Sleepydog Wood Shop

Web Site of the Month

sleepydogwoodworking@gmail.com (Joey) — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 19:54:00 +0000

If you do any interior trim or architectural mill work check out Gary Katz Online. there are lots of great information that any woodworker could find useful.

Cabinetmakers Notebook

sleepydogwoodworking@gmail.com (Joey) — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 23:10:00 +0000

I learn a while ago, the hard way I might add to keep notes while I work in the shop. First it was a spiral notebook like the one you get for school. I have three of them now, full of old shop notes, mostly notes and cut list from old jobs I have worked on. I also have a three ring binder that I paste pictures of furniture or other things that catch my eye. I keep sketches of furniture or what ever else that I think will be useful to me when I am working on designing a piece in this folder also.

Last year I found this little notebook that is filled with 1/8" graph paper, its small with a hard cover just the right size to keep in my toolbox. I really like to have this available while I work, mostly because that is when I find I am at my most creative. Its usually when I'm visualizing what I am building that I start coming up other ideas, some of them related to what I am building and some of them not. Having a notebook close by lets me jot those ideas down for a later use. This book is also where I write all my job notes and figure out the layout for cutting plywood so I can get the most yield from a each sheet ply, something I have found that saves me time and material. Having these notes let me reference a piece quickly in case I have to cut another piece for when I screw up. Plus if I get other cabinets the same size I all ready have the cut list. I also keep track of operational times which help me estimate future jobs.

I urge everyone to start keeping a notebook in your tool box and after a while you will find it will becomes a part of your tool kit just like your saw and plane is.

Flute Jouney

sleepydogwoodworking@gmail.com (Joey) — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 21:19:00 +0000

NAF Part 3

sleepydogwoodworking@gmail.com (Joey) — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 03:16:00 +0000

We went over most of the basic steps to get your flute started in my past posts like:
1, Wood section, I like pine or Fir but most woods will work.
2, Tools, a gouge and a block plane will do most of the work, and a coping saw for the bird effigy, or if your making a carved head
3, Dimensions, I like my flute to have a 7/8 bore but 3/4 and 1" will work. The length of the flute depends on the key.

Now here are some tips I would like to share. I drill all my holes before I glue the two pieces together, this lets me sand any splinters away that the drilling creates. I like to sand the inside to a 320 grit this I feel helps improve the sound. I also put 2 or 3 coats of mineral oil on the inside just be careful not to get any on the gluing surface.

Finishing the inside will stops the wood from absorbing moisture as you play it, giving it a more consistence sound. I also use a 1 to 1 glue size on the end grain of the sound block, this is the block that separates the two chambers this help to strengthen that area since its a weak area and its also a end grain that will absorb the moisture from your breath.

Next thing to do is glue the two parts together. I use plenty of clamps and don't over tighten the clamps since you are only gluing a 1/4 surface. I keep mine in the clamps for a whole day, and I use a waterproof glue like Titebond 3. Next you have to decide if you are carving a head on the end of the flute. I carved an eagle on this one. I glue an extra piece of 3/4 x 5 wood to the top.

Next comes the fun part shaping the flute, since I was carving a head I started my planing the sides flat and close to the 1/4" wall thickness, then I drew a out the lines of the eagle.

I used a coping saw to rough out the shape.

Then I planed the flute round. this is the part that most people every fears, but its really easy just watch the direction gain and take your time. You are looking for walls that are about a 1/4 " thick all the way around. If you tap the wood you can almost tell where you need to take off more just by the sound, when you get close its time to sand. I work my way from 100 to 220, and if you are carving now is the time to do most of your carving.

When you get the all the carving and the thickness where you want it, its time to work on the sound. I drill all the holes to a 1/4, then I use a fine file to clean the holes. I file the angle on the reed hole at about a 45* ankle.

Now before the flute will play you will need two more pieces, and they are the nest and the bird, the nest is a veneer that is 3/4 x 3" with a 1/4 x 1 slot cut into it, this lets the air from the first chamber go across the reed hole with the help of the bird, which is a effigy that sits on the nest.

I tie the bird to the flute with a leather cord with the nest under it.

You also need to drill a 1/4 hole in the mouthpiece end of the flute to the 1st chamber, now blow into it and get all the chips out.

