This morning I went through my Woodworking Link Farm to make sure the links still worked. I had to delete a few, but for many of them I was able to find the new address, and in the case of Bob Keye's Bench Pages, I was happy to find I could use a Wayback Machine link.

If you're looking to browse woodworking (and related) Web sites this could be a good start:

http://www.robertkarl.org/pages/woodworking_and_tool_bookmarks.html

Even though I was going quickly through the links (to finish in one sitting), it was still fun to browse through these again.

Yesterday was our special day and everything was just GREAT! Wedding photos coming soon ;)))

UPDATED: I’ve just added some wedding photos to my Facebook photo albums.. click here to see the photos

LumberJocks, can you get tough?

LumberJocks.com is proudly hosting the Gorilla Glue Challenge. This is a fun and creative event for all woodworkers, but be careful; this may be a sticky challenge!

Bond with your wood and the great outdoors while competing in this challenge to win some great Gorilla Glue products. Gorilla Glue is challenging you to build anything for enjoying the great outdoors. You must use two materials, one must be wood and any other material of your choice. You must also include any gorilla glue product in your entry. And there are 16 prize packages!

PRIZES

Gorilla Glue will have 16 random winners of some very great prizes.

1. 1 Grand Prize will consist of $200 plus 1 of each Gorilla Glue?s products and a Gorilla Glue t-shirt.
2. There will be 5 runner-up prizes; winners will receive 1 of each Gorilla Glue?s products and a Gorilla Glue t-shirt.
3. As well as 10 third place prizes of a Gorilla t-shirt

RULES

1. Your entry must be a creation for enjoying the great outdoors.
2. One substrate must be wood
3. Plus any other substrate of the participants choice such as metal, stone, brick, glass, rubber, etc.
4. Any Gorilla product such as: Gorilla Glue, Gorilla Glue Precision Pen, Gorilla Super Glue, Gorilla Wood Glue, Gorilla Tape.

Get your Projects in by Monday September 1st and the winners will be announced on September 2nd. Are you up for the challenge?

HOW TO ENTER

1. SUBMIT your challenge entry as a project and tag it with challenge06 (of course you may add any additional tags too):
   
   Note that you don?t need to use ?challenge06? in the project title.
2. You can submit only one entry ? give it your best shot.
3. Describe your process in a project story and add at least one photo of the finished outdoor creation produced by you.
4. Explain what materials you used and what Gorilla Glue product helped you in your outdoor creation.
5. The entry deadline is September 1st.
6. Winners will be announced online at LumberJocks.com on September 2nd.

Please note: Photos entered in this challenge will also be published on the Gorilla Glue site.

View all entries

P.S. You can help promoting this one of a kind event by clicking on the BOOKMARK button in the top right corner. It allows you to easily submit to one of the popular bookmarking/sharing websites like Reddit, StumbleUpon, Digg or others.

Ever wonder how Google Books and some of those other freebie book sites manage to produce those anemic looking book pages? You know, the ones that look as if someone...

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Green wood chair making class by American master craftsman Drew Langsner takes place this autumn at Gifu Academy.
We make a traditional ladderback chair out of local green wood, using only hand tools.


??????????????????????????????????????????????????Country Workshops??????????????????????????????????????????The Chairmaker's Workshop???????????????
Mr. Langsner is a world's famous woodworker who has been pursueing his career for more than thirty years. He runs various craft courses at his Country Workshops. He is the author of 'The Chairmaker's Workshop'.

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The chair making class consists of part A and B.
On part A we cleave logs to get chair parts, steambend and shape them.
On part B we drill mortises and cut tenons, assemble and weave the seat.
You can book either part A or B, or both.
The tuition is 24,000 yen for each part. Room and board is not included.
We accept eight bookings for each part. Contact Japan Green Woodwork Association.

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Green wood chair making class by American master craftsman
Instructor: Drew Langsner
Venue: Forest Workshop, Gifu Academy of Forest Science and Culture

Part A 27-29th September 2008
Part B 18-20th October 2008
9:00-18:00

When you design a piece of furniture to build, there are three well-worn paths (some might call them ruts) to follow.

The first path is to design a piece in a wholly original style. This actually happens about once or twice a century, and its rarity is why we don?t have furniture styles such as ?Early Bill,? ?Middle Chuck? or the ?Late Butch Period.? Few people alive can claim they have successfully launched a style, but don?t let that stop you from trying.

The second approach is to build replicas, either spot-on or with mild alterations, such as an additional drawer, or substituting a square ovolo moulding for a bead. This is a good way to learn the vocabulary of different styles, though it is time-consuming to learn everything by the doing. Some woodworkers (even professionals) might build only six pieces in a year.

The third approach is to design a new piece with vintage parts, like rebuilding an old car. With this approach, you expose yourself to hundreds of images of the form. You could look at tables, cabriole legs or Arts & Crafts desks, for example. Then you select your piece?s dominant element from the library ? say a leg, a door or a bonnet ? and design your piece around that. (However, you can?t easily mix parts from different genres. It might seem like a good idea to put a Honda push rod in a Chevy, until you hit that metric barrier.)

When asked the secret to good design, Steve Hamilton, a builder at Mack S. Headley & Sons (headleyandsons.com), boiled it down to two words: ?Picture books,? he said. ?Get a bunch. Look them over.?

Design on the Run
Designing a suitable early American wall cupboard for Woodworking Magazine began with a day in our collection of books and images. You don?t need to spend a lot of money to build a book collection, most of the resources you need are at the public library and on the Internet.

My first stop was Wallace Nutting?s ?A Furniture Treasury.? This book is available in many different forms, and it?s common to find copies for about $25. The book is as-advertised. It?s hundreds of pages of images of early American stuff that has been organized into categories such as ?chests? and ?Windsor chairs.?

The second source was auction catalogs from Christie?s (christies.com) and Sotheby?s (sothebys.com) auction houses. The catalogs these houses publish for their Americana auctions are outstanding. Good images. Good overall dimensions. And good history lessons as well. These catalogs can be pricey at $50 or more, but you can usually browse the catalogs on the Internet for free, though sometimes you have to register with the auction house (registration is free).

