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Workshop for Lilliputians
05/01/2008, 00:37 | The Village Carpenter
June marks the 4th anniversary of the completion of my new workshop. Prior to that, I worked in a basement shop with concrete floors, 6 foot ceilings, exposed lightbulbs, and exposed knob & tube wiring. Dungeon-like.Yet it was still my favorite place in the house.
I dreamed for 10 years of having an above-ground shop and when I finally decided to have one built, I spent a full year researching heating systems, insulation, material, lighting....everything.
I even built a to-scale model of the shop, complete with all my equipment, just to make sure that everything would fit and that I would be ab
le to tell my builder where to put the outlets. I determined where to put the 18" bandsaw in relation to the back window, so that long boards could stick outside and rest on the sill while I ran them through the blade. The model also helped my builder work up pricing.
The first design had a second story and a finishing room closed off by a sliding door. After my builder told me how much it would cost, reality set in, and both those luxuries were crossed off the list.
The model itself was built hurriedly?just plywood tacked together with brads?but it helped immeasurably when I was able to tell my builder where to put my 300 pound band saw and 400 pound table saw, as he and his helper carried them out of my basement shop and into the new one. They were able to plop them down exactly where I wanted them. I doubt they would have appreciated some lady telling them to "Move the table saw to this wall. Nah, that's not right?move it to that wall instead. A little to the left, no right."
The next sound I would have heard would have been my contractor and his helper slamming the door shut behind them, leaving a trail of expletives in their wake.
Planning for and designing my shop was an exciting journey, and I ended up with a cute little woodworker's dollhouse in the process.
Get Published - Bookcase Challenge #6: And The Winners Are...
04/26/2008, 01:37 | LumberJocks.com :: woodworking showcaseLumberJocks raised the bar again with over 50 entries in our Bookcase Challenge. You proved that it’s possible to be very creative even with such a common project and you made the judging process extremely tough for the editors of the Popular Woodworking.
Here’s the summary of the event as well as the announcement of the winner and runner-ups by Glen Huey, Senior Editor of PW:
“Congratulations everyone. The LumberJocks excelled at designing great looking, buildable bookcases and we were certainly impressed with the group as a whole. This became a difficult task for the Popular Woodworking editors. We individually studied the entries to arrive at our own favorites, then brought those to a group meeting hoping we might see a consensus winner. Instead, we had 11 bookcases to work with to try and determine a winning design. Each design had aspects that we both liked and disliked (editors can be particular when it comes to projects for articles, you know). Even the top entries have design or possible construction techniques we would like to see tweaked, but here goes the list.”
“At the top of our list, after much discussion, is Ryan’s Shoji Screen Inspired Bookcase. This is a very nice design and will be a great article in our magazine. We look forward to working with Ryan as his bookcase comes to life in the pages of PW. Congratulations on his upcoming or recent family addition, too.”
“Close behind Ryan’s bookcase was Daniel’s A&C Bookcase with Magazine Drawers. This piece was very close to the top and had strong support from each editor. In the end, we felt that Daniel’s bookcase displayed too strong of a mixture of many A&C designs. And, the magazine drawers, when fully loaded, would be extremely heavy to access.”
“Also a strong contender was Charlie’s Sliding Dovetails Bookcase. What slowed our enthusiasm for this design was the difficulty of sliding dovetails, but when discussed further and a few suggestions were made in how this might become an easier project with a simple adjustment in joinery, Charlie’s design gained momentum, but was just nosed out by Ryan’s design.”
And here are three random winners of the LJ shirt:
Congratulations!
String Inlay
04/24/2008, 21:42 | The Village Carpenter
Lie Nielsen now carries tools to create string inlay* (pictured at right) based on Steve Latta's innovative designs.I took Steve's inlay class a year ago at Olde Mill Cabinet Shoppe, where we made simpler versions of the tools (pictured below).
While I won't show you how to make the tools since they are Steve's original designs, I will tell you that they are simple to use, if you're thinking about taking Steve's class, buying the L-N set, or making your own. I practiced for only about an hour before starting a Chester County line and berry design for a spice box door. It only took about 3-5 hours to do all of the inlay for this panel, although the "berries" aren't finished yet, nor has the surface been finish-sanded. It's far f
rom perfect, but hopefully people won't inspect it too closely once it's done (which may be never, since it's been sitting in this state of incompletion for almost a year....)
The radius cutter pivots on a point while little teeth plow a groove for the inlay. You can see a close-up of the teeth configuration on the L-N website. In Steve's class, we also made a tool that plows a straight line and a thicknessing gauge that ensures the veneer strips are consistent in width. To use the gauge, you pull the veneer stri
p through a kerf in a block of wood. One side of the kerf is wood. The other side has a little scraper attached to it.L-N also
offers a dvd featuring Steve Latta creating the line and berry technique. I have not seen this video, but I can vouch for Steve's excellent teaching skills.It's easier than you might think to add decorative string inlay to your projects.
*I do not sell for Lie-Nielsen (or Steve Latta), nor have I used their inlay tools, so I cannot comment on their performance.
Tool Test: Mortise Pal
04/18/2008, 19:23 | Popular Woodworking 
While surfing around the woodworking sites, I found mention of this jig for cutting mortises. It?s a Mortise Pal (mortisepal.com). If you have a plunge router (weighing less than 12 pounds), a 5/8" outside-diameter bushing and an upcut router bit, you can create mortises for mortise-and-tenon joints and loose-tenon joinery using a Mortise Pal.
To use a Mortise Pal you need a 6" base on your router. If you use a smaller base, due to the jig?s design, the base could slip off one side resulting in a bad mortise (the router rides on top of the side supports). Also, pay attention if your router?s base is something other than round. As for weight, 12 pounds pretty much restricts you to a 2-1/4 hp router or smaller, so don?t try to hoist up that 3+hp hog and cut mortises.
And of course, an upcut router bit is best because it pulls waste from the mortise and the cut will be easier to make, and cleaner when finished.
Any stock in which you want to cut a mortise in the end can be a minimum of 1" in width. Stock thickness can be from 2" to 3/4" (you can mortise thinner stock by arranging shims as shown in the manual, which you can download off the web site or below). The mortise length is determined by the mortising templates (four sizes are included in the kit) and the router bit size (a maximum 1/2" due to what fits through the bushing). Changing the templates is a snap and locking them into position is both secure and reliable with each change.
Layouts for mortises you cut with the Mortise Pal are different from the method most of us are accustomed to using. For this tool, find the center of your desired mortise along both length and width, then use the engraved line and small pointer on the jig to set up the cut. Once you?ve dialed into your lines, lock the brass thumbscrew, twist the lock knob to secure and you?re ready to work. (To watch a Mortise Pal in action, click here.)