When you get everything assembled blow though the mouthpiece and see if you get a sound, you may have to move the bird around a little while you blow to get the first sound, now just keep working it till you are happy with it, this takes a little while so stick with it. If you are planning to put a finish on I suggest a nontoxic one like mineral oil or walnut oil then bluff it with some beeswax.

most times mine play pretty well at this point, but if you are musical you might want to adjust the scale by filing the key holes till you match the scale.

I hope you enjoyed this project and if you have any questions please contact me and I will help anyway I can.

Joey

Krylon Spray Stain

sleepydogwoodworking@gmail.com (Joey) — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 02:31:00 +0000

Recently I was asked to review Krylon’s new line of outdoor wood stain and sealer with a UV protector in a 12 OZ spray can. I was more than happy to test this new product.

I worked in shop back in early 90s that sprayed their stain on 75% of their work. I wonder why more shops didn’t do this; it certainly speeded up that part of the finishing process and with the right person behind the spray gun gave great results. The only problem is the process demands an outlay of money and a little time to master the technique to get setup to spray stain, and not all stains work well when sprayed. This is why most hobbyist and small shops don’t get involved with the spraying their stains.

Krylon to the rescue; Krylon has come out with a stain in their standard spray cans that will let anyone spray stain without all the hassles. I tried their product this afternoon and I can tell you, I really liked it. I made a small table for my porch out of some old 2 x 4s I had and then mounted it on a base that I made a few years ago. I was a little worried about the end gain absorbing the stain and appearing darker so I put a coat of diluted sealer on them. I sanded the top with some 100 grit on my sander. Then I sprayed a light coat on the top, starting with the edges. The can sprayed nice with its 360 adjustable nozzle that lets you change from a vertical to a horizontal flow. After I laid down a thin coat I wiped it off with a clean rag. The color was a little lighter then I was wanting and uneven. I should point out that I did not seal the top just the end gains on the edges. I let this coat dry for about an hour then I spray a second coat on this time I didn’t wipe off the stain I just let it dry, doing this gave me a nice even color across the whole top without hiding the grain pattern. I left it to dry for couple of hours then checked on it and still a little tacky to the touch.

My thoughts on this product, it’s easy to use and it will give you good results. I can see a lot of week end handy people using this along with crafters. It sprayed a nice even coat with no spitting and flowed nicely. Iit will save you time. I think just the time I spent staining the top without the time I waited for it to dry was about 6 minutes that includes clean up. That in its self is motivation to use it.

My only complains about the product is it only comes in a limited amount of colors for outdoor projects. I would love to see them come out with a line of indoor stains and more colors, maybe even some primary colors like red, blue, and green stains.

I plan useing this product on future projects, I have some outdoor chairs I need to build, and a trellis that needs stained and this product will be perfect for the job. So if you have some outdoor projects that you are planning give Krylon’s new stain a try, I am sure you will be pleased.

Joey

Woodworking Tip (Homemade Scraper)

sleepydogwoodworking@gmail.com (Joey) — Mon, 25 May 2009 23:48:00 +0000

I have made my own scrapers for a long time, all you need is a saw plate. I find them all the time at the flea market for a buck or two.

I used a roto zip with a metal cut off wheel to cut them, But I have cut them with a file or a hack saw. I like saw plate because most are made of good steel.

The larger of the three I will grind to fit a molding that I need the smaller one is for the insides of my flutes I make, and the last one I will make a sq scraper out of. Normally, I get a few more scrapers out of a saw, but I am going to use the shorten end of the saw to make a handsaw that will fit my grandson, since most are way to big for his little hand.

Lie Nelson Tool Event Cincinnati, Ohio

sleepydogwoodworking@gmail.com (Joey) — Sun, 17 May 2009 23:15:00 +0000

Sunday as you walked though the F&S Publications front door the first think that greeted you was this wonderful Demi Loom table with it wonerful inlay work. This was a display from the Society of American Period Furniture Makers or the SAPFM for short. Although I didn't get a chance to chat with the gentlemen at the booth because he was pretty busy with a group of men but I did get to talk to a very nice lady who was giving a demonstration on prepping satinwood stringing for inlay like the one in the photo below.