The third source was an old favorite of mine from my grandparents? library: ?Fine Points of Furniture: Early American? (Crown) by Albert Sack. This common book can be had for about $10 ? the new revised edition is much more expensive and rare. Sack?s book compares different kinds of pieces and ranks them as ?good,? ?better? or ?best.? This book helps hone your tastes in mouldings, proportion and turnings.

After a day of reading, I chose a fetching tombstone door from Nutting?s book and found many tall and skinny shapes for wall cupboards that looked like pieces I had seen at Winterthur, the DuPont?s Delaware estate and museum.

My design firmed up when my doctor got too busy for me one Wednesday. After showing up for my appointment, I was told there would be an hour delay. So I sat in my car and sketched about 10 wall cabinets. I didn?t worry about dimensions or joinery, just the overall look and feel of the piece. Each sketch took about five minutes and tried out variations on the door (one or two?), the drawer (one, two or none?) and the width of the stiles and rails (chunky or light?).

After those sketches, I chose the best two designs, sketched them again and showed them around to woodworkers and friends. It sounds like a lot of work, but I have found that good design is like making stir fry: You first chop vegetables and mix sauces for a long time. The active cooking time is real short ? if you?ve done your prep work.

? Christopher Schwarz

John is working on completing the Trestle Table

I used my tax stimulus money to buy a flat screen TV.  The problem is that I have to walk past the TV to get to the shop.  So I was enjoying TV in all it flatness when I saw the end of the table sticking out of the shop.  It seemed to beckon me as it lay there cupped and in need of work.  But, I am a man, so I grabbed the remote and ignored it.  Now I am back at it and dealing with the cup across the width of the table.

The trestle table top (say that three times fast!)  is made from two book matched cherry boards.  They finished out at 103 inches long and 13 inches wide.  I added a middle board to the two book matched pieces to get a final width of 31 inches.  This was going to be a kitchen table but with the length, it goes into the living room.  I could have cut the top?only kidding, I would never cut boards like that.  Would you? 

The thickness of the top is just under ¾ inch so it flattens when forced without that nasty cracking noise that indicates you just learned another lesson.  The cup, which you can see in the picture, is a ¼ inch.  For the picture I clamped on side of the table flat so you can see the total cup that I needed to flatten. 

Now the bread board ends create a cross grain situation and wood movement becomes an issue.  I like wood movement! There I said it.  I like feeling the non flush edges that arrive with the seasons.  My friend has a table from the great Christian Becksvoort and he insisted on bread board ends.  He can feel with his fingers that the top has moved.  I like these oddities and have added divots and ridges under the arms of chairs for a person to finger when sitting.  These subtle aspects humanize a piece. 

First thing to do was to determine the size and layout of the tennons.  Since we have a cross grain situation I am only going to glue the middle tennon,.  I decided on three tennons because it gives me a middle.  I think five tennons would work if the width would accommodate it.  I also used a stub tennon on the entire width of the top.  This stub is 3/8 inch in length.  The thickness of all tennons is a ¼ inch.  A rule of thumb in deciding the widths of the tennons is the have all of them equal ½ the total width of the table.  For me, I made them 5 inches for a total tennon width of 15 inches.  It is also important to have enough wood at the ends of the bread boards so I started the tennons ¾ inch in from the edge.  I marked the mortis locations from the tennons.  I increased the mortis for the end tennons by 1/8 inch on each side to allow for movement.

One thing about mortis and tennons that is finally sinking in is that they are related.  What you do to one has an effect on the other.  For example, my first idea was a tennon that looked like the tongue from the Rolling Stones symbol.  From the tennons? perspective I was right, but what about the mortis?  Chris pointed out that the walls of the mortis are just as important as the tennon.  If the walls are too thin, the tennon will crack them and that old sinking feeling arrives.   At least this time I learned a lesson without cutting wood!

Regards
John

As a kid, probably the first furniture style that I ever became aware of was the Prairie style, the strongly rectilinear forms that most people associate with Frank Lloyd Wright.

My dad had lots of books about architecture lying around the house that he used to help him design the two houses for our farm outside Hackett, Ark. I used these books to help me design model houses that I built using Legos and wooden blocks.

Lucky for me, Prairie-style houses and furniture are easily built with rectilinear Legos. And Wright's system of proportioning favored 2:1 ratios ? that's the ratio my wooden block set used.

The last piece of the puzzle was the cape that my mom made for me when I was 5 so I could be Superman at Halloween. After seeing photos of Wright wearing a cape, I also took to wearing my cape when I'd build houses and furniture in my room.

I know what you are thinking: It's amazing that I ever married.

In any case, I've always been drawn to Wright's aesthetic. I've visited houses of his in many cities, I've been through his furniture and papers at the Prairie Archive at the Milwaukee Art Museum, and one of the highlights of my young life was sitting in one of his original barrel chairs.

So I'm quite excited to get started on a new project for an upcoming issue of Woodworking Magazine ? an end table designed in the style of Frank Lloyd Wright. I didn't want to slavishly copy one of his designs, and so I'm hoping to build a piece that is inspired by a table at the Dana House (one of my favorite tours), and uses geometric forms found at the May House in Grand Rapids, Mich.

I've drawn a bunch of sketches, but I decided that this piece really calls out for a full-size prototype in wood. Luckily, we have some thick ash lying around the shop that's left over from a co-worker's bench-building project, so there was only a little bit of machine work required to get the parts in shape.

My favorite tool for building prototypes is my Kreg pocket-hole jig. This sucker allows me to assemble and disassemble projects quickly. I screw them together, shake my head at the stupid design choices I've made, unscrew the parts, trim them down and then start the process over.

This weekend I got the basic form real close after about three hours of work. My top started out entirely too thick. It was 2" thick and now it's more like 1-5/8". Now I just need to fuss around with the inside guts to get the geometrical designs inside looking good. My No. 1 concern is where I place the large suspended square. Because end tables are typically viewed from a standing position, I need to get it close to the floor.

I'm also a bit worried that things will look too busy inside the table if I put two of these squares in the base. Perhaps I need to go home tonight, put on my old cape (yup, I still got it) and page through some more picture books on Wright.

