This months shop tour is a bit late, but thats because I got so much done before the since the last tour (and started August with a vacation.
Here we go.
Read More..
Here we go.
Tampilkan postingan dengan label only. Tampilkan semua postingan
Tampilkan postingan dengan label only. Tampilkan semua postingan
Kamis, 17 Maret 2016
Rabu, 16 Maret 2016
My New Workshop
At last I have a workshop to play in! ...
After finally getting the spare room decorated, I have now moved my tools in and made some wood shavings. Tool storage is pretty basic at the moment but I hope to either build a tool chest or wall cabinet at some point.
As you can see from the photo below, the new bench is a nice size for such a small room and fits my needs fine as a beginning wood worker.
As expected, the bench does try to run achoice from me when planing heavily but its not to bad if I butt it against one of the walls and my tools are sharp. Its also too high for planing, although the perfect height for cutting, etc, so I might shorten the legs a little in time to get more weight down over the plane. Well see its early days...
Aside from a bench hook and generally playing around with scraps of wood, this small bedside table is the first thing I have ever made out of wood in my life! All done using hand tools only and no electricity aside from the room lights!
Its made using Half Lap joints from scrap wood (really soft Pine) thrown achoice by the next door neighbour and an old bed headboard, (which I think is African Mahogany) for the top. It took me 3 days to build it (including stripping heavy varnish from the Mahogany) and I have already learnt so much in those three days.
As a logical learning progression, I thought I would start with simple Half Lap joints and then progress on to Mortise & Tennons, Finger Joints and finally Dovetails.
I have some Mahogony offcuts from my boat, bought some pieces of cheap Pine from the timber yard and stock piled some old wood that was destined to be thrown achoice, so expect some more small projects soon.
Jumat, 11 Maret 2016
Not only Stanley Planes
Stanley planes were for sure famous in the world and in their gold era, such a plane really made difference for more than one carpenter and cabinet maker generation. So when the patents expired many plane makers were in the hurry for copying them. Marples and Record in UK, as well as Sargent, Millers Falls, Winchester, Union in US...only looking at most famous. And for imitating Stanley standards, of course was impossible making bad tools. 
Moreover, some tool dealers commit their planes to Stanley. This was the case of Simmons (St. Louis). He since 1866 marked his best made tools "Keen Kutter", a mark kept in use up to 40. I know two Keen Kutter plane series. One has letter K engraved on the plane body and is similar to early Stanley Bedrock planes, the other has engraved letters KK and was like to Sargent planes, and probably made by (I thank Mike Hamilton for giving me more info about Keen Kutter planes). I had an occasion for have a closer look to a K series plane. 
Its a K3 Keen Kutter plane. This plane is of a friend of mine, Ciro, known luthier and skilled user of hand tools. Ciro, knowing my passion for planes, asked me for transforming the K3 in a super smoother , by changing the original blade with a thicker one. In this choice he would be able of planing harder and figured woods. A good occasion for taking some pictures. 
I can say the K plane is very well made with good finish work. Handles are rosewood and all mechanical parts work precisely. Knowing Ciros preferences, I did only a functional recovery, leaving the plane with its lived aspect. The job was easier thank to the very good conditions of this plane.
The blade is a "Two Cherries" tapered blade, having a 4 mm of thickness at cutting edge, far more than an ordinary Stanley type blade.In order to permit to yoke of engaging correctly the chipbreaker hole, I had to elongate its tip by adding sealing material (arc welding) and reshaping.
Sometimes it is necessary to enlarge the plane mouth and/or substitute the chipbreaker screw, but was not the case of this model.
The bed, like Stanley Bedrock planes, slopes toward the mouth; this allows to support the blade at cutting edge in all frog positions and permit the thicker blade insertion without have to file the plane mouth (this was necessary when I had to upgrade Bailey or Record planes).
A bevel (red point in the drawing) was filed on the mouth front inner edge. With a very close mouth (0,2-0,3 mm), this allows to create more room to shavings. 
I prefer to hone a smoother plane blade straight with rounded corners. 
In this case, following Ciros instructions, I added a 10° back bevel, for having a final cutting angle of 55° (45+10). The result was fine. The blade thickness and quality make the difference and I hope this first shavings can satisfy my customer. 
Read More..