The guys at Pop Woodworkers had plenty of booths presenting lots of great information, along with the planes Lie Nelson had on display I was in tool heaven. This is great because I'm one of those kind of guys that needs to see and hold what I am buying, that is one reason I don't buy a lot off the Internet unless it is something that I have had a chance to check out. I got to hold all the tools I have been wanting to buy from the catalog and this in turn has caused me to reconsider a couple of them for another tool, mainly because of feel and fit.

I didn't really buy much, but I did pick up a couple of marking knife kits from Czeck Edge Tools one for my self, and one to make for a gift.
One of the best parts of the day was meeting and talking to Jameel from Benchcraft what a nice guy I really enjoyed talking to him. and his product is top notch I don't think there is any better on the market.

Another nice guy is Ron Hock from Hock Tools we talked for a little while and I got a couple of balsa airplanes from him for my grandsons. I do plan on ordering some new irons for a #6 and a # 3 Stanley from him later this year. Chris was showing his little girl how to plane wood in the fore ground at Ron's booth.
A big surprise was Bob giving pointers on low flow toilets in the men's rest room. I don't know where they had Norm hiding, maybe he was in the ladies room, who knows?

All in all it was a nice event for me and my wife. She wants to learn how to do inlay now so that's cool. I got to talk to a couple of the guys from the magazine and sneak a peek at Megan's LVL bench, talked to Glen Drake again he was great as always I really love his tools they are well made and comfortable.

I hope they do this again next year and maybe I'll have a little more time and money..
Be sure to check out Big Dave's Woodworking for his take on the event.

Joey

Flute Construction

sleepydogwoodworking@gmail.com (Joey) — Fri, 15 May 2009 21:51:00 +0000

This is a drawing of the lay out for the holes that need to be drilled. Pick the key that you would like your flute to play and follow that lay out. I drill my holes before I glue the two sections together, but I drill them under size then I enlarged the holes until I get the flute tuned.

One of the best resource I found online is a yahoo group called Native American Flute Woodworking

The craftsmen and women in this group have gotten flute construction down to a science. There is a wealth of information on the site that would take a forever for me to get across on my blog, so if you are serious about making a flute give this group a try, they are a bunch of friendly helpful guys that loves all things flutes.

My next post will have the finished flute with more construction details, and if I can swing it a recording of the flute.

Sorry about taking so long I have had both computer and camera troubles, but I have everything almost back to normal.

Safety First You Never Who's Watching

sleepydogwoodworking@gmail.com (Joey) — Wed, 06 May 2009 18:02:00 +0000

Lot of you guys have little people that come into your shops with you. They are like little DVRs recording all you do, so always set a good example of how to do things. Safety first all the time and they will work safe as they grow up without even thinking about it.

My Worst Woodworking Accident

sleepydogwoodworking@gmail.com (Joey) — Tue, 05 May 2009 15:44:00 +0000

When you do woodworking and carpentry for a living you live with the knowledge that you can be seriously hurt at any time if you aren't careful. Sometimes the pressure of getting work out the door or getting the house done on time can sometimes cloud your focus on safety, and when it doe's you could end up paying for that lack of focus. This is the story of my lack of focus and it resulted in the worst injury I got in my woodworking career.

It was about 4 pm and I was trying to finish up the base in the last bedroom of this 5 bedroom house I was doing the trim work on, I had already placed all the long walls with base and was filling the short pieces between the walls and the castings, I just back mitered the last piece and was coping the cut. when I lost my grip on the base and sliced into my thumb with my coping saw. It went through the skin and cut into the knuckle of my thumb very deeply,

I had to go the hospital and I ended up have surgery to repair the damage I did. the injury took a long time to heal and I still have problems with that thumb.

My point to this story is all tools are dangerous and should be used with care. I never in my life would expected getting should a bad injury from something that seems as harmless as a coping saw, but I did.

So keep your tools sharp and your eye on safety even sharper and be safe while working and enjoy the work.

Joey

Woodworking Tip

sleepydogwoodworking@gmail.com (Joey) — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 17:00:00 +0000

If you are like me you use a assortment of glues and solvents around your shop on a daily basis. I like to keep mine in a smaller easier to use squirt bottle that I picked up from the grocery store. I think I got mine at Walmarts for a buck or so, but they sell them all over. They come in a couple of sizes and have a small nozzle that lets you control where you put the fluids. I keep lacquer thinner and mineral spirits in there own bottle, glue in another, and I keep a couple around for wiping varnish and oil finishes. I find these keep their contents cleaner and they are always handy for when I need them rather than fumbling with a larger can or bottle.