? Christopher Schwarz

One of the most important early books on woodworking has been indecipherable to everyone who cannot read 18th-century French. Andre Roubo?s landmark five-volume ?L?Art Du Menuisier? is difficult to find ? reprints are available mostly in Europe and at Tools for Working Wood ? and even harder to actually use.

To my knowledge, no one has attempted a systematic translation of these books, which cover furniture-making, carpentry, marquetry, carriage-building and garden structures.

Ever since I first got a glimpse of Roubo?s books, with their exquisite oversized engravings of woodworking tools, benches and practices, I was hooked and really wanted to engage in a full translation. But rather than learn 18th-century French, I?ve enlisted the help of Bjenk Ellefsen, a woodworker, post doctorate fellow in cross-national comparative socio-economical studies and native French speaker.

Bjenk has been reading and translating volume one on carpentry and construction for us, and we are going to publish it here in installments on the Lost Art Press blog as they are completed. These installments will be free for all, but Bjenk and I have a request: If you spot errors, typos, inconsistencies, or things that just don?t make sense, please drop us a line or leave a comment below that entry. We?ll look into it. We want this translation to work for working woodworkers. (And if you want to help translate, let us know that as well. There is plenty to do.)

This section is best read with plate 11 handy. By clicking on the link below, you can download a larger version that is easier to read.

Plate11_full.jpg (848.54 KB)

This is an exciting personal project for Bjenk and me. And while I don?t know when we?ll be done or what we?ll learn, I know it?s going to be a great trip. As you?ll see as you read the first entry ? about Roubo?s famous workbench from Plate 11 ? the information is golden. During the next installment you?ll learn about preparing stock, and you?ll learn a little more about Bjenk.

? Christopher Schwarz

A note on dimensions: The French system of measurement in the 18th century is a little different than the modern imperial system. A French inch (pouce) is the equivalent to 1.066? in modern imperial. Each French inch is further divided into 12 ?lines.? Each line is equivalent to .088? today. The French foot is 12.44?.

We chose to leave the French measurements intact in the text, but we?ve provided modern equivalents in brackets when Roubo discusses ?lines? ? which is a bit foreign to modern eyes. The other measurements in feet and inches have been left intact from the original manuscript. If you need to convert a certain measurement to a modern equivalent, you can use the paragraph above to make the conversion.

Menuisier, I. Part. Chap. V
Third Section
On tools for cutting and preparing wood

The workbench is the first and most necessary of all tools for ?woodworking? (see translator?s note No. 1 below). It is made up of a top, four legs, four rails and a bottom. The top is made from a sturdy plank or table of 5? to 6? thick by 20? to 25? wide; its length varies from 6? to 12?, but the most common length is 9?. This table is made out of elm or beech wood but most commonly from the latter, which is very stout and of a tighter grain than the other.

It must be pierced with many holes into which a holdfast can be placed. These holes must have 14 to 16 lines of diameter [1-1/4? to 1-13/32?] and must be pierced through the top of the bench perpendicularly. Their number is not fixed, but in general we must avoid making too many unnecessarily. Eight to nine is appropriate; that is, four placed 8? to 10? in from the front edge of the workbench, one of which will be 14? to 16? inches from the hook, and the others of equal distance starting from the right front leg of the bench until the first hole, like those that are a, a, a, a in Figure 1. The others b, b, b, b are pierced on the other side of the workbench and laid out so that they will be placed in the middle of the spaces between the holes at front, to about 1? from each end of the workbench.

At 3? from the front edge of the top, we cut a mortise through the top that is 3? square, which must be very perpendicular and precisely straight inside so that the stop, which we insert into it with some resistance and that we raise or lower with a mallet, does not split the sides (of the mortise), which would happen if the inside was concave.

The stop must be 1? long at least and made with very stiff and dry oak so that it can resist the mallet blows we have to administer to move it. At the top of this stop we place an iron hook, which has teeth similar to those of a saw, to hold the wood in place that we work on. We must observe that the hook is tight in the top of the stop and that the teeth are raised slightly so that when working with very thin pieces, we do not strike the hook and its teeth with the iron of the tools, which would happen if the back of the hook was more elevated than the front. The shank of the hook which enters the stop must be square in form and pointed at the tip. The shank and the top must not be welded but made of one piece that we bend with fire. The teeth of the hook must extend out the front of the stop by six to eight lines [1/2? to 11/16?]; extending the teeth more would be useless and problematic because the teeth could break. See figures 5 and 6, which represent a stop with its hook and a hook by itself.

The legs of the workbench are made from hard oak, very stiff, 6? wide by 3? or 4? in thickness; they are assembled through the top with through-tenons and through-dovetails. The custom is to make the tenon flush with the back of the leg, see figure 2. However, I believe that it would be best to leave a shoulder on the back of this same leg so that the top can rest on the shoulder on the back of the legs like on the front. This is so when workbenches get older, they don?t risk sinking in on their legs like it happens sometimes. The assembly of the legs (to the top) must be extremely tight especially along their width. And to make them even sturdier, we widen the mortises on top to make room for wood shims that we insert by force into the tenons, so that they spread in such a way ?that they are as a tail? (maintained in a spread) in the mortises and consequently can?t slip back out.

The legs at the front of the workbench must be pierced by three holes each into which ?leg holdfasts? are to be inserted. Around the workbench and 4? to 5? from the bottom of the legs, are assembled four rails of 4? wide or less by 2? thick. The bottom of the bench is filled with planks that are held with supports, figure 4, attached on the rails. Place the length of these planks perpendicular to the width of the workbench in order to give them more strength, like we can see in figure 1.

We must also place a drawer at the end of the workbench so the workmen can store their small tools like gouges, compasses, etc. There are even shops where workbenches are closed with planks all around, which is very convenient because it keeps shavings and dust out and the tools that we place inside are less likely to be lost.

The height of the workbench is ordinarily 30? but because workmen are not all of the same height, suffice it to say that the workbench must not be higher than the top of the thighs of the person working at the bench. If it were higher, it would deprive him of his strength and it would expose him to bad posture in a short time. We must also observe to place the heartwood side of the slab on top because it is harder than the other side. And if it is to move, it will only bulge on top instead of sagging.