Moreover, some tool dealers commit their planes to Stanley. This was the case of Simmons (St. Louis). He since 1866 marked his best made tools "Keen Kutter", a mark kept in use up to 40. I know two Keen Kutter plane series. One has letter K engraved on the plane body and is similar to early Stanley Bedrock planes, the other has engraved letters KK and was like to Sargent planes, and probably made by (I thank Mike Hamilton for giving me more info about Keen Kutter planes). I had an occasion for have a closer look to a K series plane. Its a K3 Keen Kutter plane. This plane is of a friend of mine, Ciro, known luthier and skilled user of hand tools. Ciro, knowing my passion for planes, asked me for transforming the K3 in a super smoother , by changing the original blade with a thicker one. In this choice he would be able of planing harder and figured woods. A good occasion for taking some pictures. I can say the K plane is very well made with good finish work. Handles are rosewood and all mechanical parts work precisely. Knowing Ciros preferences, I did only a functional recovery, leaving the plane with its lived aspect. The job was easier thank to the very good conditions of this plane.
The blade is a "Two Cherries" tapered blade, having a 4 mm of thickness at cutting edge, far more than an ordinary Stanley type blade.In order to permit to yoke of engaging correctly the chipbreaker hole, I had to elongate its tip by adding sealing material (arc welding) and reshaping.Sometimes it is necessary to enlarge the plane mouth and/or substitute the chipbreaker screw, but was not the case of this model.The bed, like Stanley Bedrock planes, slopes toward the mouth; this allows to support the blade at cutting edge in all frog positions and permit the thicker blade insertion without have to file the plane mouth (this was necessary when I had to upgrade Bailey or Record planes).Kamis, 03 Maret 2016
Ghetto WorkCenter Boom Arm Part I The Platform
As my regular ready knows, I have a track saw. Specifically, it’s the Festool TS55. I’m not of the ilk that think a track saw is a table saw replacement, but I do love the saw and use it often.
Typically, when I use the TS55 it is to cut sheet goods which are laid out on my BenchMark portable work table. Though it supports sheet goods, dimensional lumber and allows lots of clamping, the open surface of the BenchMark prevent me from putting the saw down on it (plus then the saw would get in the choice of the work piece). Instead, I found myself putting the saw down on it’s systainer which was alchoices sitting atop my CT22 dust extractor and roughly the same height as the BenchMark.Using the TS55 Systainer as a table to rest the TS55 on between cuts proved very convenient, but I was alchoices very nervous of the saw slipping off. While the TS55 is many things, cheap isn’t one of them. Between the electrical cord, vacuum hose and the systainer being attached to a dust extractor on wheels, I figured it was only a matter of time before I tripped over one of the cords or knocked into the dust extractor. Either accident would send the TS55 straight into the concrete of my drivechoice.The fear of pulling or knocking the TS55 to it’s untimely death got me thinking of the Festool WorkCenter Organizer. It’s a neat organizer of shelves and pegboard and tool holders that Festool created to fit on top of their dust extractors. Though Ive not personally used one, the WorkCenter Organizer seems to be a very well designed accessory, based on Paul-Marcel’s review.
Unfortunately, it’s also a nearly $400 accessory. This was not one of the Festool prices I feel is fully worth it. Rather than spend almost as much as a new TS55, I opted to make my own version.The first step would be to make a platform with a raised lip that would both fit snugly on a systainer and also prevent the TS55 (or any other tool on top) from sliding or falling off the side.Building the platform was simple. I started with a scrap of ½” baltic birch plywood. I laid it on top of the systainer and aligned two (2) sides. Then I marked the other two (2) side locations with pencil. I cut the platform out using the TS55.
To make the lip, I cut out stips of ½” baltic birch on the table saw. I used a stop rule to mark out ½” along the length of the strips. Then, using that line as a reference I clamped them to the platform and screwed them in with #8 stainless steel flat head screws. The stainless was necessary, but I like the aesthetics of it.Once the platform was assembled, I tried it out to discover that it was just a hair too small lengthwise. Rather than start over, I simply unscrewed the lip from one end and shimmed with blue tape. After a few test fittings I had it shimmed just enough to hug the top of the systainer snuggly.