I don?t cut mortises with a router most times; I have a mortise machine for that task. But, if you don?t have a dedicated mortise tool, a Mortise Pal is a good choice. (Hand-tool Neanderthals take a breath, please.) One area that always bothered me when building furniture was when I mitered a base frame on a chest of drawers or other case piece. I often chose to use a biscuit joiner for the connection. Because the Mortise Pal fits the workpiece, especially if the piece is mitered, I see using the Mortise Pal there for a simple loose tenon connection, resulting in a strong joint.
Bottom line: the Mortise Pal is well-machined tool that works. I think it?s a bit pricy at $189, but the Mortise Pal has CNC machined anodized aluminum parts along with stainless steel parts, and the templates are polycarbonate. In my opinion, there was no skimping on manufacturing. Also, if you buy a dedicated mortise machine, you?ll spend more and not have the mobility or range of uses you have with this tool. And, you?ll get the job completed quicker than if you hog out material at a drill press, then clean up the mortise with your chisel.
Here?s a tip for routing mortises. Plunge the mortise area first, then slide the router along the cut to clean out and remove any left-behind waste material. I plunge the ends of the mortise then move to the center before clearing the cut. This may be old news for you, but I picked up the process just a little while back ? there is always something new to learn while woodworking.
? Glen D. Huey
Mortise Pal Manual.pdf (785.41 KB)
257 - Chris Schwarz on MBW
04/18/2008, 03:51 | Matt's Basement Workshop PodcastChris Schwarz, editor of Popular Woodworking and Woodworking Magazines, author of "Workbenches: From Design & Theory to Construction & Use", and of course star of three Lie-Nielsen DVDs agreed to come on the show for an interview with yours truly.
While I meant to ask Chris everything under the sun regarding hand tools and his various articles that I've accumulated over the past few years (I swear I'm not a stalker, just a devoted Schwarzee). I narrowed it down to just a few key ones ranging from hand sawing to dealing with letters to the editor by happy and unhappy readers alike.
I hope you enjoy this interview as much as I did doing it. Chris agreed to come back on some other time, so stay subscribed for possible upcoming visits in the future.
Hendrik is returning in May to answer your questions about getting a woodworking business up and running. It's a little teaser before his annual seminar so get those questions in as soon as possible.
Also, Hendrik is starting his annual three part finishing seminars:
Part 1 "Preparing the Surface and Staining" - April 26th or May 3rd.
Part 2 "Hand Finishing and Rubbing Out" - May 10th or 24th.
Part 3"Antique Restoration Techniques" - May 31st or June 7th.
So if you live in the Toronto area or feel like visiting it, and you want more information about Hendrik's finishing seminars, send an email to info@passionforwood.com
Of course you can always drop me a line with your questions, comments, suggestions and schwag entries anytime. Just send them to mattsbasementworkshop@gmail.com.
Listen to today's show by clicking on the player below
To download this show directly to your computer just Right Click and "Save Target as".
Get Published - Bookcase Challenge #5: Just 4 Days To Go
04/17/2008, 17:20 | LumberJocks.com :: woodworking showcaseDon’t forget that the entry deadline of our Bookcase Challenge is on Sunday.. so there are just 4 days to go.
I suggest to read the rules carefully before posting your polished entry. Here they are again:
HOW TO ENTER / OFFICIAL RULES
- The primary function of the entry is as a bookcase. You won’t gain points if the piece is a dining table with shelves located below the apron ;) Plus it must be able to be built in the real world ? not just in the computer program.
- Design must be your own, not copied from another existing piece.
- Design your entry in Google SketchUp or other 3D/CAD program. Hand drawn plans are accepted as well.
- SUBMIT your challenge entry as the regular blog entry (not as the project) and tag it with challenge04 (of course you may add any additional tags too):
Note that you don?t need to use ?challenge04? in the blog entry title. - You can submit only one entry – give it your best shot.
- Describe your modeling process in a blog entry and add at least one screenshot of the finished bookcase design created by you.
- You must include the final model file in your entry ? if you’re submitting other than hand drawn plans. SKP SketchUp file or DFX file if you’re using CAD-type program.
- The entry deadline is April 20th.
- Winners will be announced online at LumberJocks.com and PopularWoodworking.com on April 25th.
You can read the answers to frequently asked questions here.
And here’s the video tutorial:
GOOD LUCK!
My Take On Dovetail Angles
04/15/2008, 20:09 | Popular Woodworking 
My take on dovetail angles might appear to be strange, but I have solid reasons for my choice ? if I do say so myself. Here goes.
Dovetail angles are most notably described in degrees, but is often stated as a ratio, either 1:8 or 1:6. These ratios translate into a 7º or a 9º angle. These are the established angles; the angles we?re suppose to bow to upon pulling our marking gauges from the bench drawer as we prepare to cut the parts of the joint. One angle is suggested (a better word might be mandated) for softwoods (9º) and the other for hardwoods.
So, do you need two sets of marking or layout tools? One set for working dovetails in softwood and one for hardwoods? Why would you want to purchase tools that do the exact same task, only at a different angle? And, where is the dovetail joint used for the most part? That?s right, in drawer construction. Many woodworkers use a combination of hardwood drawer fronts with either hardwood sides (poplar) or softwood sides (pine). Yes there are other combinations, but I venture to say these are the most common in American antiques throughout the major furniture periods of Queen Anne, Chippendale and Federal.
I use Newport, R.I., as a demarcation line for typical woods used to build drawers and if you?re building reproduction furniture from Newport south (not Southern designs that use yellow pine as a secondary wood), you are probably using two hardwoods for your drawer parts; poplar as the sides, backs and bottoms with another primary hardwood as your drawer fronts. The two hardwoods traditionally dictate using a 7º slope.
But, what about us poor souls building drawers based on New England designs? Designs built north of Newport, R.I., where drawers use hardwood for the fronts and softwood, namely pine, as other drawer parts. What angle should we choose for our dovetails: 7º that matches the use of hardwood, or 9º used for softwoods? What a conundrum.
Additionally, we have the development of the dovetail jigs that suggest (there?s that word again) we use a 14º-dovetail router bit to make the tails and a straight bit to cut the pins. I can say I like the slope of these dovetails much better. Aesthetically, these are more pleasing to my eye. And that?s what I think should drive your dovetail angles ? aesthetics.