Holdfasts are tools made of iron and are used to hold the work on the bench firmly and stably. They are ordinarily 18? to 20? and even 24? long in the shank; their thickness must be between 12 to 15 (1-1/16? to 1-5/16?) lines, and the curve of their paws is 9? to 10? long by around 10? high. They must be of very soft iron, forged in one piece so they don?t break. All their strength is in their head. That is why we will observe that from the head g to the paw k, they get thinner so that their extremity only has two lines (3/16?) of thickness at the most, which will make them more flexible and increase their pressure.

We must curve them so that when they are tightened they will only grip by the tip of the paw, because if they would carry more pressure in the middle they would ruin the work and hold less firmly (figure 4).

Moreover, it is easy to see that after long use, the shank of the holdfast will widen the holes of the workbench; and if it didn?t grip well by the tip, before long, it would soon carry all the pressure on the back of the paw and cause the problem I have mentioned above.

Engage the holdfast by hitting it on the head g with a mallet and release the holdfast by hitting the head in the other way, that is on its side and upward or on the side of the shank i. Holdfasts must never be polished because then they will not hold well. They should only be roughed up with a file or stone (see translator?s note No. 2). Only the paw must be clean and polished so it does not mar the work.

The ?leg holdfasts? are not different, other than they are smaller. They hold the wood on its edge along the length of the workbench with the help of the wooden hook m, figure 1. This hook is fastened with screws or strong nails on the front edge of the workbench's top and is sometimes arrayed with iron points. But because the points often ruin the work, it is best to remove them or to make them like in figure 5 (see the illustration of the hook).

?Ebonists? (Ébénistes) (see translator?s note No. 3) have a vise at the front of their workbenches, which is made of one piece of wood n n, figure 3 and 4, which is 4? to 5? wide by at least 2? thick. This piece is pierced in the middle of its width by a round hole through which passes the screw o p, to which the workbench leg q serves as its nut. This screw is usually wood and through its head passes an iron bolt r, with which tightens and loosens the screw. We adorn the head of the screw with an iron ring to prevent it from splitting.

The use of these vises is very convenient because not only do the vises hold the work very solidly, but they do not mar the work in any way. No matter how delicate the pieces are, we do not fear to ruin them. This is something we can?t do with a leg holdfast, which is holding the work only in one place and will sometimes break it if it is delicate.

I do not know why the ?menuisiers en bâtiments? (see translator?s note No. 4) have not adopted this method, which not only is very convenient but is also not a hindrance or embarrassing in any way because the vise can be removed from the bench when it is not needed. When it is used, a wedge of the same thickness as the work must be placed at the bottom so that the screw can apply force everywhere equally. The piece for the vise n should be made slightly concave along its length so that when it is tightened, it grips at its tip. At the rear of the workbench s s, which is opposite the hook, we place a plank of about 18? long by 6? to 8? wide that is attached to wood supports that separate it from the workbench. This plank is named ratelier [rack] and is used to store tools with handles such as chisels, fermoirs, [a big chisel solid enough to receive mallet blows. It could have been for sculpting or mortising or anything that required rough work] etc. That is why we make the plank as wide as possible so that tools that are stored in it are not placed in a way that they can hurt somebody.

Next to this rack and along the length of the workbench we attach a bracket that is lower than the top by about 2? and is pierced at the end by a mortise of 3? long through which passes the blade of a try square [which looks like a triangle] t, which we place there when it is not needed.

Under the top of the workbench, we fasten a hollow piece of wood like a box with a screw into which we put grease to be used on tools to make them slide smoothly (Figure 7).

Translator?s notes:
1 Roubo explains at the start of volume one that "Menuiserie" includes all works made of wood. In truth, all trades had its ?Menuisiers? but the term came to refer precisely to woodwork and its workers.  A ?Menuisier? in Roubo?s terms can be a joiner, a carpenter, an ?ebonist,? a cabinetmaker, etc. When we have the foreword translated, all these terms will be made clearer as Roubo does make sure to explain them all in detail and he even go through its history. Note 4 goes into this in greater detail however.

2 Roubo?s exact words are ?mais seulement reparés avec le carreau.? There are no mentions of such a tool other than the tailors iron to remove wrinkles in the ancient dictionaries of the French Academy versions of 1740, 1762 and after. After researching many old and ancient French dictionaries, the closest approximation I arrived at was that ?carreau? is either a file or a stone. In Émile Littré?s "Dictionnaire de la langue Française," under ?carreau?; entry 15 refers to a big file used by locksmiths and entry 20 refers to a big stone of granite. The word ?carreau? appeared as quarrel in the 11th century and it is easy to see its familiarity with quarry. As for the word ?reparé? it is not meant as ?réparé? (repaired) but in the sense of ?pare,? prepared. So I am guessing Roubo is saying the holdfast is roughed out, or prepared, with something that is either a rough file or a rough stone.

3 The Ébénistes were organized as a guild of specialized menuisiers (woodworkers) in veneering and inlays in Roubo?s time.

4 The terms ?menuisiers en bâtiments? are not easily translated. Menuisier en bâtiment can only be understood in the context of how trades and crafts were defined in relation to each other in 18th -century France. Take note of the difference: menuisier refers to the worker while menuiserie refers to the craft. Crafts were grouped under guilds and had their secrets to protect. They went through extensive changes when the French Revolution abolished the guilds and later with Napoleon?s reforms. These changes are also part of the explanation why 18th century French tools are mostly no longer around but I digress. Let it be said for now that the Menuisier en Bâtiment was a highly skilled woodworker that was adept at a bit of everything.  Bâtiments, in the old French dictionaries of the 18th century referred to all constructions more particularly destined to house humans, animals or things as well as ships (Littré, 1872-1877). Note: a popular expression was also used in Paris at the time: ?être du bâtiment?; to be of the trade, of the craft. Roubo associates Menuiserie en bâtiments to assemblies of all kinds and their vast applications, all the way up to detailed work like ornamentations. The techniques and methods are described as the foundation for all other kinds of woodworking. So, Roubo refers to the Menuiserie en bâtiments as the founding craft from which branches off all the others. This could be why he focuses most of the techniques and tools under the category of ?Menuiserie en bâtiments?. Volume 1 is, after all, the biggest of all five. It is interesting to note that Roubo describes the furniture makers as the lower skilled woodworkers for reasons we will explore at a later time.

