~ the love of wood ~

Upcoming Event: Sturt Handtool Weekend

noreply@blogger.com (Daniel) — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 05:38:00 +0000

Tools & Techniques Weekend 18-19 February 2012 Sturt School for Wood will host a weekend of TOOLS & TECHNIQUES featuring many of Australia's finest tool makers: HNT Gordon Classic Plane Maker, Colen Clenton, Harold & Saxon Chisels, Micheal Connor Woodwork, Paul Nicholson, Jim Davey, Japanese Tools and more offering you the opportunity to discuss, try and buy their beautifully crafted tools. Plus specialist demonstrations on a range of woodworking techniques presented by Sturt's experienced teachers. FREE Admission and Parking. 10:00am - 4:00pm both days. Food & drinks available on site.
Demonstrations On Saturday: 10.30 David Upfill-Brown - sharpening carving tools and relief carving 12.00 Jeff Phillips - mortise & tenon joints 2.30 Phoebe Everill - steambending for Shaker boxes
On Sunday: 10.30 Daryl Ingate - sharpening chisels and plane blades 12.00 Stuart Faulkner - selecting, joining and pressing veneers 2.30 Paul Nicholson - cutting dovetail joints

The State of the Nation

noreply@blogger.com (Daniel) — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 05:36:00 +0000

It seems to be getting longer between blog post nowadays. Which sadly reflects longer time between woodworking endeavours.

I found myself today doing a little tidying. (What's scarier is that photos are post tidying.)

The lectern project still sits on the bench untouched for 6 months. The bunk to match the pine bed is stacked against the wall. The tools boxes are overflowing and in need of re-organisation. The timber unsorted. The planner blades need sharpening (but at least now they are removed and ready.) The dusty now containing shavings from projects I made for Christmas 2009. The steel bins full but scraps still on the floor.

The Little Ted Approval

noreply@blogger.com (Daniel) — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 07:44:00 +0000

This morning I was able to install the finished bed restoration project. It was a simple but time time-consuming project. I took the simple pine bed that I had as a child and refined it slightly for my own child.

With the three coats of varnish dry it was time to install - with resulting clapping and 'hoorays' from the receiving toddler. The details for those interested. Sanded to 320 with ROS and hand. Then thinned dewaxed shellac. Then feast watson liming solution. Then feast watson satin proof x 3.

The room re-arranged and the bed installed.

An approving little ted.

Sanding, Liming, Finishing.

noreply@blogger.com (Daniel) — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 21:37:00 +0000

A quick update on the Bed Restoration Project. The simple radiata pine was sanded back 120, 180, 240, 300 with random orbit and the round over by hand. The timber then sealed with shellac and sanded again.

I chose a finish to match the Shaker Toy Chests. I'm using the same liming agent which is applied then wiped off the make the white shade. Then I'm using the thicker/ tougher feast watson satin varnish rather than the minwax poly which although nice to apply dented easily on the toy chest.

One day I'll clean up the shed...

Boxing Day Salad on a Lazy Larry Board

noreply@blogger.com (Daniel) — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 00:20:00 +0000

This Christmas I gave away a custom made end grain chopping board from Larry at Lazy Larry Woodworks. This is the fourth board I've purchased from Larry. It is a solid Australian made product and once again delivery was on time.

The board is 400 x 460 x ~30mm in size. Formed from Australian timbers Melaluca, Acacia, and Mango. And made in the 'Double Step' design. The wood fibres are arranged vertically resulting in the 'end grain' surface. Not only is this more decorative and stable, but it is also gentler on the knifes as the fibres will split around the blade.

For more information check out Larry's website or email him directly.

Merry Christmas

noreply@blogger.com (Daniel) — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 02:19:00 +0000

Christmas in Australia is a great celebration. It’s a time to remember the year gone by, a time of rest, a time to eat lavishly, a time to decorate the office and home, and a time for friends and family.

Christmas traditions have a rich and eclectic history. Our modern plump and generous Santa stems from legends of Saint Nicholas, the fourth century Turkish bishop. The plastic Christmas tree that fills our lounge room is inspired by a sixteenth century German tradition. And elves… actually I don’t know how elves fit into it.