Joey

Flute Project, part one

sleepydogwoodworking@gmail.com (Joey) — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 21:37:00 +0000

The first thing you need to think about when making a flute is what type of wood you would like to use. This is an important consideration because the type of wood you choose will dictate the sound of the finished flute. You also need to keep in mind the tools you are going to use, hand tools or power tools. Softwood like pine or fir makes a mellower sound and is easy to work with hand tools, while hard woods like walnut have a sharper sound and is easier to construct with router. Out of all the flute I have made, fir is my #1 chooses for the sound.

To start, I use a ¾ inch thick piece about 24 inches long 1 ½ inch wide, unless I plan to carve a birds head on the end then I go with a 30 inch piece. If I am using a gouge to rough out the inside I like a wider piece of wood so I can carve both sides at the same time, usually 3 1/4” or a little wider works fine.

First I lay out the two chambers as you can see in the picture. The flute has a 1 inch ID and 1 3/8 OD. So I start by laying out a line ¼ inch from the edge, then I scribe a line 1 ¼ inch, this will give me a 1 inch inside chamber, Then I start removing the waste between the two lines. I use a gouge the scoop out wood in a half round shape to a ½ inch depth so that when the two pieces are glued together it will be a 1 inch round chamber, there is a ½ inch block about 7 ½ inches from the end and then another smaller chamber this section is the mouth piece. This is an air diverter that redirects the air out of a hole on the mouth piece side and then across another hole in the long chamber this is what makes the sound. Try to get the inside chamber as round as possible as you gouge the wood out. The sand it as smooth as you can this helps a lot with the sound.

Those who don’t want to do this project by hand can use a router with a 7/8 inch cove cutter to route out the two chambers, then you can go back and clean things up with a chisel. Be careful not to cut though the block. I normally do this on a router table.

When both sides are dished out and it is all smooth I like to drill my air holes and the scale holes. I drill the sound holes with a ¼ drill and the scale holes with a 3/16” drill. I do it this way so I can clean up any tear out. After the two sides are glued together I enlarge the sound holes with a round file to match the scale or in my case, what sounds good to me.

Native American Flute Project

sleepydogwoodworking@gmail.com (Joey) — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 23:13:00 +0000

Every time I make a flute for myself I end giving it away. I will enjoy them for a while then someone always seems to talk me out it. In this case it was my son, he wanted to give a way as a gift to a friend in Oregon who's house he was staying at while he worked. I have been without a flute now for a couple of month and I figured it was time to make myself a new one. The flute in the picture is one I managed to hang on too for a couple years.

I plan on posting instruction and pic's of the process. I use mostly hand tools for the work, but I will show how to use a router and router jig that I made to increase production when I need to build more than one.

Woodworking Tip

sleepydogwoodworking@gmail.com (Joey) — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 18:13:00 +0000

Most people have a dull belt sander belt laying around the shop. I use them to make sanding blocks. For a 3 x 21 belt cut a piece of wood 3" x 19 7/8", I like MDF, because it is hard and stable, plywood works good also. I round the corners on the ends of mine, but I have some that I use a 22* angle on one end. after you get the wood cut just slip the belt over the wood and presto instanced sanding block. The dull belts last a long time and work great for hand work even though there to dull for the belt sander.

I'm Learning to be a Better Furniture Designer (Intro)

sleepydogwoodworking@gmail.com (Joey) — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 23:41:00 +0000

This year I plan to learn more about the designers of the antique furniture that is so coveted by everyone, and try to figure what it is about their pieces beside there fine workmanship that draws people to them, and if they can help me learn to design better myself, I know this has been done by many people before me, but it has to be a personal journey for me to learn and not something that I read on a website. I hope that by studying the history of furniture designers it will give me a more refined eye for details, proportions, and balance. I also want to learn how to use material better as a feature in my designs, like more exposed joinery, veneers, and making it all flow together better. By taking this little trip through time I hope to get to a better understanding of their designs and a better appreciation for them.

