On Saturday, my son is displaying in an art show at the Central Park Zoo. One of his pieces is a large coloring on canvas. In order to display the coloring I was assigned building him a frame.
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| Can you see the frame yet? |
I’ve enjoyed using the rough sawn lumber I picked up from +Kari Hultman last summer on my last few projects, so I began the frame build by heading to the attic and selecting a large slab. I’m not sure what type of wood it is. Once milled, it’s a nice blond color with a mild grain pattern.
To make the frame, I broke the slab into three (3) pieces with my jigsaw and then joined and planed them flat. Though I only planed them until all three (3) were flat and parallel, they ended up being exactly 1” thick when I was done. Once I had ripped them to width, I used my Incra Miter 1000 SE to cut the miters. I call it out so specifically not to brag about it, but to complain. I find the flip stop annoying to use and the face of the fence is not plum, resulting in the leading edge of the work lifting when it is held or pushed against the fence. I had problems with my miters, and I believe this is why. Finally, I cut the rabbet for the picture with two (2) passed on the table saw.
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| The dreaded 1000 SE (the burning is because the blade desperately needs to be cleaned). |
After everything was cut, I set a domino in each miter and glued up the frame. This was the first time I’d used the framing blocks for my parallel clamps. I was pleasantly surprised by how well they worked.
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| My sloppy miters. |
To address the gaps in the miters, I used wood putty mixed with rasp shavings. I decided that rasps would be the quickest choice to make the pile of dust I needed. Unfortunately, I decided that a coarse rasp would make the dust quicker, so I used the coarse side of my Shinto rasp. The Shinto rasps leave shavings closer to what you’d get off a jointer than to saw dust. These big shavings didn’t mix very well and some didn’t even fit in the gaps at the miters. Even after puttying the miters aren’t perfect. I’ll probably use a wax stick to fill in the remaining small gaps once I’m done with the finish.
I followed +Marc Spagnuolo’s Simple Varnish Finish instructions and finished the frame with 5 coats of General Finishes Arm-R-Seal. The final coat still needs to be buffed out, but it looks good.
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| The frame - mid finishing - during a dry run of fitting the picture. |
Once the finish is done, all that’s left is to mount the hanging hardware and set the picture inside. Then it’ll be off to Central Park for the Art Show. My Son’s coloring will certainly be the star, but I wouldn’t mind if the frame gets a little affection too.
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The Chicken & The Egg Workbench Conundrum...
As its been sunny lately and the room I intend to use isnt quite ready, I have been using a scrap piece of kitchen worktop placed on the garden table as a makeshift bench to clean & sharpen up my tools.
I was considering using the same piece of worktop and maybe knocking together some rough saw horses for it to go across as a slightly more rigid bench solution. However, it seems I would still be wrestling with clamps holding more clamps to hold a work piece. While Im sure its doable its far from ideal - much like previously living on a boat!
I could try and build a bench myself, but lets face it with my skills and no other bench to build it on, Im not sure its going to be any better than the saw horse solution.
Therefore, after much deliberation and reading, I have decided that the best thing (for me) is to buy a beginner bench.
This bench at only £126 seems pretty cheap and despite a few poor reviews must be more sturdy than the other solutions, especially if I can butt it up against a wall. It includes two vices and other work holding devices. I dont think I could build anything better for the price.
A friend introduced me to Axminster Tools and it took less than 5 minutes to sign up and pay for this little beauty, with free next day delivery! While I dont expect it will be as solid or rigid as a professional bench, for the price I dont think it can be beaten as a beginner bench. If the woodworking bug really takes hold then obviously Id like to build my own full size bench at some stage but by then I would know what Im doing (hopefully) and probably wouldnt be working out of a tiny spare room.
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I typically do more home improvement then woodworking. Both are rewarding. Home improvement usually wins out because it address a specific need or deficiency that everyone in the house agrees about. To date, Im the only family member that finds deficiency with our furniture. |
| The BenchMark Table |
When I work on home improvement (and woodworking) my shop usually spills out into my drivechoice. I typically schlepp wooden, metal or plastic saw horsed (I have all three) around from the back of the house where they live and create an ad-hoc work material support system.When I first read about the Benchmark table on ToolRank.com I immediately thought I’d found my solution. It was a collapsible aluminum table that could easily be setup in the drivechoice and maybe even the shop too. |
| The table, on arriving in the shop. |
The table is a bit pricey ($350.00 to $500.00). At first I didn’t question the cost, I just needed to save up to get it. Following my birthday I put together all the Amazon gift cards I got (the only thing I’d asked for), added a bit of my own cash and pulled the plug on the table. |
| These are the plastic end caps which I broke a few of. |
Once I received the table, I did second guess the price as I was assembling it. While the instructions are clear and easy to follow, the little green pieces that line the edge were a bit tricky to install. BenchMark is nice enough to include 4 extra, but I broke all of them during the installation. Because one of the cross pieces and the aluminum angle that makes the side weren’t lining up square to each other, I actually kept screwing right through the green plastic bit, tearing through it’s base. Even after I switched from a screw gun to a screw driver, I still damaged one. Finally, on the last little green plastic piece I went ever-so-gentle and managed not to break it. Luckily, it’s holding so well now that I’ve forgotten which one gave me so much trouble.This bit of frustration, on an otherwise easy assembly, did lead me to question the cost. For hundreds of dollars I was expecting an issue free assembly. |
| It fits, but it takes up just about all the currently free space in the shop. |
I was also a bit disappointed by the relative size. In my one car garage shop, the table is big (64.25"L x 37.5"W) and not really practical to use (as I’d hoped it would be). However, when moved to the drivechoice, it shined. |
The drivechoice is much less then flat. The adjustable feet make it easy to
keep the top of the table flat. They adjust in mere seconds. |
When setup in my very uneven drivechoice, the table was very stable. The adjustable feet meant there was no wobble and I was easily able to adjust any twist out of the top. |
| A full sheet of any sheet good is handled with ease. |
Once I threw a full 4’ x 8’ sheet of ¾” OSB on the table, I knew it was worth it. Since then, I’ve put full sheets, partial sheets and boat loads of PVC trim on the table. Through everything, the table has been absolutely rock solid. No matter what I’ve done with it, I’ve not been able to make it wobble. This was one of my prime concerns and the reason I’ve alchoices stayed achoice from the Festool Multi-Function Tables. I’ve played with MFTs many times in multiple stores, and they alchoices wobble. |
| It handles doors with east too. |
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| Itll handle long boards too (with a touch of support). |
I’ve now had the table for a bit more than 2 months. I’ve found that the table excels as a work surface. I don’t mean to suggest it’ll replace a real work bench, but as a surface to cut, drill and mark pieces and especially as a work surface for general home work (rather than fine woodworking) the Benchmark table is fantastic. If you find yourself needing to set up, breakdown and move your work table the Benchmark is the choice to go.Editors Note:Rusty asked to see photos of the table folded up (which I should have included originally). Thanks for the request, Rusty. Here is the entire photo gallery, including the table folded and in storage.