In our family, at Christmas we celebrate the birth of Jesus. We remember that God entrusted a young faithful mother with bringing Him into the world. And we are mindful that He did not remain a baby in a manger, but grew up to teach of God’s love and purpose, and to fulfil His mission as the one who would bear the punishment for humanity’s rejection of God.

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. – Isaiah 9:6.

Henry Eckert: New Australian based Tool Merchant

noreply@blogger.com (Daniel) — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 04:08:00 +0000

Just a quick heads up on a new Australian Tool Company. Henry Eckert: Merchant is based in South Australia as a sister company to the Australian distributors of Lie Nielson Toolworks. Worth checking out.

I managed to pick up two Lost Art Press books, and now just have to wait for the posty.

A cracking bad time...

noreply@blogger.com (Daniel) — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 01:49:00 +0000

When people see my anniversary table the curved trestle legs attract the most questions and comments. Based on old Shaker design its slender form allows foot room for people sitting on the ends.

The first table I built of this design had a heavier set form made of a single piece of blackbutt. Other woodworkers often commented that it would be weak in the ankles. Pivoting forces applied across a relatively short piece of horizontal grain would cause fracture. (Btw. it never has.)

To correct this problem the new design is made of two pieces of timber angled such that the long grain is parallel to the ankles making the ankles much stronger. The two pieces are joined by a sliding dovetail and then two through tenons from the centre piece. (Details here.)

However, as you can see there are some cracks forming. The sliding dovetail edges are short grain and relatively thin. To fix this I'll pry it gently open and fill with epoxy. However, next time we'll need a better design. Ultimately bent laminations later shaped will replace this design.

Shaker Box #2

noreply@blogger.com (Daniel) — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 22:44:00 +0000

The toy box itself was completed prior to Christmas 2010. However, it wasn’t until last week that the soft down flap stay was installed completing the project and making it toddler safe.

There’s a few differences between Box #1 and #2. 1# has a variable resistance gas strut rather than the soft down flap. 2# has dovetailed skirting boards and has been limed.

Timber: Radiata Pine. Dimensions: 800×400×480mm. Glue: Titebond III Joinery: Various, Dovetailed, Tongue & Groove, Stepped Panel and Frame. Finish: Feast Watson Liming Agent, Minwax Wipe on Poly Matte, Ubeaut Natural Wax. Hardware: Zinc piano hinge (sourced from Bunnings), and soft down flap stay. (sourced from Lee Valley.)

Tasmanian Timbers Clock Complete

noreply@blogger.com (Daniel) — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 21:46:00 +0000

Tasmanian Timbers Clock

Timbers: Panels Huon Pine, Case Blackheart Sassafras, Inlay Sassafras and Ebony.

Joinery: Mitred Hand Cut Dovetails. Glue: Epoxy for the case. Hide for the panel.
Movement: Continuous Sweep from Let's Make Time Clock Company
Finish: ROS Sanded to 240. Shellac. Organoil (Tung Oil).

New Project: Bed Restoration

noreply@blogger.com (Daniel) — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 00:12:00 +0000

It may not be my most creative project but the bed restoration will certainly be useful. These pictures show one half of the bunks I slept on as a child. Now recovered from under my parents house it needs a little work. The restoration shouldn't be too bad. The plan will be to sand back to thin varnish (and thicknessner marks), sand and round the rough routing work, lime (similar to a white stain) to match the toy chest, and apply a fresh varnish layer. Hopefully it will prove to be a simple project.

Sneak Peak: Tasmanian Clock

noreply@blogger.com (Daniel) — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 00:07:00 +0000

After a quick sand I applied the second and final layer of oil. Next Friday I'll apply a thin coat of wax in time for delivery Saturday. Better late then never...

Letter of the week: Andy on the Roubo

noreply@blogger.com (Daniel) — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 12:03:00 +0000

Hey Dan,
My name is Andy and I'm about to begin making my own roubo workbench. I have been particularly interested in your build as I'll be using blackbutt from Mal Ward also (arrives Wednesday).
I was just wondering how you found working with blackbutt? And if you got much tearout when planing, and how you dealt with it? I have a few high angle planes which should help working with this dense timber.
Andy

Thanks for the email Andy. With a few details to go, officially my Roubo Workbench is a work in progress. That being said it remains a workhorse of my shop. I never considered it a work of art, it's a little rough, has some tear out (and now scratches), but is solid and works well.