Designing for me has never been the easiest or most enjoyable part of woodworking. That’s why I became a tradesman instead of a designer. I get ideas all the time for furniture, but I struggle to get them from the brain bucket to the bench. Honestly ideas always seem to come easier to me when the wood is in my hand and I am in the thick of the project, rather than when I am sitting at my desk trying to rack out the detail of the piece. A friend of mine who is an interior designer says I’m putting the cart in front of the horse, and if I take the time to improve my own designing abilities, and knowledge I will notice a huge improvement in my work. I really can’t argue with him, but I think for many of the craftsmen I know it is the natural process to design on the fly. The problem I think comes from the fact that design was not something that I was taught during my woodworking education.

To improve, I think I need to understand how I design. First I’ll need to pick the process apart into its elements, then pick each element apart to see what I can improve on, seek out the knowledge that will help me improve, implement what I am learning, test the new skills to see if they produce results, and then do the whole thing all over again until I am satisfied with my designing skills.

Right now this is how I would design a normal small piece of furniture

1, Get an idea
2, Draw many sketches until I have something I like (brainstorming)
3, Make a shop drawing (without details) 3 view, and prospective
4, Make a cut list
5, Make a story stick and full size patterns if it is a piece that I plan on reproducing.

I always fine that I will start getting ideas about the details as the piece starts going together, but this sometimes make me wish that I would have done one or more things different at the start like used a different style of leg or wood type, an by doing so would of taken a nice piece to great piece.

So let the journey begin, first stop England, to get to know Thomas Chippendale, which I will talk about in my next design blog

Joey

Finshed Scraper Plane

sleepydogwoodworking@gmail.com (Joey) — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 23:53:00 +0000

Scrap maple Curve in the front block Layout before the glue up

Glued and rough shaped with the wedge and scraper

It makes fine shavings. Water damage on some Walnut burl veneer just perfect for this scraper

Few passes and it's all cleaned up, and @ $63 for 4 sq ft you don't want to sand or plane through it.

Scraper plane all finished shaped and sanded and ready for use

I just put the first coat of an oil finish on it, and it looks great. it make fine shaving with very little effort. I think I will make another one maybe a cove scraper I really hate scraping cove rail.

Peace Everyone
Joey

My Woodworking Goals for 2009

sleepydogwoodworking@gmail.com (Joey) — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 18:03:00 +0000

I decided to set some personal goals for myself this year, and I want to put them down on the recorder for future references.
So here they are.
1, Is to learn more about the history of the furniture designers that have influenced how we think about furniture today.
2, Develop more of my hand tool skills, not that I will ever be a total galoot, but I do enjoy working that way at times.
3, To improve my furniture finishing skills. I would like to learn more on furniture finishes techniques from fuming to french polishing.
4, I want to build a nice tool cabinet or tool containment system as I am now calling it.
5, last I want to build a bench I can use personally at home to do hand tool work and craving on .

This don't sound to daunting, but on top of this I am still trying to open my own shop. and go back to school. All this and trying not to end up living in a tent city with all the other out of work carpenters out there.

Joey

Homemade Wooden Scraper Plane

sleepydogwoodworking@gmail.com (Joey) — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 23:57:00 +0000

Winters been long and without a shop, or a job to keep me busy I have had a lot of time to revisit all the woodworking magazine and books that I own. not to long ago on one of my sleepless night I ran across a article in a Fine Woodworking book on Proven Shop Tips by Jim Richey based on their methods of work section of their magazine. It was an article on a home made wooden scraper plane by Brady C Blake from Redwood Miss, and based on his ideas I came up with a version of my own,

I plan on using one of my old scrapers on its side, so the plane body will need be 3" wide to accommodate the 2 1/2 " scraper blade. I laminated it out of two pieces of 1 3/4" maple scrap that I have been saving just for such an occasion. I first cut two chunks wood to 3" by 12" and cleaned them up with my favorite #4 plane, and then glued them up in to a blank, then I sliced two 3/8" pieces off of each side.

The front of the throat needs to be cut at a 45 degree angle with a small 45 cut at the bottom, this is a exit for shavings. then a conclave that is about 1/32 for the 2 1/2" width, needs to rasped into the block, the wedge needs to match this conclave. this will bow the scraper blade and that is what makes it cut. the rear section of the throat is cut at 30 degree.

The blade needs to ground on a 45 degree, and honed as you would a plane iron.