Don?t accept the traditional ratios. I?ll bet a study of furniture and drawer construction from the 1700s through today would turn up many different dovetail angles. Of course, I?ve used the 7º, 9º and 14º angles during the period I used dovetail jigs to cut my joints. I?ll bet when I switched over to hand-cutting dovetails I used a few angles in between as well ? as a beginner, it?s nearly impossible to stay on the layout lines. I know of no joint failures and not once have I seen the angles break or shear along the slope of the tail (something preached if the slope grows well beyond the traditional ratios).
The Angle I Use
So, where am I today with this dovetail angle question? I use a 12º angle. Why 12º, you may ask? Here?s my reasoning. I certainly wasn?t going to switch angles depending on the application (too much wasted time) and I wanted an angle that fit somewhere in the middle of the established slopes. And how many places does the number 12 show up in our world? We have 12 months in a year. Two sets of 12 hours in a day. Most people know that a dozen of anything is 12. And to bring it in line with woodworking, if you?re fitting a raised panel into a 1/4" groove and the panel needs to be the full width of the groove as it rests tight to the bottom of the groove (a snug fit so the panels don?t rattle), you need to set a 12º-angle cut for the panels.
And most important, I like the angle when I look at it.
Is it just me? Am I crazy? (That?s a question I?m sure I?ll get a few comments on. Remember the glove incident?) What degree slope do you use for your dovetails and why?
Tool Review: Veritas Dovetail Saw Guide
04/15/2008, 19:57 | Popular Woodworking 
Lee Valley Tools sent out a new product release for a guide used for cutting dovetails. It?s not really a new guide, but a new angle for the guide. The reconfigured Veritas 14º Dovetail Guide (05T0205) has a 14º-angle cut instead of the 7º or 9º slope that's associated with the oft-quoted dovetail ratios of 1:8 and 1:6. (For more on my thoughts about dovetail angles, click here or at the bottom of this entry.)
I?ve had occasion to use a 1:6 ratio guide, and although it was for a limited amount of time, I was very impressed with the way the guide held the saw in the correct position for woodworkers. So, I was interested in getting the new design into the shop to evaluate after a lengthier period of use.
The guide is made with an anodized aluminum body and has a 3/4" rare earth magnet embedded at both ends of the jig. Those magnets grip your saw and hold it at the correct position, angled at 14º. Each end of the guide is covered with UHMW plastic to protect the jig, and your saw, as you make cuts. The guide and complete instructions come as one package, or you can purchase the guide, instructions and a saw as a second package.
Any saw without a back can be used with the guide and Lee Valley has the saw they recommend (click here to see the guide with that saw), but I had another idea. The Autumn 2007 Woodworking Magazine (issue #8) ran an article discussing flush-cut saws. In that article we listed Lee Valley?s kugihiki (60T06.20) as "highly recommended." I used this flush-cut saw with the guide and found it worked great. I recommend purchasing the kugihiki and making the saw work double duty as both your dovetail guide saw and your flush-cut saw.
This guide does not automatically produce a dovetail joint. You need an understanding of dovetails at the outset. You?ll need to know the difference between "tails" and "pins" as well as have a certain understanding of layout and what?s the waste side of your layout lines (information provided in the included instructions). With that information at hand, this guide helps improve the quality and accuracy of your cuts.
I?m a "pins first" dovetailer, so naturally I began cutting the pins. This is the only experience I had with the guide earlier and I knew the jig worked great here. I started with a half pin on both ends of my board, then positioned and cut two full pins in between. Once the guide is clamped at a layout line, the saw snapped to the magnet and was held perfectly vertical as I made the 14º cut. The cut came out perfectly straight. Next, I chopped out the waste to finish my pins and used the pin board as a layout tool for the tails.
A sharp pencil provides tight, accurate lines and that?s exactly what I needed to position the guide. The clamp portion of the guide can be removed and repositioned to cut the tails of the joint, too (see the photo at right). I set the guide so my pencil lines were just covered ? that forces you to cut on the waste side of your lines ? and made the cuts that define the tails. Clean out the pin waste and the tails portion of the joint is complete. Slide the pins into the tails and the dovetail joint is made. This guide can also be used to cut half-blind dovetails.
To read more about dovetail angles, click here.
Bookcase Challenge Running Full Force
04/08/2008, 14:48 | Popular Woodworking
Just to give you a taste of the competition, if you haven?t been following the event at lumberjocks.com, I thought I would show a few of the early entrants. These woodworkers stepped up and delivered their designs right out of the gate. And, these few morsels should help to inspire your designs, but remember your design has to be original.
The first entry is from Gwurst (not his real name). Gwurst says he was stymied while trying to make a traditional design stand out. So, he did what any woodworker worth his salt would do, he turned to curves. He also says he couldn?t build this design, but it appears he has an eye for design. Will he get a chance to build his bookcase? How does his piece stack up against the competition?
Here?s another reason to participate in the contest. Huck and his spouse teamed up for their entry. Huck explains that his wife designed the bookcase and he did the SketchUp work. The original concept was to build the unit from sustainable material. Good idea! Now he is sure that he?ll have to build the bookcase whether it?s the winning design or not. I plan to stay tuned to this entry to see if Huck follows through and completes the bookcase. That?s a very nice ?honeydo? for the list.
Next up is a look at Joey?s design. Joey decided to bypass Google SketchUp and put pencil to paper. (That?s in keeping with the rules; you don?t have to be a computer whiz or spend time learning a design program ? although we think once you get a taste of SketchUp you?ll find many uses for the program while working wood.) Joey's inspiration for design came from a huntboard that captured his eye, so he submitted a bookcase with loads of storage, many curves and smartly used sections of inlay banding. I hope he decides to build this design. I would enjoy seeing this project completed.
There?s more eye candy to see. Take a look at submitted designs (click here), then add your own. I wouldn?t wait until the last minute if I were you. The challenge ends on April 20th and there?s no sense taking chances. Besides, I think getting the comments from fellow LumberJocks and other woodworkers would be half the fun. What do you think? Do you see a design that has you stepping out to the shop to build?
? Glen D. Huey
The Greatest Woodworking Show on Earth
04/01/2008, 20:56 | Popular Woodworking 
A few years ago, I attended the Woodworkers Showcase show in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., and I was amazed. It was the most perfect woodworking show I had ever attended. Why? Because of four things.
1. The free classes and seminars were extraordinary. That year I learned more about cold-bending from Jere Osgood and furniture design from Garrett Hack in a single day than I'd learned by reading (too many) books.
2. An amazing display of furniture, turnings and other objects (even a canoe!) that were built by the members of the club who put on the show, the Northeastern Woodworker's Association.