The TS55 fits in the platform wonderfully, and now the only choice I’ll manage to damage the TS55 is if I’m clumsy enough to knock the whole dust extractor / platform / TS55 stack over.Satisfied with the platform, I began to plot out the boom arm.
Read More..
 |
| A great place to put the TS55, provided it doesnt fall off. |
 |
| The Festool WCR 1000 Workcenter Organizer |
 |
| The platform is just the same size as the systainer (or so I thought) |
 |
| Snuggly fit and no choice to slide off |
Kamis, 18 Februari 2016
Power In The Shop Only 5 Years Late
Long time readers may remember some of these photos.
It was in the summer of 2008 that I ripped out the sheet rock, insulation and electric from my shop. Though I had every intention of replacing them all quickly, it was not to be. For years I suffered through a shop that had no insulation and almost no electric. My only shop outlet was a single 15 amp outlet on a circuit shared with the shop lights and the hall in the house.
As the removal of the insulation and electric was part of the first phase of my siding project, their replacement languished as the siding project devolved into a multi-year odyssey. It was my friend, +Aaron Marshall, who finally brought me back to the insulation and electric.
Woodworking in America 2011 occurred during the early days of the Wood Whisperer Guild Split-Top Roubo project. Aaron and I were excited about it and talking about workbenches. I explained to Aaron my intention to build a Roubo/21st Century Workbench hybrid from LVL’s and Timberstrand. Though the great hardware available from the WIA vendors was tempting, Aaron convinced me to make even that from LVL and make my own leg vise.
I left WIA excited about my bench and proceeded to begin work on it right achoice. I had finished the leg vise design by the time the temperature dipped - that’s when I knew the bench had to wait and I began rebuilding the wall.
 |
| My absolute favorite drill for roughing in electrical work. |
Though the rough in of the electric was the first phase, most of the electrical work had to wait until the walls were insulated and sheathed. The insulating work began just after Christmas 2011 and by April of 2012, I was able to begin sheathing the walls. Finally, by April of 2013, the insulation and sheathing work were done and I was able to begin wiring outlets.
 |
| Ready for sheathing. |
I completed the wiring of the 110V outlets on July 10, 2013. After thinking I was done, finding one I forgot, installing it and then connecting a ground that I’d failed to connect, all of the outlets were live and wired properly. I was even able to use the power detector I made in 7th grade technology to test the outlets.
 |
| Theres Power! |
Next time I’m in the shop I won’t be swapping plugs to switch tools or blindly feeling for the circuit breaker when the table saw or planer trips the fuse and the lights go out. I now have 3 dedicated 20V circuits with 16 double gang boxes and one single gang box to choose from.
 |
| So many nice outlets . . . |
 |
| Who wouldnt want to work for this guy? |
That said, hopefully you have the time to take up the opportunity. Fill out the application form on The Wood Whisperer Site here, help Marc out and get more involved.
Kamis, 04 Februari 2016
What Cool Kids Will Be Asking At Woodworking in America
I leave for Woodworking in America 2013 in two (2) days. As you can imagine, my excitement is tempered by the pile of work I have to do between now and then. Given the size of that pile, I was about to write an "Im lame and too busy for a proper post" post. Luckily, Modern Woodworkers Association members have come though and I can write an "Im really busy but this was a quick post to write" post. One that is hopefully also somewhat informative.
We started a tradition last year of asking 5 questions to the woodworkers we met at WIA. Last week I asked for suggestions on 5 more questions. Many of your responded with great questions. Thank you.
After much consideration (and Changing up +Tom Iovinos suggestions) here are the 5 well be asking this year.
Read More..
 |
| No one can escape the 5 questions. |
After much consideration (and Changing up +Tom Iovinos suggestions) here are the 5 well be asking this year.
- What was the first woodworking project you built?
- What was the last woodworking project you built?
- How messy is your shop, right now?
- What is your go-to finish? Why?
- Do you belong to a local woodworking club or guild? Unfortunately, not everyones suggested questions made it in. Hopefully the selected ones will do. If youre dying to ask the question you submitted, hold onto it. Theyll be plenty of time to ask and discuss after hours.
Dont forget about the +Modern Woodworkers Association Podcast. We talk woodworking with Guests from around the world of woodworking every other week. Subscribe to the RSS feed or iTunes today.
Langganan:
Postingan (Atom)
Woodworking Projects and Plans - Powered By Blogger