The rest is just shaping the plane so it is comfortable to use and pleasant to look at, I thought about putting a handle on it, but I really think just a rounding it over will be comfortable to use. if not I can upgrade on my next one.

I use a scraper a lot and I am really looking forward to finishing and using this plane. I have been looking for a scraper plane for some time at the flea markets, not wanting to pay the $200 for one of the high end ones on the market, although it would be the one plane I think I would get my money out of.

Back Online

sleepydogwoodworking@gmail.com (Joey) — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 16:28:00 +0000

This is just a brief post to let people know I'm back online. Had some trouble when the hurricane came through Ohio, lost my job and some tools. our building lost its roof and the car got banged up from a flying shed. but we are trying to get thing back to normal. we are just now getting back online because it was lowest on the list. I have managed to do a little woodworking during this time, I finished my table and refinished a lane chest, picked a good deal on lumber at an action, and I will be writing about all of this in the weeks to come.
Good luck everyone
Joey

One of my Carpenter Hero's (A Short Story)

sleepydogwoodworking@gmail.com (Joey) — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 12:07:00 +0000

(Disclosure) This is a story that I wrote about a man I knew when I was a younger carpenter. I changed the names and colored some details so in that sense you can call it fiction. I would like to say sorry if my writing, spelling, or grammar is not the greatest, I am not a writer I’m a husband, a father, a grandfather, a story teller and a carpenter. Not a writer. I am compelled to write lately with the hopes of preserving some my stories for future grandchildren that I might never get the chance to tell in person. Thank you for reading my story and I hope you enjoy it for what it is.

Joey

I met Stump, who was a carpenter and a woodworker years go at a flea market, although he didn’t like to be called “a woodworker”. He was at an outside booth by his self in the middle of the parking lot away from the rest of the outside vender's, where he sold his furniture without the distraction of the other booths. He was an older gentleman with long straw like brown hair, streak with gray tied back in a pony tail, he wore old blue denim overalls a sleeveless T shirt and he had a tattoo on his right arm that I saw right away, it was the Army’s jump wings with the words “De Oppresso Libra LRRP Vietnam 1967” around it. I recognized the Latin motto and knew it meant to free the oppressed.

I knew aright away I wanted to talk to this man. So I waited while he was engaged with another customer. I heard him telling the lady how he finds old barns and buys the wood for all his “stuff” as he referred to it, that he makes. Then I heard him say, “That, in away makes all my stuff already antiques”, I laughed, not because I disagree with him, but by the masterful way he was shoveling the bullshit. He was smooth and had the gift of gap, and the lady she was taking it all in like she had one those, big double wheeled wheelbarrow, the high volume kind, that nobody, but the young men on a crew wants to push around a job site. The lady bought two pieces from him while I watched.

After their transaction he turned to me and asked “what can I do you out of”, and smiled. I asked him “what group did you served with”. I saw the smile leave his face and I knew in that second where his mind went. He looked at me and said the 7^th how about you, I told him, and then I flipped him my coin, he looked at it, smiled and knew I was telling him the truth. In that one moments exchange of two dozen words we became friend, more than friends we were brothers in arms. We both knew, we have seen and done things that where best not talked about, and there really wasn’t any need to talk about it, because it was in the pass and we each had the devil to pay for them deeds. He handed me back my coin and said I owe you a drink, I told I would take a coke if he had one, he said “Pepsi” and I said “cool”, he handed me a can out of his cooler. My wife just looked at me dumbfounded with no clue to what just happened.

The man held out his hand and said the names Neil, “but everyone calls me Stump”. I didn’t ask why, after all there were women and children around and I could just imagine all kinds of explanations for that name, none of them wholesome. I shuck his hand and told him my name. I then ask him if he was a woodworker, or a carpenter, he gave me a wicked little smile and then loudly said for everyone to hear “hell no I ain’t no woodworker; I’m an artist, and wood is my medium” then he laughed, he had one of those laughs that when you hear it you just have to laugh with him even if you don’t know what hell you were are laughing at. Then he quietly explained to me that if he called himself an artist people seem to buy his stuff at a higher price, but if they think he’s a woodwork they just seem to want to pick his brain and steal his ideas, then go home with the intentions of building it themselves, although many would never even try.

