Not Dead, Working on the Dutch Chest

Just a small post, no I'm not dead. I've been tackling some commissions of non woodworking related projects and buried under some tasks at work. A lot of that is over with the end of the semester, and I'm getting on to some interesting work now.

I cleared out a lot of the tools I wasn't using, and have gone back to basics in a lot of ways. I've started cutting wood for the Dutch tool chest, and begun the dovetailing, I also tuned up my 3/4" dado plane and it's working sweetly. Here is the progress from the last two evenings...

Here is the first side of the Dutch chest set out and dovetailed. I've been trying to find more nice clear 1x12s at the borg but none as nice as these so far. My cutlist for the chimney cupboard from the recent issue of PWM needs about 3 times the wood of this project. So I started here. 

I never tire of this shot, for those of you that follow the blog this row of dovetails ready to be cut will look familiar.

The first dado is done, this is for the division between the till and lower compartment. I am thinking about putting a drawer in here. perhaps for all the marking and layout tools.

Tomorrow I plan to run the other dado, and cut the pins on the bottom.

Remember When I Said I Didn't Want To Get Into Inlay?

For many of you I think you'll understand firsthand exactly the way this plot unfolds. In woodworking we tend to have certain interests that further narrow the field. Maybe it's marquetry or veneering, a particular family of joints, turning, a style like Federal or Chippendale. Also for many of us, I think there are concentrations we just aren't interested in.

For me that was inlay and marquetry, most of what I saw and connected to the two was Federal styled furniture. I don't like Federal at all, it's too flashy and adorned. The applied crotch mahogany reminds me of phenolic laminate added to something to make it look like something else. I understand there is a whole lot of skill and detail in making the bandings and paterae, Steve Latta's technical skill is really fascinating. I just don't want anything to do with it.

Fast forward to now, and after becoming hooked on the notion of Pennsylvania spice chests, I need to do some inlay. Not just that the piece calls for it, but now I see the value of holly strung around a walnut board.

To that end I was really excited when LV introduced their inlay tools, I asked some questions in a thread on SMC and after some communication ordered some tools. Here's what I've come up with so far.

Holly design in Mahogany. I got antsy and dove in. This means I didn't glue little sacrificial blocks to the surface where I intended to put the center of the arc. I have some little dents and digs where eager manipulation of the cutter caused the center point to shift and a new (read incorrect) arc was produced. Still most of it came out great. I've learned that slow lighter cuts with enough scoring between hogging makes the best cuts. I ordered the .025" thick blade which fits 1/40th veneer exactly. I used hide glue to adhere and finished by scraping and sanding. I still have to make little telescoping tube drills so that I can cut out little "berries" and install them at the vertices of some of the piece.

As soon as I can load Illustrator onto my home laptop I'll start drawing out patterns and ideas for my spice cabinet. Stay tuned!

Galootaclause Gift To Me

I've been dreadfully late posting this series of photos. These are the things that my anonymous-blog-reading-neanderfriend sent to me for the holidays.

First the tools, one is a nice old 5/12 Marples gouge. This one fits in really well with the lettercarving tools I've not yet picked up. While some look at this as one less tool to buy, it's one more tool I don't have to buy so I can spend that savings on a different other tool :). Above it is a veneer hammer (yes, I still have yet to handle the one I started an eon ago, but I know exactly where it is). It's Claro Walnut, with a yardboxwood handle shaped from a branch, ebony wedge and brass fittings.

Another shot from the front. It's nicely made, the head is heavy and I can see the advantage the heavy heat-sucking brass will have in veneering. The handle is anything but regular in radial section, the mortise must have been fun to fit! 

 Two books, one on veneering which is supposed to be quite technical, I haven't read through it yet, so I'm interested to see what's in there. The second is an adorable format Norton book on sharpening. This is another great one as I've been looking for something to make sense out of the oilstones and slips I've gotten for moulding planes and gouges.

Finally, and I was told to wait on this, we have the prize of the parcel I think. Two bookmatched shop sawn pieces of curly ash. The chatoyance is a spectacle. I've tried, with marginal success to display this in the sun. It's stunning stuff. The kind of wood that sits on your self for ages until you find just the right thing to use it on. I'm open to suggestions as I have no idea at the moment.  

There was also a letter explaining all the different items, and strict instructions on what to open, in what order, in which corner of the shop on different moon phases. Fortunately I didn't screw it up and everything came out great. The sender claimed to have had some difficulty in building a good gift, to that I give two thumbs up. It was great! I'll have to find something deserving to veneer with the curly ash, and have a bunch of poplar veneer to practice with the hammer. Thank You!