3. Hands-on displays and demonstrations of jigs, fixtures, carving and sash-making that were ongoing the entire weekend.
4. And, of course, booths and booths of vendors selling new equipment and vintage tools.
And amazingly, admission for all this was just $7 for adults.
This year, I was asked to demonstrate at the Woodworkers Showcase ? a huge honor ? on April 5 and 6. It's this coming weekend at the Saratoga Springs City Center. Click here for information on the event.
I'll be demonstrating the scraper sharpening technique I developed after plumbing the historical record, and I'll be showing off the three kinds of handsaw cuts that I discuss in the newest issue of Woodworking Magazine.
In addition to my demonstrations, you can also catch demos from chip-carver Wayne Barton, box-maker and instructor Doug Stowe (ask him about Sloyd if you see him) and Peter Korn, who runs the Center for Furniture Craftsmanship and is a talented woodworker. Plus, there will be demonstrations from members of the club on every topic imaginable, from marquetry to miniatures to turning to rustic furniture construction.
When I'm not teaching, I'll be in a booth selling a few books, magazines and DVDs. If you're at the show, do stop by and say hello.
If you live anywhere in the northeast, this is a show that shouldn't be missed. People drive from all over the eastern seaboard to attend the Woodworkers Showcase. It's worth it (heck I flew up from Cincinnati when I first attended).
Hope to see you there.
? Christopher Schwarz
Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill
03/31/2008, 18:47 | Popular Woodworking The restored Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill, Kentucky, has been on my list of places to visit for a long time. It is only a two-hour drive south of Cincinnati, and I can't count the number of times I've driven through the area and thought: "next time, we'll stop." This past weekend we made a special trip, and stayed overnight.
Pleasant Hill was one of the largest of the western Shaker communities, and the only one remaining that is open to the public in this part of the country. I had been to the Shaker Museum in Chatham, New York, and the Hancock Shaker Village in Massachusetts. Several of the pieces from Pleasant Hill have been featured in Popular Woodworking; most recently a firewood box was our "I Can Do That" project in our February 2008 issue. I saw three or four variations in different locations.
One of the unique aspects of Pleasant Hill is that a good portion of the property is an inn, with a wonderful restaurant and rooms available in the original buildings. I've been to a lot of museums and restorations, but I've never spent the night in one. It added immensely to the experience, giving us a much better feel for what life would have been like for the community members. (It also gave us some much needed peace and quiet.)
Our room was next to one of the most famous features of the village, the twin spiral staircase in the Trustee's Office. As a museum visitor, I would have gone up once or twice and taken a good look, but as a guest I enjoyed the stairs every time I left our room. It truly is an amazing piece of woodworking; there are actually two stairways on either side of a central hallway. Each side is two flights, twisting up to the third floor where a skylight provides both light and the feeling that these stairs lead to heaven.
Most monumental stairways are full of intricate details such as carved newel posts and turned balusters. The details in the stair are incredibly simple, yet the combination of shapes, and the subtle changes as the stairs turn and rise, make this an elegant statement of design and craftsmanship.
So if you're ever driving through Kentucky, make it a point to stop and enjoy as much time as you can spare. And don't leave without trying the lemon pie.
? Bob Lang
Black Desk, Part 1
03/31/2008, 05:11 | Wood Destruction by a WoodscrubBlack Desk, Part 3
"Emo"? "Goth"? "Death Rocker"? What name do the kids with pale skin and black clothes go by now? Bleh. Can't keep it straight.
My 16 year old son, however, just likes black stuff. Especially with an asian twist. Can't help with the asian thing (I bought his dresser because of the asian styling), but I can go with black.
We picked up a bunkbed for him from AFW. It came with a little desk underneath. The desk was a piece of crap that broke during assembly. It was too small anyway, so we decided to make a desk the full length of the bed. So basically the bed and desk are the same size, bed on top, desk on the bottom.
We needed to do this on the cheap, so dimensional lumber from Lowe's is the material. $1.80 2x4's for the legs, and 1x2's for the framing. I usually like working with construction lumber, but not this time. I don't know if I didn't wait long enough to use it (I jointed and planed the 2x4's 3 weeks before milling for the legs) or if it was just craptacular wood. In addition to this, the 1x2's were made of friggin styrofoam or something. They virtually disintegrated when machined in any fashion. They splintered, chipped, cracked, etc, to the point where I gave up trying to improve the crap. It'll all be hidden anyway, so I've just got it as nice as possible then left it alone.
Whatever the reason, this became more of a challenge than I am used to.
Because of the expected abuse this desk will take (it is going into a teen's room, remember?) I wanted mass in the legs. So I doubled up the jointed and planed 2x4's. Rolled on the glue and used lots of clamps. This took forever because I only have enough clamps for one leg at a time. Glue, clamp, wait 2 hours. Glue, clamp, wait 2 hours.Glue, clamp, wait 2 hours.Glue, clamp, wait 2 hours.
The problem was I got some checking while the glue was drying. I couldn't believe it! I was furious. Stupid construction lumber.
Sigh.
Luckily, the ends of the legs will be hidden by the desk top and the floor. As long as the checks stay within the end grain, I'll be OK!
I trimmed to final length (29") and started on the design. First I used a 1/8" kerf saw blade to cut two lines around the bottom of the leg. This was a simple task with the crosscut sled. I just clamped a block at the distance to the first line, cut the kerf on all four sides of the leg, and
repeated for all four legs. I then moved the block a little over an inch and repeated. Sanding was accomplished with 150 grit paper folded over a ruler.I also wanted some vertical designs on just the front legs. So, thanks to the inspiration I received from a member of Woodnet's forums, I slapped together a jig to guide my router in cutting some tapered coves in the front of the two visible legs.
I basically used a strip of plywood, cut it in half, then cut a 3/8" piece off each half. Those acted to separate the two halves when glued together, creating a template for my router.I used a 1/2" cove bit with a 1/4" shaft, and my 1/4" Porter Cable guide bushing.
A note about the PC bushings. If they're nickel plated, they're crap. The @#$%%^ nut will NOT stay locked in place. I bought a Woodcraft branded brass 1/2" one that stays tight with no problems. Porter Cable really REALLY needs to address this. I'm not the only one with problems with the silver bushing sets. In fact, it seems to be nearly common knowledge among the more experienced woodworkers
online.I made one cove shorter than the other by clamping a wrench across the opening to the jig, causing the router to stop sooner. This gave a little variety to the otherwise geometric designs in the legs.