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| BenchMark Table |
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......offering many advantages:1) Panels are thin and allow to lighten the structure and save wood2) Frame can be jointed by tenon and mortice, a simple and sturdy choice.3) We can add mouldings and raised fields.4) Panels are free of moving in the frame following the humidity changes.But have a close view in the following video:
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A traditional method for frame and panel construction consists in assembling frames using mortise and tenon joints and inserting panels in grooves cut along the perimeter. the job Success heavily depends on an accurate layout and compliance with the various working stages.
For cutting grooves we will choose a plough plane blade with the same width of the chisel we will use to cut the mortises and which is consistent with the panel thickness (1).
The tenons will be cut on the rails and consequently mortises are positioned on the stiles. Establish the length of the stiles and cut them leaving few inches at both ends. This spaces (horns) will be useful to work safely during the mortise cutting and avoid splitting problems (2).
Use the rails to mark their position on the stiles and divide the space according to the scheme shown in the picture (3).
Layout tenons on the rails with a mortise gauge (4): the distance between their shoulders plus the width of the stiles must correspond to final door width. Use the same mortice gauge for tracing mortises on the stiles.
Cut mortises and tenon cheeks first (not yet shoulders) (5-6) and realize the grooves on stiles and rails (7-8).
Cut the tenon shoulders and create the haunch (9), the height of such element being equal to the groove depth.
Dry assemble to check all joints and then glue up. When the glue is dried, cut the horns and insert the door into place (in this case a frame has been added).
Because I was responsible for the entire completed frame, finishing the construction & finishing still meant I had glass, matting & hanging hardware to obtain and install. |
| The finished frame, ready to be accessorized. |
I began with the matting and went to our local Michaels on December 15th. They told me that having them custom cut the matting (as I have alchoices done) would take ten days. Since I had to give the frame as a gift on Christmas Eve I found myself instead buying a piece of matting off the shelf in a similar color. The layout was rather straightforward (I had already figured it out, thinking I was supplying it to Michaels). Trimming the outside of the matting also proved easy, using my 8" shears (every shop should have a giant pair of scissors). What I was really afraid of was cutting out the center of the matting, as I had never before attempted it. Thankfully, it proved easy. I cut the matting using a straight edge clamped over it and a sharp X-acto knife. I started from the corners and worked in, wanting to ensure that I didnt over-cut any of the edges. After a few gentle passes, each side was cut. Three quick reallignments and the matting was cut. I kept the knife plumb in order to make a cut perpendicular to the face of the matting. While I prefer matting that has been cut at a bevel to reveal a narrow white band around the picture, I didnt think I could keep the inside corners clean or the bevel consistent with an X-acto knife. The simple square cut kept it neat. |
| Apparently, I can cut matting. |
For the glass, I did what I alchoices do when I make a frame; I went down to the local hardware store and ordered a piece of 1/8" plate glass, cut to fit.Assembly consisted of washing & installing the plate glass followed by the matting (with the picture taped to the back) and then a simple piece of peg board. I used window glazing points to hold the whole assembly in. I then attached a wire to hang the frame with using #6 x 3/4" pan head screws. |
| The back of the completed frame. |
The last thing I did was install 4 clear plastic self-adhesive feet to the frame. Ive never done that to a frame before, but I dont like it when the top edge of the frame sticks off the wall due to the hanging hardware. I figured that the clear feet would hold the frame evenly off the wall. |
| The completed, assembled frame. |
Hopefully the feet idea will work, and the whole frame will look good in its new home. I gave the frame to my Dad for Christmas and its now hanging at its new home in Greenwich. I havent been up to see it yet, but Ill certainly let everyone know what it looks like in place.The whole Greenwich Frame Saga:The Greenwich Frame, Part I: DesignThe Greenwich Frame, Part II: Fabrication BeginsThe Greenwich Frame, Part III: Plugging Achoice
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