A Model of the Dutch Tool Chest

It's been two months since I've posted anything. There's been a lot going on and white a few different projects in various stages. One I'm excited to post about (but not doing it now) are some picture frames made for antique prints. Others soon to come.

After working on the Lap Desk a little bit more, and cutting a small built-up moulding, I had the itch to work more, but didn't want to make any more mess to clean. I got to thinking about CAD and the Dutch Tool Cabinet that Chris Schwarz has been building and started on a model. I'm sort of over it at the moment, all of the hard points have been drawn, the tills, battens and detailing of the T&G back and hinges aren't in the model. But those are details. It has all the information you would need to start building or add your own details.

I didn't know exactly what size Chris's was, so I guessed working to some arbitrary proportions, I have a feeling at 30" long, 16" wide and 35" tall without the casters is quite a bit bigger than his original, but this would fit about all of my tools I think.

This may actually be something I want to build, I've got a really old chest now, and it's footprint is huge. I like the idea of going vertically. and adding some casters to roll it around with.

The last thing that got me really excited with this is Google Drive. Now I can upload any type of file and link directly to it, if you follow the link in the image, you won't see anything, but you should be able to download and open the SketchUp file.

Nuts

Finished the tap, I didn't even harden the cutter, I was so excited to try it out. It worked pretty well for the first go around. I do want to deepen the cheep removal flute and work in a different wood for the nut, but I'd rate the attempt as a win.

The long grain cut very well, but the side grain didn't cut as well. Still looks completely serviceable though. This leads me to believe that the commercial versions are cut with a rotary cutter or CNC machine. Which is where I'll be directing my focus next.

Detail of cutter and clamping mechanism. it's a 3/8-16NC bolt cut down and slotted.

Overall tap.

And the jig nut, I was skeptical about using aluminum plate for the strips, but they worked just fine.

Wooden Vise Screws

Big wooden screws have always been something I've wanted to make. I'm finally getting a start on some of the tooling for the project. 

Overview of a slew of threadcutting things. And a kitchen knife in the "to sharpen" pile. 

 First object is an old hand screwbox, you can tell it's old because the screws are square ended. The tap isn't a match so I'll probably steal the cutter from this piece and use it in a dedicated one built for that tap.

Here is the tap I'm in the process of making for bench screws, also notice the failed soft maple nut blank in the back. The kerf is not nearly as irregular as the picture makes it appear, but I'm hoping the irregularity you do see isn't a big deal. Unfortunately Ze won't know how well (poorly?) that works until I've finished the tap, made the nut and put the whole shebang together. Cross your fingers.

Second thing I want to talk about in this photo, the nut blank. Have you ever used an expansion bit in a brace, in soft maple? It's hard. The bit started moving around and the hole shape has been getting more and more erratic. I just bought two forstner bits for the major and minor diameters and will redo the "die" and nut blanks.

If the tap doesn't work out, I've started working on a change gear operated screw cutting machine. It's virtually the same as a metal lathe, only the toolpost will hold a router traversed with a hand cranked leadscrew. It's a significant investment, and would probably mean I get into the big wooden vise game, but I could also do any variety of screws, I'd love to make large 4" diameter 1 TPI cider press screws and other large screws. I wonder if the other screw guys got into it this way? 

Here is the picture of the screw, I'm intending to make. There may not be a post on this for a while, I should really get back to the side tables, the chairs or any one of several other things I've already physically started.

Mucking about in Hyperspace

Not all of us have a Heart of Gold, so sometimes when a problem presents itself, we just have to grumble (thank my puppy for that) and keep bashing our head against a wall until we get it or pass out.

Yesterday I reinstalled SketchUp and attempted to figure out why a certain group of plugins wouldn't load. It was pretty annoying, but I eventually figured out I was missing a whole bunch of other files that allowed the others to work.


Now I can make lofts and fillets with remarkable ease. 

Here's what I wanted to model, well the handle anyway. It's from the esteemed George Wilson, he does amazing things, I hope one day to be a fraction of the craftsman this guy is, and every bit as tool pig.

Here is my work, it's getting there. I still need to figure out how to manipulate the profile it lofts with so I can make it form tangencies where I want and the right shapes over the loft. But it's a start. I;m hoping it's easier to figure out, otherwise I'm going to ditch a program I'd love to use for PencilPaper, a program I'm really good at.

Here is the first project, three jaw pin vises in bloodwood and padauk, chucks from Lee Valley and brass ferrules cut from 1/2" tubing. I'm trying to really get on top of this idea I had, when I go to make a tool, make two and list one in the Shop.

 One is all fit up and for sale, the other needs a little more work to get together.

Here is the other part of the project, a seven piece miniature nut driver set and a 10 piece needle file set. I'm particularly excited for the needle files. Maybe I'll do them in Cuban Mahogany? Thoughts?