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'The Woodworkers' Week 2008' takes place in Nagoya from 3rd to 11th June.
It consists of three exhibitions and a forum.

The three exhibitions are:
Chairs -designer/makers' work 2008-
Works of Shin-ichiro Tani, Santaro Takahashi and Tomio Murakami
5-11 June 2008
9:50-20:00
Maruzen Book Store Sakae 4F
3-2-7 Sakae, Naka-ku, Nagoya

30 Woodworkers '08
3-8 June 2008
11:00-18:00
Denki Bunka Kaikan 5F
2-2-5 Sakae, Naka-ku, Nagoya

Wooden Spoons
3-8 June 2008
11:00-21:00
Lachic 5F
3-6-1 Sakae, Naka-ku, Nagoya

The Forum:
The works of furniture workshops
Mr.Daisaku Choh and Mr.Masanori Moroyama
8 June 2008
14:00-16:00
Denki Bunka Kaikan 5F
2-2-5 Sakae, Naka-ku, Nagoya

This is probably the first attempt in recent years for the Japanese woodworkers to make a network and launch events. It is going to be a rare opportunity to see many designer/makers' work in one place.

I will be exhibiting my works at 30 Woodworkers '08.
Shinsuke Kato, the director of Japan Green Woodwork Association, and Kaya Nagoaka, a graduate of Forest Academy, will show their spoons at the Wooden Spoons.
Come and see our latest works.

Designing your rooms around an ethnic theme can be exciting and fun and allows you to bring elements of other cultures and distant lands into your home. You can be more daring in your approach to colour and with such a wide variety of textures and patterns available, this can collectively add a whole new dimension to your interior design project. Unusual artifacts from different cultures can work very well as focal points in a room and as there are no hard and fast rules to stick to and because there are so many variations, you can go beyond the usual or traditional to portray a style that is not only beautiful, it is unique.

So what do we mean by ethnic?

Ethnic basically means native or indigenous people from a particular area so in relation to Interior Design it means to bring the natural elements that are representative of whatever culture, land or peoples you choose to portray into your own home to define your space.

Naturally the world is your oyster as they say so there are countless cultures to choose from, all you have to do is bring a particular ensemble of colours, patterns, materials and artifacts together to create a "look" that is recognisable and distinctive. What about a Mediterranean flavour, Native American Indian symbolism, or perhaps Tibetan Buddhism? Popular themes include African, Mexican, and Asian but you can go with whatever inspires or appeals to you. Here are a few ideas to get you started.

African Theme

Think of Africa and all that it conjures up in your mind, the landscape, the sounds, the smells, the colours, the mood, and then if you try to pick out the key points, what would they be? Colour schemes might include earthy colours like green, beige, browns and tans, set off with orange and splashes of red. Think about floor and wall coverings, natural substances would probably work best. Finishing touches can include wall hangings, African artifacts, drums, rugs, African fabrics and prints, animals made of stone, clay or wood, ceremonial masks hung on the wall, brightly coloured African bowls and pots, and so on.

Mexican Theme

What does Mexico mean to you? Perhaps desert colours with sandy tones, beige and khaki, along with reddish, rustic colours and hues. Blankets and woven fabrics in bright colours, perhaps terra cotta pots and bowls, pine wood is popular for furniture. Artifacts can include symbols of the South West or from the Spanish influence, or from the Aztecs, Mayans and other ancient civilisations, all of which can add an interesting and authentic Mexican look and feel.

Asian Theme

There are many variations within an Asian theme but two quite popular ones are Japanese and Chinese. Japanese themes tend to lean towards a more minimalist look and have a tranquil and peaceful feel. Consider a futon and using screens to get that Japanese ambiance. Colours tend to be natural and objects from nature often feature as focal points, for example, smooth stones and pebbles, water fountains and bonsai trees. Chinese themes on the other hand might involve brighter and bolder colours, lanterns, dragons and other mythological creatures, artwork depicting the traditional people colours and landscapes and Chinese handwriting.

How to get started

Once you have established which particular ethnic culture appeals to you, browse through books and magazines and the Internet to get ideas that will spark off your own imaginative flair. Identify what elements go together to make up that particular look or feel that you want to create.

Consider the walls, ceilings and floors carefully as this will provide a base for you to work from and then you can add in the details to finish it off. For example, is the texture and appearance of the walls and ceilings rough or smooth? What floor covering is appropriate, should it be wood, stone, tiles or carpets? Will rugs and mats make a difference and if so what are they made of? Are the windows better suited to drapes, blinds or shutters? What style of furniture works? What about plants, motifs, pictures and wall hangings?

The theme you adopt and the way that you choose to portray specific elements of that theme is entirely up to you and your imagination, the end result will be your own unique interpretation of a culture or a place and you will have added a touch of the exotic to your home.

David McEvoy is an expert in interior design. If you are looking for a leather sofa to give the finishing touches to a newly decorated room then please come and visit our site http://www.leathersofa.uk.com/

We met some friends in Philadelphia yesterday to tour two museums: The Mütter Museum (museum of medical oddities, including body parts encased in formaldehyde) and the Philadelphia Museum of Art (which is currently showcasing artwork by Frida Kahlo).

I would like to point out that The Mütter Museum was not my idea. I had vowed years ago that I would never tour the facility (I hate all things gross), but when my partner and friends dangled the Frida Kahlo carrot in front of my nose, I caved.

The Mütter Museum did not disappoint?I was queasy after the tour....just in time for lunch.

