April 2009

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Hall Table Getting Close

April 24, 2009 in Hall table | No comments

With the SDFWA Design in Wood entry deadline rapidly approaching, it’s time to get my arse in gear and finish this thing.  At least to a point where I can take a picture.  Part of my “stuckedness” lies in a decision on how to attach the top.  More on that in a moment.

Drawer front pieces

Here, I’m determining the position of the “wings” on either side of the drawer front.  (Yes, the clamps are bearing directly on the veneer, but I have them clamped very lightly and my clamp pads are clean!)  The piece on top is there for alignment.  The wings need to be accurately placed, so I can create the filler blocks behind them.  The filler blocks are solid walnut, veneered with the redwood burl like the drawer front pieces.

Filler blocks installed

The filler blocks are shaped, veneered, and screwed in place.  The front ends are also glued so any movement will occur on the back.  I have also put on the first coat of finish.  Shellac on the inside, oil on the outside.

My dilemma on attaching the top is this:  How can I do it without the fasteners showing?  The only way I have come up with is similar to how the frog on a Bedrock plane is held down.  Not sure I want to go to that much trouble though.

I may just screw it in from the bottom side of the filler blocks; it won’t be visible to the casual observer.  Of course, a curious woodworker (is that redundant?) will search out the answer.  The issue then becomes, how will I answer the question, “Why didn’t you just…”

 

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500 Tables

April 24, 2009 in Furniture | No comments

Lark Books latest 500 series book has just come out, 500 Tables: Inspiring Interpretations of Function and Style .  I have to mention it because one of my pieces is in it.  I’m kicking myself, though, because I’m not happy with the photo.  The table is my Floating Top Table, which (at the time of this writing) is featured as the header image for my site.

I should have used the same photo the header pic is cropped from.  Instead, I sent two photos, one taken at a higher angle and a detail shot.  They only used the first one, and the underside of the table isn’t shown.  They also whited out the background, so the table looks like its floating in space.  It’s nice to see my work in print, though.  Page 262, if you’re interested.  And thanks to Mike Henika for taking the photo.

The book is great inspiration if you’re looking for table design ideas.

500tables

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Dogs

April 16, 2009 in Miscellaneous | No comments

No, not bench dogs.  Shop dogs.  Two.  There’s a cat around too, but he doesn’t visit the shop much.  When he does, he has an annoying habit of leaving his mark, so I tend to discourage his visits.

The dogs are Murphy and Rosie.  I probably don’t have to tell you which is which, but just in case, Murphy is the one whose fur is a dirt magnet.  Everything tends to stick to him, especially wood shavings.

He’s a Schnauzer mix, extremely friendly but pretty vocal at times.  Rosie’s mom was a golden retriever mix, but she’s only about 25 pounds, so there’s some other small dog in there somewhere.

We got both dogs from Animals Rule, one of the many rescue organizations around.  They don’t spend a lot of time in the shop; they would much prefer to spend their time tearing up the yard, but they’re good company when they’re here.

They mostly just relax, but occasionally get up to examine something that fell to the floor or just wander over to get a pat on the head.  Simple pleasures for all of us.

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A Little Bit

April 3, 2009 in Chair, Tools | 2 comments

I’m at the stage on my chairs where the joinery is complete and I’m about ready to glue up.  Of course, prior to assembly, I want to have all the parts sanded.  Sharp edges are not desirable in any work, so all the edges need to be rounded over, too.  My question is:  In what order should I accomplish these things?

I’m of the opinion that the order should be:  sand, round over, sand.  No, I didn’t stutter.  I typically start sanding at 100 or 120 grit.  For a project that will receive an oil finish, like the chairs, I complete the sanding process at 320 or 400.  My progression goes:  100,  120, 150, 180, 240, 320, 400.  If I were to round over the edges prior to starting the sanding process, I would loose some of my roundover when sanding with the coarse grits.  If I waited until the end of the process, I would be resanding very smooth surfaces, a waste of time.

Therefore, I do my roundovers after sanding with 180 grit.  I do them by hand-sanding or with a router and roundover bit.  There are lots of edges to do on the chairs, so I’ll use a router.  The question then arises:  What size bit to use?

I not a fan of big roundovers.  While the Craftsman look appeals to me, I prefer a more defined edge.  On most of my work, 1/8″ roundovers are too big.  1/16″ – 3/32″ looks best to me.  And therein lies the problem (until recently).  Many manufactureres make a 1/16″ roundover bit, but it’s so small it doesn’t do much for you.  Any slight irregularities in the surface negate the cutting action of the bit.  A 3/32″ bit?  I couldn’t find one.  You would think the jump from 1/16″ to 1/8″ is too big to ignore without an intermediate size, but it didn’t exist where I looked.

I mentioned the problem to my chair class, and one of my students looked around on the web and found that Whiteside does indeed make the bit.  Thanks Ed!  Here’s a photo of the little gem.

3/32 roundover bit

I know it doesn’t look like much, but this little bit is huge to me.

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