the process and progress, thanks for sharing.


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## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Sculpted Rocking Chair - Rough Shaping the Arms*
> 
> With the shaping of the legs completed. I moved on to working on the arms. The rough sha;ping is done with a jig at the table saw and a cove-cutting process. Take a look at the *post* at my blog for details and a bunch of pictures of the process.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


Masrol,

Thanks. I'll be posting progress there and here as I go.


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## PG_Zac (Feb 14, 2009)

MarkM said:


> *Sculpted Rocking Chair - Rough Shaping the Arms*
> 
> With the shaping of the legs completed. I moved on to working on the arms. The rough sha;ping is done with a jig at the table saw and a cove-cutting process. Take a look at the *post* at my blog for details and a bunch of pictures of the process.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


Thanks Mark - I've been following the episodes, and I was chuffed to see a new one when I logged on today. Please keep posting your progress.


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## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Sculpted Rocking Chair - Rough Shaping the Arms*
> 
> With the shaping of the legs completed. I moved on to working on the arms. The rough sha;ping is done with a jig at the table saw and a cove-cutting process. Take a look at the *post* at my blog for details and a bunch of pictures of the process.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


PG_Zac,

Will do!


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## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

*Sculpted Rocking Chair - Front Leg Transitions and Gluing the Legs*

Well, it was finally the moment of truth - gluing up the some of the parts of the chair that have been worked on for quire some time. Take a look at the *post* on my blog for the details of gluing up the legs of the chair.

Thanks for reading!


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## toddc (Mar 6, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Sculpted Rocking Chair - Front Leg Transitions and Gluing the Legs*
> 
> Well, it was finally the moment of truth - gluing up the some of the parts of the chair that have been worked on for quire some time. Take a look at the *post* on my blog for the details of gluing up the legs of the chair.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


I wondered how it was going.

Thanks for the update.


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## PG_Zac (Feb 14, 2009)

MarkM said:


> *Sculpted Rocking Chair - Front Leg Transitions and Gluing the Legs*
> 
> Well, it was finally the moment of truth - gluing up the some of the parts of the chair that have been worked on for quire some time. Take a look at the *post* on my blog for the details of gluing up the legs of the chair.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


Good to see it is progressing again.

Good stuff


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## gerrymorrell (Jan 14, 2009)

MarkM said:


> *Sculpted Rocking Chair - Front Leg Transitions and Gluing the Legs*
> 
> Well, it was finally the moment of truth - gluing up the some of the parts of the chair that have been worked on for quire some time. Take a look at the *post* on my blog for the details of gluing up the legs of the chair.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


Hi Mark, Thanks again for sharing the photos on your blog. It's good to see the parts going together. I hope you post some photos on the yahoo rocking chair group of your finished chair. Hal Taylor has re-joined the group today.

Gerry


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## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

*Sculpted Rocking Chair - Sculpting the Leg Joints*

Time to break out the angle grinder again. After fitting the arms to the rear leg joints I did the sculpting of the leg to seat joints in my latest *post* on my blog. Contrary to what you might thik - you can be delicate with an angle grinder and a 36-grit disk!

Take a look an let me know what you think. Thanks for reading!


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## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

MarkM said:


> *Sculpted Rocking Chair - Sculpting the Leg Joints*
> 
> Time to break out the angle grinder again. After fitting the arms to the rear leg joints I did the sculpting of the leg to seat joints in my latest *post* on my blog. Contrary to what you might thik - you can be delicate with an angle grinder and a 36-grit disk!
> 
> Take a look an let me know what you think. Thanks for reading!


Looks interesting


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## MarkM (Sep 9, 2007)

MarkM said:


> *Sculpted Rocking Chair - Sculpting the Leg Joints*
> 
> Time to break out the angle grinder again. After fitting the arms to the rear leg joints I did the sculpting of the leg to seat joints in my latest *post* on my blog. Contrary to what you might thik - you can be delicate with an angle grinder and a 36-grit disk!
> 
> Take a look an let me know what you think. Thanks for reading!


Jim,

Yes, it's a bit interesting to work with what you would assume would be a very coarse tool especially after so much work on the chair. But, you'd be amazed at how precise you can be with it. The key is fluid motions, not jerky ones. If you use the bigger muscles in your body to move the tool rather than just the small ones (like in your hands) you can actually attain a very flowing surface that just needs to be refined from there.


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