We had some time to kill before our appointment with the Kahlo exhibit, so we spent time exploring the Philadelphia Museum of Art, where as luck would have it, a fine collection of various types of sculpture, paintings, metalwork, ceramics, and FURNITURE (woohoo!) from 1680 to present is housed in the American Art section. Here are a few of my favorites:

1. Wardrobe, 1779, walnut, yellow pine, oak, and sulfur inlay, and with rattail hinges.
   
2. Side Chair, 1866, oak.
3. Desk & Bookcase, 1827, mahogany, mahogany veneer, stained burl ash, white pine, yellow poplar, and stringing. The Franklin Institute's report on its 1827 exhibit in which this piece won an award stated that it was "the best piece of furniture" of its kind.
4. Shaker Sewing Desk, Enfield New Hampshire community. Birdseye maple, cherry, walnut, and poplar.
5. Spectacle Case, 1800-1850, cherry, Shaker. Note the ridged side pulls.
6. PA German Painted Cupboard.
7. Shaker Worktable, 1800-1850, white pine and maple.
8. Giant Plug, cherry, from the Pop Art collection.

The Kahlo exhibit included a self-guided audio tour that was enlightening and informative, but we had some difficulty getting close to the paintings due to the large number of art lovers also on tour.

The museum closed before we had time to tour the other collections, which include European Art, Asian Art, Modern/Contemporary Art, and Arms & Armor, making it well worth another trip to Philly.

It was a fabulous Saturday?I've managed to erase the medical oddities from memory?and before we headed home, maybe because we were aglow from the spirit-lifting exhibits, maybe because we're a benevolent bunch, we decided to help a sister out with a little tweezing.
(click to enlarge photo)

People have written me asking for more information about the little osage orange plane in the side bar, so here are some images and measurements in case you would like to make one yourself.

Body: 4.5" long ? 2" high ? 1.125" wide
Opening: .84375" wide (13.5/15")
Wedge: 2.625" long ? .8125" (13/15") wide ? 12 degree bevel to fit
Blade: 3.625" long ? .8125" wide ? .125" thick

Bed Angles:
45 degree bed ? 57 degree shoulder (the portion of the sides that hold the wedge in place) ? 52 degree front bed

The plane is one piece of wood, so the most difficult part is chiseling out the wood inside the opening and being careful to ensure that the bed is perfectly flat. Layout your angles on the outside of your workpiece and transfer the angles across the top, down the other side, and on the plane's sole. Then, just keep an eye on your progress to make sure you maintain those angles as you chisel out the opening.

Other woods that make good planes are applewood, maple, bloodwood, cocobolo, and many other dense hardwoods.

Growth ring orientation, according to David Finck, author of Making & Mastering Wood Planes, is unimportant.

I know it's been a while, but I haven't been completely idle on the old truck project.... While I'm not directly working on it (I'm still in the collection phase), there's been a few developments worth note...

First - I picked up an engine and transmission. The engine is a 4-bolt main 350 chevy, I'm not sure of the year, but it's a good block. It's a rebuild, but it has less than 20k miles on the rebuild, and the bore and grind are virgin - never cut. There are some that might be taken aback some by putting a Chevy in a Ford, and I had those thoughts too... Truth is, I've been a Ford person all my life, and when I think back on my experiences - well, I don't feel too bad about stuffing a Chevy in there.

The tranny is a Chevy TH350  also with less than 20k miles (from the same place), and as it's geared it will work out well with the 2.75 gears in the Ford 9" rear end I acquired. I was considering a 700r4 overdrive transmission, but the price was right for the TH350 - and with it working with the rear I have I couldn't turn it down. It was a good price too - my brother got it as a trade for some work, and he traded it and the engine to me for a really decent price.

I've been remiss in showing some of the research that I've done in choosing these as my drivetrain - I hope to remedy that with the following, taken mostly from emails I was trading with my brother, out of old textbooks, and of course off of the web. Note - I make no claim as to the accuracy of any of this information, and the large majority of it was gleaned off of several diferent web sites, some of which are linked to, and some of which I have lost or simply combined information from many different sites.

Calculating transmission and axle ratios

Here's an online calculator for figuring axle ratios and the like: http://www.angelfire.com/fl/procrastination/rear.html There's a discussion of overdrive transmissions here: http://www.superchevy.com/technical/engines_drivetrain/driveshaft_rearend/0205sc_vibrations/ They seem to suggest this: "For street rods the magic number for smooth running in overdrive seems to be a minimum of 1,800 engine rpm with 2,100-2,300 rpm at 55-65 mph a good goal" Using a 25" wheel (same height as on my lumina, should be close enough), A TH350 trans with 2.75 gears will be going 57 mph at 2100 rpm and 62 mph at 2300 rpm (not overdrive) A 700r4 trans with 3.25 gears will be going 67 at 2100 rpm and 75 at 2300. A 700r4 trans with 3.50 gears will be going 64 at 2100 rpm and 69 at 2300. A 700r4 trans with 3.75 gears will be going 60 at 2100 rpm and 65 at 2300. So, according that - the 2.75 gears are perfect for a TH350, but a 700r4 might need as tall as 3.75 gears. But that article also mentions that a overdrive transmission will have problems with a carbureted engine unless a "kit" is installed, and also mentions the computer we talked about. Anyway, it seems more and more like the TH350 is the way to go, especially since it means the rear end I have is already geared right. Transmission Gearing: Transmission__1st___2nd___3rd___4th___Rev Turbo 350___2.52__1.52__1.00_______1.94 R Turbo 400___2.48__1.48__1.00_______2.08 R 700R4______3.06__1.63__1.00__.70___2.29 R

While I'm at it, I should list some of the research I've done on the Ford 9" - the one I ended up with is out of a 1977 Lincoln Versaille, which I think will fit perfectly - though that has yet to be seen...