Stump’s furniture was tight, and he was right, he was an artist. I was impressed with the quality of his pieces. You could tell at a glance he loved what he did, and put his pride on the line with every piece he builds. Like the way his shelves were all secured in a dovetail dado, or the half lapped miters joints on his doors, all well made, simple and strong. I really like the way he smooth down the rough wood but still left all the flaws and character in it, and how he sand blasted scenes in the door panels with small cut out and colored glass let in from behind. He even made all the pulls for his cabinets and hand carved little oak leaves in them. If the age of the wood didn’t make his work antiques, the construction of each piece that I saw certainly had potential to last enough years to truly be called an antique.

Stump and I talked for a good half hour about family, wood, carpentry, and tools. In that time I saw that Stump had a patina like the wood he used to build his furniture, he was sun bleached and rough with smoothness that only time and life can give someone, this man had history just like the wood, he had stories and I wanted to hear them. He gave me his card and I gave him mine, and he told me he would like to visit my shop, and said “then we can have us a proper sit down pow-wow without distractions”. I told him I’m looking forward to it and said goodbye, and he told me to “watch my six” and said “always”.

It wasn’t a week, before I would look up from applying sand sealer on some cabinets I build to see Stump, standing in the door way of my shop grinning from ear to ear watching me.

I am always amazed at how our shared experiences can bond us to other people, how two people can come together because of them experiences, or the type of work they do and become friends in an instance. That’s what Stump and I did, ready to except each other as a friend even without knowing all the hidden faults, quirks, or other misaligned deviant traits we might each have, and we all know it’s good to have friends.

Back To Being A Carpenter

sleepydogwoodworking@gmail.com (Joey) — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 16:44:00 +0000

Well, I'm throwing in the hobbyist badge and going back to woodworking full time. I have tried other jobs like working in a factory and working with computers, but I just can't let go of my love for the craft to just do it part time. After 25 years of working and learning! it's really all I know and every thing else I try to do always seem to relates back to it. Being a carpenter is more than an occupation, it's a force in one's life. I learned much of what I know about being a man on a job site. Like respect, patience, fulfillment, honor, and rewards for one's hard work. Most of my hero's are old carpenters and, I hope I am at lease, for a couple of young men their hero's for the skills I have passed on to them. I know what I'm doing is not fine woodworking, but it makes me happy to have the chance to do it again. I have been a carpenter for many years now and with luck I will continue, even if I am not working as carpenter, I will also be a carpenter in my own mind, because I am a carpenter.

Help With The Table

sleepydogwoodworking@gmail.com (Joey) — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 03:29:00 +0000

Well, I made some progress on my table this week. My little shop helper spent some time with me this week and he just had to get into the action by doing a little sanding on the table top, he loves working with me on projects and I can’t wait until he a little older. This little guy even like to sit and watch The New Yankee Workshop with me and loves to point out the router when ever he see one on the show. Router was one of the first words he spoke, and it was one of those funny moments that can only be pulled off by a kid. His mother was trying to get him to say ball, she would say “ball, ball”, and he looked at me then smiled and proudly said “router” I cracked up laughing and again his mom would say “ball” and again he would say “router”. My daughter looked at me and said “see what you have done to my son”, I just said oh well.

I did get the top flat and fixed to the base. I don’t have a circle cutting jig for my router and have had an idea for one for a long time, so I made a prototype and if it works out I will make myself one out of ¼ aluminum plate, I like using aluminum for these type fixtures

I also got the artwork done for the medallion that will grace the center of the table I ended up drawing a Celtic design, I think it will go better that the wildlife montage that I designed I still want to do the wildlife scene, but maybe in stain glass, or intarsia, or a combination of the two, its something I been thinking about for a while a combination of wood and glass. Anyway back to the Celtic medallion I am thinking about chip carving it which will be something I don’t have a lot of experience doing, so this will be a fun challenge. When I get that done I will give it a nice oil finish with some painted details and a half round edge. A couple of people in the apartments have asked about the table since its setting outside on the porch where I do my messy works, and one even asked if I was planning on selling it. We’ll see

Table Tales Part 3

sleepydogwoodworking@gmail.com (Joey) — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 18:54:00 +0000

This week I feel I made some real progress on my table. I got end boards glued over the sliding dovetail cleats so they are captured in the table now. This gives me away to fasten to top to the base and still let it move freely, a real problem with using a solid top with this kind of a base. Friday I roughly planed it flat and will finish that up after everything is fastened down. Today I got out my jig saw and cut the excess off of the circle so that later this week when I route it I don’t have all that waste to deal with, this also makes the top easier to deal with. I have been knocking around the idea of banding the top in a contrasting wood but I am not sure yet, I have to studying on a bit, because of the problems of the wood movement.

