Working on a Fret Saw

In preparation for my handcut dovetails class turned the parts for this fret saw. I still have to figure out the hardware for attaching the blade. I've done two versions already, and I think I have it figured out. I just have to get some brass sheet.

It's turned out of cherry, no real plan other than some photos of antiques. I like how the inner stretcher came out. My only regret is that the top arm is a little fat and less attractive than the bottom one.

Sycamore Score, and What I've Been Up To

 I was driving from school to my other job (very close) to get some work done during my two hour break between classes. I took a wrong turn, there are three turns that all go to the same place and they all look similar. Oops. Lucky for me some surgeons were taking down a beautiful sycamore. They let me take some, unfortunatly I didn't have a giant flatbed and the ability to take a huge burly (figured) sycamore trunk to a sawmill I know. Damn.

I sawed this guy down the center, and painted the ends. I'm hoping I'll get to take it over to my bosses shop, he has a large resaw capacity Rikon, to QS it into boards and turning blocks.
   

I really like the wave this piece has, there is some reaction wood, so we shall see how it goes. I got it split and painted within about 4 hours of it coming down so I'd hope things are off to a good start.

Here is a shot of what I spend my Sunday morning on, they are maple and rosewood. I start by cutting blocks and drilling for a 3/8" pin. Then glue the pin and let dry. Then I turn, finish with beeswax, polish and glue a drilled cork on. I cut about 85 pins from dowels in a little miter box I made to cut two 1" long 3/8" pins for my class, I just used one slot and cut 2" long pins. The corks get drilled in a special chuck on the lathe. A wooden block turned round, with a #8 cork taper cut into it spins in the lathe, With the machine running a cork is forced into the chuck with a block of wood. The block applies even pressure and allows you to adjust the cork for runout. Then drill and presto! I drilled 50 corks in about 20 minutes with this technique. 

Moulding Planes and an Endevor

A group of mixed hollows, rounds, two rabbets and some other moulding planes, sitting along with a generously loaned copy of "Wooden Planes in 19th C. America" at my new (read, cleaned) planemaking bench. I've got a sash moulder, and covette, 7/8th and 1" rabbet, a pair of #'s 5, 6 and 12 H&R, a #2R, a #8R, a spare #6R and some unmarked without irons. They will become the base of a quarter set of H&Rs I'm building, the ones missing parts will be practice for fitting irons and wedges.
 

Using illustrations and photos from  Wooden Planes in 19th. C. America, I recreated this planemaking vise. It uses two different sets of wedges to hold planes in different orientations for the various operations. It's very easy to maneuver around the vise and change the position of the plane within it.

I cut the U section out of a split pine 2x12, it's about 15 inches long and 6 inches wide. The channel in the center is approximately 4" wide and 7/8 inches deep. It runs the full length. While you night be tempted to mortise this section don't, the gap under the end, clamping blocks are useful for blowing chips and sawdust out of the mating surfaces. I cut the channel with a plow and cleaned it up with a #78 rabbet plane sans fence.
   

The clamping ends are oak, and the wedge (sort of visible on the left hand side) is also oak. The wedge meets the end piece at a taper (not the taper of the wedge) like a french cleat so that the wedge can't be pulled up and out of contact. The plane I was working on here is going to become a #10 round, it is made of cherry. I've designed my H&Rs with shallow champers and deep notches, I still have to design the wedge profile, but I think a round finial with a curved return is going to be my preferred design here. 

It's working out really well, I still have to make a few more floats and other tools but I'm pretty much set for planemaking. I'll work mostly in cherry and maple because I have quite a few plane-sized blanks ready to go. I also love how cherry looks in plane form.

After a few H&Rs I plan to make some snipes-bills, boxed and sprung moulding planes, rabbet stick (for window sash), and sash coping planes. I plan to sell some of these odd planes, particularly matched sash and coping planes.

He Can't Be Serious, More Chisels? Yup.

Well, when you come across a 1" Wetherby BEC for $2, a 1/2" Foulton socket firmer for $1, and a 1/2" B.S. and W. Co. (or maybe it's P.S. and W. Co. can't tell) for $.50 you have to get them. Even if you have to steal a dollar from that 5 year old staring at you rooting through piles of ferrite and carbon.

Then when some guy'll take $8 for a 2" slick ('nother hard to read'er) blade with some mushrooming and a pair of calipers (not shown) you should grab that too.
   

This morning I turned an oak handle for the slick, I finished it with straight beeswax on the lathe. I grab a big hunk, and hold it against the spinning part, until I get a decent coat. Then I take a rag, cotton tee shirt works best, and holding the ends like I'm buffing a shoe, buff the wax. The friction from the rag melts the wax and forces it into the pores, after a while the wax really makes it's way in and shines up really good. Then move to a clean portion of rag to take off any extra. After a while, your rag has enough built up wax in it to wax and buff parts as is.

The bottom tool in the above photo is an edge float for planemaking. Which will be the topic of my next post.

Stanley #47 Gages

Finally worked out a deal with the hardware store to secure a quantity of these Stanley #47s. A depth gage for auger bits. I only have a limited quantity and many are owed to OldTools list members. I may have some extras, comment if you'd be interested in one.

A Bit about the Why

I woke up this morning thinking about a lot of things; I thought about the debate between Art, Craft and Design, one of my favorite topics in design school. I thought about how my life might go ( a little heady for 6 AM but there you have it), and I thought about why I do what I do. Why am I compelled to make things? Man is a toolmaking animal, I guess a cupboard, shelves, a coffee table might be considered tools for living right? I'm not so sure it's as simple as that but it's a strong link to me that ties all creative efforts to a common cause in my mind.

Then I thought about a quote in the PW #182, in the Clark & Williams article, on page 39 Schwarz quoted a line by  H.D. Lawrence. It said, "Things men have made with wakened hands, and put soft life into are awake through years with transferred touch and go on glowing for long years. And for this reason, some old things are lovely warm still with the life of forgotten men who made them."

I was floored. This touched on something I'd thought about a long time ago. I wanted to build things, put a little piece of my life in them, and build them well so they would last for generations. In that way I would in the spirit of the "transferred touch [of life/passion?] live on long after my death.

How inspiring? I need to go to the shop. Right now.