When routing the coves, I had to fill in the middle because the coves were larger than my bit. But the 1/2" one was all that I could fit in the opening of the jig. So the effort was spent cleaning out the bottom of the cove with multiple router passes instead of coming up with a mickey mouse method of getting a larger bit into the jig, or redesigning the jig.
The taper was accomplished by sticking a piece of wood under one end of the jig, raising it up
3/8" or so. I set the bit depth so it took out less than 1/8" of the leg at the top, but a full 1/2" at the bottom. Because the cove bit cuts deeper, it also cuts wider at the bottom, giving even more interest to the design. This is the first time I've tried varying the depth of a cove like this, and I'm happy with the results.The legs were attached with 1x2's using glue and pocket screws. The construction grade 1x2's were complete crap. Splintered and cracked at any opportunity. And it considered dirty looks opportunity enough!
I only attached 3 sides because the desk top and shelf will hold them together much better than these shitty 1x2's.
Once glued and screwed, and the glue scraped off I cleaned up the garage to make room to finish the legs. Because I'm going to have to make this a knock-down piece of furniture, I needed to make sure the normally hidden surfaces were stained. So the bottom got stained first. I used
Minwax's water based stain in Onyx.We did lots of tests with different "black" or "ebonizing" stains on pine and birch along with different final finishes. We ended up with the Minwax stain applied in two long-soaking coats, followed by 3 coats of water based poly. For the appearance checks I just used some rattle-can Minwax crap I happened to have. I'll find a better WB poly to use for the final finish next weekend.
The last photo was after the first coat of the onyx. It shows grain and even knots nicely, while keeping the feeling of a naturally black wood. The depth of the color will really come out when the second coat is shown and the poly applied. But before the poly, there will be an added detail that I'll show in the next installment.
Mollino, Wendell Castle and the Rough Cut Forum
03/30/2008, 16:59 | Furnitology ProductionsWhen you are a builder, in our case in wood, each endeavor, demands laser beam focus. A bit of self evaluation has me noticing that I post more when my work is completed and I?m transitioning, a very good trait for a building woodworker. I get notes from the guys over in T-Mac?s Forum telling me to get ?chop, chop?in? on Carlo.
Well yesterday, I put Carlo back in focus, along with a Wendell Castle inspired piece. The 2 pieces are in good phase right now, gluing-up on one and sculpting on the other is a nice mix. We?ll see alot of Carlo and peak-in on the Castle piece.
I?ve also taken on the nighttime challenge of being a part in the first that I know of, Furniture: Internet Classroom Blog Build.
Tommy MacDonald (AKA: Chizz, T-Chisel, T-Mac, Big-T) of Rough Cut Fame, with Al and a North Bennett Street School student, Eli Cleveland, have produced an internet woodworking podcast curriculum taking those interested through the building elements of the Federal Period. Yesterday we got our first look at the project, the forum, gives T-Mac a good chiseling and calls it the Crazy Leg table, but I see it as a great marketing tool. Which leg do you prefer?? Would you like satin wood or lace wood in the drawer front??? The bellflowers are an expensive option; would you like to include those????
T-Mac?s design has those building and those watching; making 4 different style legs? of the Period, bellflower inlay, sand shading edges, making inlay banding, cockbeading and a top decorated with all kinds of inlay elements of the Federal Period. T-Mac?s thinking is that once the forum is exposed to the Federal Period, a Pembroke table, Demilune table and such, could be the next project. The project presentation will be geared towards evening shop time.
For those of you unaware, the Rough Cut forum is what I term, a ?building or working forum?, not many posts show after 8am or before 6pm. That may change as the build gets underway. What I like about the forum is nobody tries to dominate knowing everybody on the forum is very knowledgeable and each woodworker has something to offer. After all the tag line is?.. ?a podcast for the serious woodworker?.
If you are interested in period furniture, or like me believe there is nothing wrong with ?Mona Lisa?s Mustache? after all; I have done a Chippendale top in mica and metal and see value in mixing periods, jump into the Rough Cut Forum build or just watch the podcasts. There?s positive energy to feel and it should be interesting to be a part.
As for our blog??.. expect a lot of Carlo, peaks at my Castle inspired piece, an ICFF interview, and a visit into the shop of David Ebner who is presenting at this years Furniture Society Conference. That video is shot, I?m scheduled to shoot another Furniture Society player April 10th.
?less type-type??more chop-chop????Neil
GO TO: Rough Cut Forum
Union Village Blanket Box
03/28/2008, 00:04 | Lost Art Press Blog 
The Union Village Shaker community is about an hour north of my home in Fort Mitchell, Ky., but it doesn?t figure large in the world of Shaker furniture like the eastern Shaker communities do.
Union Village was the first and largest Shaker community west of the Allegheny Mountains, and it was the parent community for the western Shaker communities in Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana and Georgia.
Founded in 1805, more than 4,000 Shakers lived at Union Village during its peak and they were known for selling herbal medicines, seeds and brooms. The community declined until it was sold in 1912. The site is now a retirement community in Warren County, Ohio.
One of the artifacts remaining from the village is a walnut blanket box with fine lines and tight dovetails. The box is similar in form to many Shaker chests that are extant, but this one has always been a favorite.
I chose to adapt this design because it highlights the advantages of my preferred chest-building method. The fine bit of transition moulding around the plinth is easy to accomplish with this traditional construction technique.
While I retained the proportions and lines of the Union Village original, I used finger joints instead of dovetails. And I used figured maple instead of walnut. These two alterations give the box a contemporary feel.
Statistics:
Dimensions: 21-3/8? high x 38-1/2? long x 18-1/4? deep
Materials: Tiger maple exterior; poplar interior parts
Finish: Custom blend of oil, varnish and linseed oil.
Construction Details: All surfaces are handplaned using traditional techniques. Plinth and box are joined using entirely traditional joinery methods. All the hardware is iron with traditional pyramid-head screws.
? Christopher Schwarz
A summer sweater - Tutorial
03/12/2008, 20:27 | Arts and Crafts BlogThis time, I´ll give you a complete tutorial to make a very nice sweater.
The first rows: double elastic stitch (10 rows).
After that rows: start the desing.
1st design row:
1 -Pass the first loop from left needle to right needle. (pic. a - b)
pic. a
pic. b
2 - Make one lace, as you can see in pic. c.
pic. c
3 - Pass another loop from left needle to right needle. (pic. d) (*)
pic. d
4 - Knit one stitch. (pic. e)
pic. e
5 - Pass the third loop (the one you made on step 3) over the las one you knit. (pic. f)
pic. f
6 - Knit three stitches (no pic)
7 - Knit two stitches together (pic. g)
pic. g
8 - Make a lace.