Ford 9" Rear Ends
Going through some rear-end options, just researching. I'm just guessing, but I think the width I need is a 56". I think a 9" out of a truck -which is the most plentiful 9" out there - are too wide. A more optimum find would be out of a 60's galaxie, as from what I read, all 60's Galaxies had 9" rear ends. I also looked at a "crate motor" from Summit Racing. A 5.0L ford longblock was $4000. Way outta here with that. A complete engine from Spaldings runs $800 to $1200. I still think finding a donor car might be the way to go. V-8 Thunderbirds or Cougars would work as well as Mustangs, and might be easier to find. Additional Options: Might consider the 8.8" rear out of an '98 and newer Explorer if the width is OK. Factory posi, 31 spline axles, 3.55 or 3.73 gears, disc brakes and built in E-Brake. Best of all, cheap and plentiful. I gave $250 for mine from a local wrecking yard. Bolt pattern is 5 X 4.5." Thunderbirds and Mustangs in 1995 used an 8.8" rear end also that came with or without ABS brakes. 1990 Mustangs had no ABS brakes, but used the 8.8", where 1990 T-Birds did have the ABS option. There was also a 7.5" rear used for these cars that would NOT be suitable, but I think those were on the 4 and 6 cyl. models. An 8" out of a 1977 Granada was used in one project. Had 3.25 gear ratio stock. Basically from what I've read an 8" will work fine for anything up to and including a 300 horse motor. A Currie Enterprises version of a 9" made for a 1965 Ford Galaxie was used in "Old Bleu". This was a truck where a guy used mostly new parts: http://www.oldbleu.com/ Just out of curiosity, I took a look at Currie Enterprises, and priced out a "crate" rear end. They have what they call a "Hot Rod" rear end ("hot rod" means a universal application, 56" wide rear end), that one can buy with options on what you want. Here's what I priced out: 31 Spline - Stock Gear Case & Pinion Support Traction Lock 3.25 Gear ratio (same price for any ratio) 11" Explorer Disc Brake Kit w/5 X 4 1/2" Wheel Bolt Pattern (the drum brake version is about $50 cheaper) Base Price: $849.9 3rd Member: $999.65 Brakes: $899.95 Total Price: $2749.5 Price for Housing and Axles Only (Base Price Above): $849.90. When I broke it down further, the housing and axles were priced at $400 each. That's directly from Currie. I found this page: http://www.rodfactory.com/NewFiles/Rear%20ends.html Says this: The Rod Factory offers narrowed 9" Ford rear axles in 3 different stages. Our Stage 1 rear axle is 56" wide from wheel surface to wheel surface and comes with 28 spline axles, bearings and seals. The Stage 2 includes new backing plates, brakes and drums. The Stage 3 comes with a rebuilt, 2.75 or 3.00 Open differential. Other widths are also available and additional options are listed below. 9" Ford Rear Axle Assemblies Part No. / Description / Price 2590-1 / Stage 1 Ford 9" rear axle 56" wide / $695.00 2590-2 / Stage 2 Ford 9" rear axle 56" wide / $1045.00 2590-3 / Stage 3 Ford 9" rear axle 56" wide (2.75 open) / $1595.00 2597-1 / Stage 3 Ford 9" rebuilt 31 spline 2.75 TSD / $2045.00 2597-3 / Stage 3 Ford 9" rebuilt 31 spline 3.0 - 4.11 TSD / $2195.00 2598 / Rebuilt 28 spline open 2.75 3rd member / $649.00 2598 / Rebuilt TSD 28 spline 3.00 - 4.11 / $999.00 2598-2 / Rebuilt Trac Lock 28 or 31 splin 3.00 - 4.11 / $899.00   Currie Hot Rod 9" Ford Rear Axle Assemblies Part No. / Description / Price 2590-1H / Stage 1 Ford 9" rear 56" wide / $799.00 2590-2H / Stage 2 Ford 9" rear 56" wide / $1149.00 2590-3H / Stage 3 Ford 9" rear 56" wide (2.75 open) / $1795.00 2597-1H / Stage 3 Ford 9" rebuilt 28 spline 2.75 TSD / $2095.00 2597-3H / Stage 3 Ford 9" rebuilt 28 spline 3.0 - 4.11 TSDk / $2295.00 The list below is incomplete, I think - and I've seen some inconsistencies w/other web sites. Here's a couple good links on rear-ends: http://www.hotrod.com/techarticles/axle_rear_end_guide/ http://dfwmotorsport.com/Fairlane/9inchrearends.htm http://www.maliburacing.com/ford_9_inch/ford_nine_inch.htm http://www.ultrastang.com/Rearinfo.asp?Page_ID=1
Widths and technical infor on 9" Ford Rear Ends housing width in inches year/model 46 50 52 54 56 57 58-3/4   64-77 Broncos are 46" wide 58-60 T-birds are 50" wide 57-59 Ford/Edsel are 52" wide 63-69 Falcon are 52" wide 63-65 Comet are 52" wide 63-65 Fairlane are either 52" or 54" wide 65-66 Mustang are either 52" or 54" wide 67-70 Mustang/Cougar are 52" wide 66-69 Fairlane/Cyclone are 56" wide 66-69 Fairlane/Cyclone are 52" wide 70-71 Torino/Cyclone are 56" wide 71-73 Mustang/Cougar are 54" wide 60-64 Ford/Mercury are 56" wide 61-67 T-bird are 56" wide 58-72 F-100 pickups are 57" wide 73-90 F-100 & F-150 are 58-3/4" wide Another list had it like this: Year & Model / Axle Length / Notes 1965-1966 Mustang / 57.25 inches 1967-1970 Mustang / 59.25 inches 1971-1973 Mustang / 61.25 inches 1977-1981 Versailles / 58.50 inches 1967-1973 Mustang, Torino, Ranchero, Fairlane /59.25 inches to 61.25 inches 1957-1959 Ranchero and station wagon / 57.25 inches 1966-1977 Bronco / 58 inches 1977-1981 Granada/Versailles / 58 inches 1967-1971 Comet, Cougar, Mustang, Fairlane / 59.25 inches 1971-1973 Mustang / 61.25 inches 1964 Falcon / 58 inches 1967 Cougar / 60 inches 1967 Fairlane / 63.50 inches / coil springs 1972 Ford Van 3/4 ton / 68 inches Yet other information went this way: Where To Find The Nine Inch Rear Axle 1967-1973 medium and big block Mustangs and Cougars 1966-1971 Fairlanes, Torinos, Montegos, Comets, and other Ford intermediates with big blocks. 1957-1959 V8 Fords and Mercurys 1977-1981 Lincoln Versailles & Trucks Types Of Nine Inch Axle Housings 1967-1973 Mustang/Cougar - light duty, thinnest housing material, small axle bearings, 28 and 31 splines. 1957-1968 passenger car and 1/2 ton truck - medium duty, stronger than Mustang type, 28 and 31 splines. Ranchero/Torino - heavy duty thick wall housing, 3.25 inch diameter axle tubes with flat tops. 1969-1977 Galaxies (coils), Lincolns (coils), and late pickups (leaf)- 3.25 inch diameter all the way to the backing plate, coil housings have upper control arm mount How To Recognize Nine Inch Housing Centers 1957 - no dimples, flat center band up the center of the rear cover, bottom drain plug. 1958-1959 - two dimples on back of housing, flat center band, some had drain holes. 1960-1967 - two dimples, flat center band, oil level hole in back cover. 1963-1977 Lincoln, LTD, Thunderbirds had 9.375 inch centers, housings were cut away at the gasket surface for ring gear clearance, one curved rib at the front top portion of differential, strong but no gears. Tips On Shortening Nine Inch Axles 1972 and earlier 31 spline axles have the ability to be shortened. 28 spline axles are tapered and cannot be shortened and re-splined. 1973 and later cars have a 5-on-5 bolt circle and the axles cannot be shortened. 1967-1973 Mustang axles can be identified by wheel flange: Oval hole = 28 splines. Two large holes and counter-sunk center = 31 splines.