There are pro's and con's to using Coastal Blackbutt. Advantages include being light in colour, solid, hard, and heavy (900kg m^3). Disadvantages include it's plain, solid, hard, and heavy (900kg m^3).

It was hard to work with tools. On average metals (such as my cheap chisels) at 25 degrees I found they would blunten within 5-10 blows. My planes would noticeably not cut as well after 5minutes of work. I would suggest using harder metals such as A2 steel if you have them, higher angle bevels (say 30-35), and sharpening often.

I only had one section that had significant fiddleback which was difficult to tame. My standard angle planes managed ok if I kept them sharp, a radius on the blade, and sole waxed. A high angle plane will reduce tear out but increase work on you and the blade. Like all things you'll need to trial it and see how you go.

Although I try to concentrate on hand-tools I would recommend using as many powertools has you have. I used a 3HP planer for machining and belt sander to solve some tear out issues.

Good luck with the project. I'm keen to hear how it goes. Let me know if you have any other questions.

The clock that ran out of time...

noreply@blogger.com (Daniel) — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 06:07:00 +0000

After three days of solid work in the shed the clock remains incomplete. Although I can appreciate the irony of the clock that ran out of time, I'm disappointed to have missed the delivery date and tomorrow I go back to work.

Here's the progress to date.

There's only a few things to do. I need to sand back that messy glue. Attach the clock-face. Final sanding. Install the movement and hands. Attach the half-lap back. And oil. So close but so far away.

Half-lap huon

noreply@blogger.com (Daniel) — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 09:18:00 +0000

The back of the clock is formed by half-lapped 9mm huon pine strips. I made the rabbets which form the half-lap with a veritas small plow plane.

After sanding to 240 grit with the random orbit sander I took the time to insert my marker. A 35mm forsner bit and a little epoxy made easy work of that. (Easier then when the case is assembled.)

The strips are intentionally irregular sizes - intentional imperfections. It adds a charm to a simple modern style.

A little sneak peak. The clock face is now sanded and the plugs flush.

Clock Carcass

noreply@blogger.com (Daniel) — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 03:25:00 +0000

The main carcass for the clock is made from Blackheart Sassafras. The "Blackheart' name reflects the timber's variegated colour formed from fungal spalting. Although an attractive timber it proved exceptionally difficult to work. Although the timber is soft (yet somewhat fragile) the spalted lines were considerably weak especially in the thin 9mm pieces. Several times while working the wood large pieces would split and fall apart. In the following pictures you'll see where I've epoxied and taped it back together.

Before resawing I attempted to stablise the timber by filling any voids with black epoxy. (Much like I did in the background with brown epoxy and blackbutt burl.)

The board was re-sawed into two 9mm boards. (See previous post for details.)

The corners of the carcass are dovetails. (See previous posts on how I dovetail.) The front and rear pin/tail are mitred to hide the back rabbet and match the clock moulding.

Not a very good photos but you get the idea. The bits of tape tell you there was multiple splits in the timber.

A small shelf lies halfway up the case to hold the base of the clock. The gap behind the shelf is intended for a hand to adjust the clock movement.

The inside moulding is mitred 9mm round over sassafras which will hold the clockface. The moulding was rounded by hand with a no 7 plane and sandpaper.

The glue up was messy. I used epoxy mixed with micro-fibre filler and black oxide concrete dye to produce a black gel. I opted for this method as I've run out of PVA and the black lines that remain after sanding match well with the blackheart sassafras.

The Clock Face

noreply@blogger.com (Daniel) — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 01:08:00 +0000

A striking feature of the Tasmanian Timber's Clock is the Huon Pine clock face. Twelve 1/4" wooden plugs made from Blackheart Sassafras and Ebony form the hour markers. Here's a few photos of it's construction.

The first step was preparing the timber. After initial machine milling, resawing was needed. I used a circular saw to make a grove on each side, then used a hand saw to cut through the 265mm piece of huon. This took a few sessions and my arm is still feeling it.

The two halves cleaned up beautifully after a quick trip through the planer.

The plugs were quick work with a 1/4" snug plug cutter and a bench drill.

The layout was straight forward. The face is 200x200mm. The centre was found by diagonals. Lines then made at 30 degrees. A compass set to 90m made the plugs too close to the edge, but 85mm worked well.