9 - Knit one. (*)
10 - Make a lace
11 - and start all over again since the first * to the last *.
Lace.
The last stitches of the row are: - Knit 2 stitches together - one lace - Knit one. (you have to finish like this if you want to follow this pattern)
2nd row: Purl all the row (including the lace loops - that way the little holes appears)
3rd row:
1 - Pass the first loop from left needle to right needle.
2 - Knit one
3 - One lace
4- Pass another loop from left needle to right needle. (*)
5 - Knit one
6 - Pass the fourth loop (the one you made on step 4) over the las one you knit.
7 - Knit one
8 - Knit two stitches together.
9 - Make a lace
10 - Knit three.
11 - Make a lace (*)
4th row:
Purl all the row.
5th row:
1 - Knit three.
2 - make a lace
3 - Pass one loop from left needle to right one (*)
4 - Knit two stitches together.
5 - Pass the third stitch over the two stitches you knt in step 4 - this way you close the upper angle of the triangle.
6 - Make a lace.
7 - Knit five stitches.
8 - Make a lace.
repeat from (*)
6 a 12 row : rice stitch
Start all over again from the first row of the design.
Here you can see a complete view of the pattern:
And here a closer view of the “Lace” design.
You have to use a thin yarn and thin needles to make this pattern.
Try it, it´s not so difficult and the outcome it´s great.
Kisses,
Fran
Visit this sites for more ideas: Knit n Purl Zen , Little Purl of the Orient.
Nicholson Bench
03/06/2008, 17:32 | Arts & Mysteries with Adam Cherubini - Blog The "Nicholson" or "English" bench is a simple workbench, possibly made using 2 by construction lumber, that features a characteristic deep front apron drilled to enable to the use of holdfasts or pegs to support work vertically. It lacks any penetration through its top save a single planing stop. A simple and ineffectual face vise adorns the front left side of the bench. No tail vise or additional means of support are shown.
The bench gets its name by its depiction in Peter Nicholson's early 19th c text "Mechanic's Companion...." (the real title is a paragraph long, typical of the period). Nicholson's text is much in the same form as Moxon's late 17th c text "Mechanic's Exercises..." and contains much of the same sort of information. Nicholson covered a variety of trades, and republished the manuscript over a period of years in various forms, very like Moxon. One of the biggest differences between the authors is that Nicholson was actually a workman whereas Joseph Moxon was a chronicler.
The image of Nicholson's bench should be familiar to woodworkers. It appeared in Landis' coffee table book "The Workbench Book" (Taunton Press) and Chris Schwarz included a reprint in his vastly superior text "Workbenches" (FW publications). This oft republished image also shows the surface plane trinity: fore, try, and smoother, as well as a plow, sash and moving fillester planes, all essential to the work of a house joiner.
The entire text of Nicholson is available on line, thanks to the good folks at Google Books. You are free to download a pdf copy to your hard drive (highly recommended). Google "Mechanic's Companion" and choose the 1845 edition, as its a better scan and the pdf includes hyper links. The image of the bench is on page ii in the opening pages of the book. Don't miss the description of the construction of this bench including its hidden "locker", which I've never seen reproduced.
In addition to the engraving in Nicholson, similar benches are shown in contemporaneous paintings of English woodshops (see Landis' or better yet, Gaynor's (see below) book for reprints of these paintings). Slightly earlier texts by Frenchmen Roubo and Diderot depict benches that are similar to each other, yet contrast starkly with the Nicholson bench. These, now called "French" benches, feature thick, monolithic tops mounted to stout legs with no evidence of aprons. Roubo also showed a variant of these benches with an elaborate face and tail vise, and identified it as a "German" bench. Perhaps due to Roubo's regionalized identification, combined with the corroborating English paintings and contrary French images, some have taken to referring to Nicholson's bench as an "English" bench.
One problem with the use of the term "English Bench" is that it suggests that regionalism was the cause of the form as opposed to typical use, materials, or available technology etc. Thus obscured is the fact that the Nicholson bench is always depicted in association with joineries, not cabinetshops. Interestingly, the lid of an English joiner's tool chest circa 1790 (he may have been a cabinetmaker) shown in Jay Gaynor's fine must-have text depicts a thick topped bench with no tail vise (so far similar to a "French" bench) with a twin screw vise applied to the front left. The Dominy bench is somewhat similar in form. What I like best about the tool chest lid (which I believe resides in Jane Rees' personal collection) is that it shows the workman holding a tankard of what must be beer, thereby engaging in an apparently ancient woodworking tradition that I hold dear and sacred.
The advantages of the Nicholson bench appear to be its simple and inexpensive construction, light yet stiff design, and easily achievable extreme length. These features, along with its apron, suggest a particular superiority for the work of a house joiner, responsible for long runs of moldings, and the fabrication of household doors and windows.
I don't personally consider the bench to be universally superior to any other style. It works for its intended use. But I appreciate the inexpensive materials required, simplicity of its joinery, and its light weight. All of which would certainly be attractive to joiners who required little else, may be called upon to transport or construct a bench on site, and who had access to wide, sawn, often softwood timbers.
I recall one woodcentral.com participant bemoaning the then fad quality of the Nicholson bench, suggesting we were a fickle bunch to switch from French bench devotees to English bench devotees and back again, possibly with a layover in Scandinavia in between. Though the thread died shortly thereafter, I think the poster had a good point. Workbenches do indeed seem to come in and out of style, seemingly for no good reason. In my opinion, the reason for bench fads is the lack of real and basic analysis. Schwarz has provided more and better analysis than anyone has to date. But he also left a fair bit up to the reader, and instead focused on more useful subjects like how to actually build the darn thing, what works and what doesn't.
I think if you have a question about what a Nicholson bench and whether its right for you, you should do the following:
1) Read Landis' book at the public library (or neighborhood Woodcraft!)
2) Read Nicholson on line
3) Buy a copy of Schwarz' book (if for no other reason than to encourage the only guy giving serious thought to such subjects)
4) Add Gaynor's book to your personal WW library
5) Consider that form probably more often reflects use than geography
6) But most importantly, consider what sort of work you do, intend or wish to do, whether you'll ever need to transport your bench, and honestly assess your woodworking skill, budget, and time available for bench construction. And while you're considering all of that, build a Nicholson bench next weekend using Schwarz' book as a guide so you can get some woodworking done in the meantime.
? Adam Cherubini
More handmaded earrings
03/04/2008, 23:53 | Arts and Crafts BlogI made this earrings and the bracel for a firend´s doughter, Lucy. She loves animals, so I gave to the earrings a personal detail.