I looked at some old Ford Galaxies that were good candidates for width, but in the end the Versaille rear end came up on the local craigslist.com at a fair (but not cheap) price - so went with it.  What this all ended up telling me is that I am not going to go with a fuel injected, computer driven system like I first envisioned, but a naturally aspirated, old-school setup.  I'm more familiar with that setup anyway...

Back to the search: 

Other parts have been showing up at the door on occasion... First, an original stainless steel grille trim with only the most minor ding:

 

They do not make a replacement trim that I have found, and the grille I have didn't have one - so this was a good find. Next up, a piece that was supposed to be included with the parts I initially bought, but "mysteriously" was missing - the windshield frame:

There are companies out there that make a windshield frame, the cost is around $300 for a plain steel frame, and closer to $700 for a chromed one. The one I got cost 1/3 of the painted style and is in excellent shape - and as a bonus contains a windshield I may actually be able to use... Next at the door was the passenger side of the hood:

 

I have a full, complete hood, but the fins on the right side are pretty banged up. This one, while it has a good amount of surface rust on the exterior, is in much better shape. For $30, it will save me hours of work straightening metal. Here's the interior:

 

Now - one of the rarest body pieces you can find on a '36 Ford pickup is original steel rear fenders. There are no steel replicas made, all that's available is fiberglass at a cost of about $275. I have a pair of original rear fenders, but they are in pretty sad shape. I've been always on the lookout for replacements, but it often seems they go for between $900 and $1200 a pair, more than I want to spend - I can probably repair the ones I have for less than that. I did finally find one, a driver's side that I got for a somewhat fair price, though the fender needs substantial repair:

The crack is nasty, going through half the width of the fender:

Not only that, but there's the typical rot you find at the spot below the floorboards:

Still - even with all that wrong with it, it's still in better shape than mine. I'll still keep an eye out for another, esp. a passenger side - and if I end up with extras I'll either use my originals as source material for repair, or sell them at some point. I still may have to fix them, too - the one depends on how bad this one is once I get into it. Mine doesn't have much for rust, but it looks like someone was hooking a chain to it to try pull fence posts out or something... I would probably need an English Wheel to straighten it out, along with some metalwork that's quite likely well above my head.

That's it for now - I'll add more as it comes.

I'll try not to get into techno-garble but obviously we are all internet users here. I've started using an online app called Google Notebooks and it is a great tool for researching and sharing ideas and discoveries. I've been using it to organize notes and online info about tools and woodworking. You can publish your notebooks as webpages for others to use and also set it up to have multiple users add to the notebooks. The best thing is that it is easy to use and edit. Here are some notebooks I've made public Layout tools Workbenches Saws If anyone would like to join me in building these notebooks, just email me and I will add you to the list of editors. As these are filled in, it will create a great resource that is fully searchable.

Saturday Mornings at Highland complement our woodworking class & seminar offerings. Join us at our store in Virginia-Highlands on Saturday mornings at 10am EST for FREE, live demonstrations featuring a wide variety of woodworking skills, tools & techniques. These 1 to 1-1/2 hour-long demonstrations feature our knowledgeable staff and instructors, local clubs & guilds, guest authors, and others. Upcoming events include woodturning, woodcarving, care & use of hand tools, joinery, book signings, an introduction to woodworking design software, and much, much more.

Saturday, May 31, at 10:00am we are pleased to have Hal Simmons in the house teaching the Natural Edged Bowl. When he's not busy at the American Red Cross, he's teaching wood turning. He has studied with Nick Cook, Willard Baxter, David Ellsworth, Johannes Rieber, Chris Scott, Soren Berger and Ray Key. He enjoys traditional spindle, bowl, and hollow form turning using both exotic and domestic woods. Hal is President of the Chattahoochee Woodturners and member of the Georgia Association of Woodturners.

Hal will demonstrate how to turn a natural edge bowl. He will talk about consistency in wall thickness, chucking and mounting the piece on the lathe.

All demonstrations take place in Highland Woodworking's retail store in Atlanta, Georgia and begin at 10:00am EST.

Saturday Mornings at Highland complement our woodworking class & seminar offerings. Join us at our store in Virginia-Highlands on Saturday mornings at 10am EST for FREE, live demonstrations featuring a wide variety of woodworking skills, tools & techniques. These 1 to 1-1/2 hour-long demonstrations feature our knowledgeable staff and instructors, local clubs & guilds, guest authors, and others. Upcoming events include woodturning, woodcarving, care & use of hand tools, joinery, book signings, an introduction to woodworking design software, and much, much more.

Saturday, June 14, at 10:00am—Most believe that the finest example of tradition in the world of fly-fishing is a finely crafted bamboo fly rod. It combines craft, time and tradition into something that you can literally hold in your hand. Doug Hall has been making bamboo rods as a passion for over a dozen years and also teaches rod making. He will demonstrate how raw Tonkin cane is split, planed and ultimately transformed into a stream ready bamboo fly rod. Through examples he will introduce you to the principles of handcrafting split-cane rods.

All demonstrations take place in Highland Woodworking's retail store in Atlanta, Georgia and begin at 10:00am EST.