Back to the drill press, the centre was drilled out to take the movement. Then a dowel trimmed to size acted as a pivot point to ensure all the plugs were even from the centre.

The plugs were then glued with epoxy. Ebony was used for 12, 3, 6 & 9. Sassafras for the remainder. Now I just have to wait for the glue to set and then sand it all back. Not bad.

Time to clean the shed...

noreply@blogger.com (Daniel) — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 23:10:00 +0000

Yes, and posting this is yet another form of procrastination.

Side Project: A Clock

noreply@blogger.com (Daniel) — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 03:44:00 +0000

With the shop flooding, a few assignments and a demanding work roster meant August has gone completely deprived of quality shed time. Despite that I've been putting together ideas for a little side project - a clock.

The design is simple a dovetailed box, with a tongue and groove back, open shelf below, and a simple clock face box to hold a simple quartz movement. I plan to use clean huon pine for the outside, blackheart sassafras for the panels, and finish it with shellac. To access the movement I'm going to be a hinged trap door under.

The Shop Floods (again...)

noreply@blogger.com (Daniel) — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 08:11:00 +0000

Getting your feet wet is not a good strategy for a work bench. Endgrain always looks nicer when not soaked. That's why I store my bench indoors....

The weather has been consistently wet. 65mm in the past 48hours. Winds ~30km/hr with gusts up to 55km/hr.

Water is coming through the plastic membrane (above the first row of bricks) and little around the window frame. It also seems to be soaking straight through the bricks.

No easy way to fix the problem (esp. while it's still wet.) Time to shift some timber and get the bench off the floor.

Replacement Part

noreply@blogger.com (Daniel) — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 06:00:00 +0000

Quality Control

noreply@blogger.com (Daniel) — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 10:05:00 +0000

This photo shows a work in progress on the dovetails for the lectern's base. They looks nice, but this is take two. The first version was below par and didn't make the cut. There's no excuses but basically it came down to being in a rush, and being in a rush is never good for quality.

John West wouldn't want part of this.

Substandard Dovetails.

Wenzolf & Sons' Saw.

Today I started on take two. I milled some new timber, took time with layout, used the proper jigs (bench hook, shooting board and dovetail marker), and didn't rush. Still a work in progress but looking better.

Now what to do with the old one. Cut the joints and use the timber? Add some wheels and base for a child's wagon?

Positioning XLR Panel Mounts

noreply@blogger.com (Daniel) — Sat, 16 Jul 2011 23:28:00 +0000

One of the more complicating factors of the lectern project is the internal XLR wiring. Two panel mounts installed on the lectern tablet and two within the bass are connected with wiring within the vertical column. (Made more complex by an adjustable height column.)

The panel mounts are 24.1 mm deep - tricky in a 20mm top. Options are:

1. Re-cut the top from 2" timber.

2. Build up the table around the mount (either above or below.)

3. Move the mounts from the corner to within the box (about 5cm, which could get the way of the paper/books.)

Happy to hear suggestions.

Red Cedar and Blackbutt Burl?

noreply@blogger.com (Daniel) — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 08:11:00 +0000

I'm keen to explore the possibilities of working with timber 'burl'. Burls are the tumours of the tree world. They are knobbly, knotty, bumpy, irregular tree growth. The timber found in these burls is always complex and often beautiful. On the downside they are often difficult to work (due to alternating grain and denser than normal fibers), unstable due to unpredictable changes with humidity, and fragile.

The above pieces are dressed ~50x250x550mm in size. I'm fairly confident to resaw each into three 10-15mm panels.
(Though I should fill the sap lines and defects with epoxy before cutting into it.)

The original burl slab.

I have enough cedar to then frame the panels to make a small table. But it's unusual combination, will it work?

Lectern Project: Dovetailing the Top

noreply@blogger.com (Daniel) — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 10:58:00 +0000

The dovetails for the top piece are made more complex by both the 30 degree tilt and the tapered side pieces. Some careful layout, and a good portion of the morning lead the basic carcass is complete.

I originally planned to have a series of floating panels for the base. However, I had considerable difficulty cutting the grove due to the angles and the small dovetails. I may just have attach a smaller panel that overhangs like the top. Happy to hear peoples thoughts on this.

A clean work bench to finish the weekend.