To make the earrings use rounded pliers to make chains with the wire. You can make yourself the part of wire that goes in your ear: put the wire arround a pencil or pen (or arround something cylindric) to give the wire that shape.
I made this earrings and the bracel below, embroidening the beeds in an elastic fishing line.
Here you can see both designs.
Hope you like them! Try handmaded jewerly, it’s an adicction!
Tool Making
02/27/2008, 14:38 | Arts & Mysteries with Adam Cherubini - Blog This weekend, I'm hosting a SAPFM get together. A few fellow period woodworkers are going to crowd into my tiny workshop and see how and why I make my own hand saws.
Of all the really esoteric things I do, making hand saws may top the list of esoterica. I get really wrapped around the proverbial axle by the intricacies of saw teeth, handle designs and blade shapes. I'm shamefully familiar with saw history, and the many permutations of modern saws and makers. Fortunately, my shop is tiny because I can;t imagine filling with woodworkers similar excited about hand saws.
br> But for me, tool making is a necessity. I can't generally buy what I need. And the attention I've paid to each little attribute of my hand saws is really just a continuation of what we all do as period woodworkers.
I suspect as we continue to move forward as a community that tool making will take on an increasing role in our work. Many of us may find it necessary to make tools. Others will undoubtedly find it necessary to rely on those who do. Whatever the case, better, more accurate work requires increasingly better and more accurate tools.
I don't think I could look you in the eye and tell that you I started making tools willingly. I did so begrudgingly. But its not been without its rewards and I can see how someone could get as addicted to tool making as I am to furniture making.
? Adam
The Spinning Wheel - De-Constructing an Original
02/22/2008, 04:10 | Norse WoodsmithWell, it seems my brother had been keeping great great granddad's old spinning wheel - I had forgotten the box that it was in when I left the homestead, and he had been storing it for me. After reading the last piece I did on spinning wheels, he must have read it and remembered he had it -and got it out in the mail to me - because it arrived a week or so afterwards:
It's missing some pieces, but there's a good majority of it still there. The legs and pedal are gone, and it's missing the two pieces that hold the bobbin/axle.
It's an interesting piece to me on several counts... First, it was made by great great grandad... Second, it's a study in wooden machinery - everything has a purpose and yet it's still elegantly constructed. Third, it's an example of true frontier craftsmanship. I'm not sure of the exact date, my best guess would have been somewhere near the 1870 to 1890 range, in the Dakotas. This would have been made with the most meager set of tools, and quite far out in the country... I think I remember reading the nearest flour mill at the time was a full day away.
Parts of a Spinning Wheel |
| To have a discussion about the construction of the old wheel above, it would probably help to review just what the parts are called... I got much of this information off of various web sites, including The Joy of Handspinning, which is a wonderful resource for the enthusiast - I'm more interested in the construction, but that doesn't do you much good if you don't know how the thing works!... I'm using dad's wheel, which is a replica of the old one I'm looking at:
|
| Tension Knob: A threaded knob, turned to raise or lower the bobbin and flyer assembly thusly reducing or increasing tension on the drive bands. Maidens: The upright posts that hold one end of the bobbin and flyer assembly Flyer Whorl: The pulley that drives the flyer - it has several different diameters so different speeds can be achieved Flyer: The U-shaped piece with hooks - the hooks are there just so the fiber can be spooled evenly onto the bobbin. This is what spins the fiber. Bobbin: A spool that collects the spun fiber Orifice: Where fiber is fed into the wheel as it is spun Drive Bands: Twine or string that drives the flyer whorl from the fly wheel Mother of All: The upright piece that holds up the tension knob, bobbin, and flyer Fly Wheel: The main drive wheel - the large wheel that is powered by the treadle Footman: Hard to see in the photo above, it's behind everything- it's the wooden piece that connects the treadle to the fly wheel Treadle: the foot pedal at the bottom |
It's made from at least three, but more likely four distinctively different woods, from what I can see - and I think you can tell somewhat in the top photo. I'm not positive of the exact species, but from my experience with wood and my knowledge of the trees native to the area in which it was made, my best guesses would be birch or elm, maple, and basswood or poplar. I will get into where each was used as I deconstruct the thing.
Metal pieces would have been difficult to fabricate and expensive to purchase, so their use was kept to an absolute minumum. Could he have bought the metal pieces, or had a machinist make them for him? It's a possiblity. The pieces could have been ordered via mail order and shipped to the closest dry-goods store... yet they do all show at least some amount of fabrication. That eveidence could just be the technology of the time showing through, however - I'm just not qualified enough to say.
The only metal pieces are the axle/treadle drive on the fly wheel, the metal hooks on the spinner/flyer, and the axle for the flyer/flyer whorl assembly. The metal reinforcement on the flyer (the U-shaped piece in the photo below) shows signs of hammering to shape, and is riveted in place with metal pins and is surely of his own making.
The part that would have probably been the most difficult to make would have been the axle for the bobbin/flyer assembly... It appears it was made from something else, and made to work. I'm not exactly sure what it would have originally been had he fabricated it - it might even be two pieces, I can't really tell. The center was drilled out from the end and from the side to create the orifice that allows the fiber to be fed through it.... Both holes are off center, and show some evidence of being drilled and filed by hand.
You can see the orifice on the axle of the flyer on the right in the above photo, where the fiber is fed into the wheel. The far end of the axle in the photo above has a small taper to it - and is also threaded to hold the bobbin and flyer whorl on. It looks to me like the tapering was done by mounting the bolt in a wood lathe and tapering it using a file while turning. Fine metal work would have been difficult on the prairie in those days... and this is one of the things that lead me to believe this piece was at least partially fabricated by old great great granddad.
The bobbin (on the left in the above photo), the flyer, and the flyer whorl are all made from a very dense, close-grained wood - my guess is maple, though it could be just about anything of a similar nature. It needed to be, as the walls of the pulleys on them as well as the U-shape of the flyer makes using a strong wood imperative. The bobbinis made from a single piece... You can see by the breaks that it was made from a straight piece of about 3" round wood. The hole the axle slides through goes all the way through the bobbin, obviously - my best guess as to how this was made would be to first drill the hole through the rough blank - then mount the blank in the lathe and turn the bobbin to its final dimension. This would assure the axle hole would be centered on the bobbin. The far end of the bobbin is actually the first pulley you would use as part of the flyer whorl assembly - you see it in the next photo and the one two down that shows the whorl in it's place.