I am however going to add some art work to center of the table. I plan on doing an inlay of one of two designs I did a while ago I am not sure which one I’ll pick. I used one of them on a drum, no actually I used both on drums I made and painted. Both designs will be challenging and will take me a while, so I plan on putting a sealer coat on the top while I work on the inlays then I will do the finial finishing that way we can use the table.

The table sits well and is just the right size for our small apt and I most admit is better that them cheap ones we looked at, and at this point has only cost us about $4.69 so its certainly been a bargain. When I am done with inlay it will be a one of a kind and original sleepydog along with two dogs that will spend many hours under there hoping for some yummy treats from their well trained humans.

One Mans Trash is Anothers Table Pt2

sleepydogwoodworking@gmail.com (Joey) — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 18:04:00 +0000

My table top is coming along nicely, slower than I am use to progressing on a project like this but I’m not complaining I am getting back in touch with why I love woodworking. Normally I would of none a small top like this one in a day or so with some other work squeezed in between the drying time for the glue up. But since I have no shop, and I’m doing the work with hand tools, and some hand held power tools in the living room of my apartment and in the front yard when it’s not raining, it is taking me a bit longer, which is alright with me, I’m enjoying myself.

I really forgot how nice it is to run a sharp plane over a board and hear that crisp sound of iron slicing wood, and the smell, oh the smell of fresh pine filling my nose without the distraction of grease in the air. Yes I am falling in love with woodworking again. Working with hand tools sometimes make me feel like I am a rookie again and you know what? I like that. It makes me have to stop and think before I do things, and plan more than I did when I was working with my machines. I was a good cabinetmaker but it’s a lot like being a grunt in the Army, you build what you’re told, when you’re told, and you get very little opportunity to put anything of yourself into your work. I still loved it though, same with owning my own shop. But now doing work for my wife and myself I can put 100% of me into the piece’s I build and that has me excited.

When I first gave up on the idea of have a working shop again I was more than I little depressed and I wasn’t sure I wanted to even do woodworking anymore, but I kept cleaning and sharpening my tools I even picked up some treasured planes and saws that my wife would show me when we went to the flea market or yard sales. Even us picking up that table base and her gloating me into making a top for her was her way of getting me back on the horse, so to speak. Then she said something to me that really hit home she told me that “an artist and a woodworker is what you are not what you do” that’s when I realized I don’t have to make money with my woodworking to be a woodworker and if in the future I get the chance to have working shop, that will be great, but if I don’t, I still have my wife and daughter, who both have honey do list longer than I have time to complete, and I am sure it will grow as time goes by. Now I just need to decide what’s next in my life, the wife and I are thinking about truck driving, so stay tune.

My Plane Obsession

sleepydogwoodworking@gmail.com (Joey) — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 15:03:00 +0000

A few months ago I decide to add a few planes to my tool box. so I started looking around at yard sales and the flea market. I even mentioned to some family members that if they saw any metal planes at any yard sales they should pick them up for me, just don't pay a lot of money on them. I figured if they did buy something I couldn't use I could still save some parts from the plane. well after two months I added 15 planes to the 3 I already owned. I bought a Stanly #6 at a flea market for $20 and a #3 for $14 both in good shape. but the best deal my Son in law and daughter picked up at a yard sale was a box that had 10 planes in it for $40. In this box was a Lee Nielson block plane and a nice Stanly #51/4 and a Fowler #5 that was in pretty bad shape. and some other assorted block planes including an older Stanly block plane. I sharpened and cleaned most of the planes now. and have picked my favorites or at lease the ones I plan on keeping. the others I plan on past on to my grandsons .I thought about keeping the Lee Nielson block plane but to be honest I like my old Stanly better, I think it's just I have had it for 20 years and its like an old friend, but not to worry I plan on gifting the Lee to my father in law for his retirement gift along with a nice #4 smoother and a few hand saw that I have redone . now if could just find me a nice scraper plane at a yard sale?