Here you can see the far end of the bobbin and the leather "bearing" that the axle is pushed into (the flyer whorl is not in this photo - it would take up the space between the bobbin and the adjuster piece the leather bearing is pressed into):
Both ends of the axle were mounted in leather bearings... but unfortunately the maiden that holds the closer end was missing on the original. Using another wheel made by granddad's brother, he fashioned the maiden with a leather bearing similarly to how that wheel was constructed:
You can see that it was simply a thick chunk of leather, glued into the maiden. This allows for the bobbin assembly to be easily removed from the wheel, simply by turning the maiden. There's not a lot of pressure on these bearings so they function quite well (as evidenced by dad's copy), and the leather would simply have been replaced as it wore out. Lubrication, if any, would have been tallow or beeswax.
The flyer whorl is made with two different sized pulleys so you can adjust the speed of the flyer - faster for more twists per inch in your yarn, and slower for fewer. More twists made for a stronger thread - but took more raw fiber. Fewer produced more "fluffy" yarns, good for sweaters and the like.... at least that's what I think - I have no experience spinning my own yarn. I still have the flyer whorl for the original, though unfortunately only half of it - but it does show how it is constructed pretty well:
You can see the differing diameters of the pulley to allow the flyer to spin at different speeds depending on where you placed the drive bands. The bobbin spins freely on the axle so is independent of the flyer whorl. It is driven by its own pulley on the end next to the whorl that is a slightly different diameter - this is so the bobbin would spin at a different speed than the flyer. Otherwise the yarn would only spin in place - with the different speed it slowly spools onto the bobbin as you feed more fiber into the orifice.
This is known as a "Scotch Brake"... it basically means the yarn spools quite slowly onto the bobbin, while being twisted (for strength) many, many times for each single time it spools on the bobbin - which is the major function of the wheel. It is this twisting that gives the yarn it's strength - without it, it would simply pull apart.
A good spinner feeds fiber into the orifice at a steady rate, thusly avoiding thinned out or lumpy yarn that is strong enough to knit. More twists per inch results in a thinner, stronger thread - fewer provide fluffier, more insulating yarn.
The drive bands would have been simple twine or leather strips, or possibly even yarn - it didn't need a great deal of force to twist the fiber, so grip wasn't terribly crucial - speed was.
You can also see the tensioner knob assembly in the photo above at the top of the aptly named "Mother of All". It's broken as well, but it shows how it was made... A threadbox would have been pretty standard fair in most shops of the time, so that's not too surprising to find. It still works quite well, even after being exposed to the elements for many years.... The Mother of All is broken here as you can see in the photo above and below, but again at least we can see what it looks like:
The Mother of All is so aptly named as it is the main structural element of the wheel - everything pretty much hangs off of it. It, along with the maidens and most of the spindle work (with the exception of the spokes in the wheel) are made from a hardwood I would say is either elm or birch - it's hard to tell exactly as the wood is aged so. But those were common woods used in local furniture of the time - especially turned furniture. Oak was available and used extensively for standard casework, but wasn't preferred for turning because of it's open grain and it's tendency to tear out. I would imagine the elm or birch was riven and turned green, much in the fashion of windsor style chairs, and wedges were used to fasten the tenons to the half-moon shaped base (which I think was made of either poplar - but could be basswood)... There would not have been any kilns in the area, any dried lumber would have been air-dried.
Which brings me to the fly wheel, the most prominent piece of the spinning wheel, has some interesting construction methods. The outer wheel was constructed from four separate pieces. The wheel is made what I think is basswood, though it could be poplar, I suppose... both are plentiful in the area. There are a couple ofreasons that basswood would appropriate here. First, a lighter weight wheel would be easier to spin. Women using these wheels would often spin for many hours on end, for many days in a row... ease of use was paramount in their design. Second, basswood is a very easy wood to work... Mounting a wheel this size and turning it in a treadle lathe would have been quite a task... the easier one could make the task, the better. Third - since these wheels didn't carry a load, like say maybe a wagon wheel would, there would be little or no structural stresses on them, so basswood met the bill.
The pieces for the outer rim were first assembled before they were turned using splines and wooden pegs to hold them in place. You can see here where one of the pegs was placed too far out and was turned into:
The outer wheel itself was not constructed in the same manner as a wagon wheel - where the spokes have tenons that mount into the outer wheel - for the reasons mentioned above. It was first assembled and then turned without the spokes - they were added afterwards. Here you can see one I've pulled out:
After the main hub was turned, the spokes were made to fit inside the outer rim, then holes were drilled through the rim into the spokes - and a wooden dowel was driven in to hold the spokes in place. There just one problem with that - how do you make sure the hub is centered in the outer rim? Well - my best guess is that the hub and spokes were made first. The hub first, then the spokes, which could then be glued into the hub. The hub could then be mounted on a temporary axle and turned, allowing you to mark the end of the spokes in the same location as you turned the hub. The outer rim could then be turned to match this dimension... It's just an educated guess, mind you - but the best I can come up with given the circumstances.
As for the hub, it's one piece, with an axle that mounts into the adjacent spindles thusly:
The far side of the axle has an offset that attaches to the footman, which then is attached to the treadle. And yes - at the lower left of the hub in the photo above, that is a knot... As a matter of fact, it continues through to the other side:
Why would he have used a piece with a knot like that in it, you might ask? I would put forth that it was a matter of convenience... As I mentioned above, a lot of the wood used for the contruction of this wheel would probably have been worked green. The wheel would have had to be dried wood though. Most likely that meant that it was was harvested from already dead wood - possibly even seasoned firewood. There wasn't storage space available for storing wood while it dried... The house they lived in would probably have been the size of your living room and housed 5-7 people... The barn would have been similarly small was soley for livestock. The shed that served as a shop would have been more like a lean-to, perhaps with a pot-belly stove if the owner was well-off. So dried wood was a luxury most couldn't afford, but for the wheel it would have been necessary as green wood would have shrunk and rendered the wheel useless. So it's my guess it came from whatever was available - and since it didn't need to be all that strong, it wasn't a problem structurally. Also, I should mention that the knot would not have been this pronounced when it was made - this particular wheel was exposed to the elements for many years, so has weathered quite a lot. Originally, it would have been a very tight knot.
About all that's left is the base, legs, footman, and treadle - and all I have of those is the base... The base is made of poplar, it appears. I remember hearing the half-moon shape was a sort of trademark of his, but I'm not sure of this... compared to the other his brother did later, its a unique feature and was supposedly preferred by the people who used them as they were stronger. I do recall hearing that this makers' work was highly prized by those who received it, at least within the area he lived.
I may restore this old wheel someday - no, it will never be in working order again, but I may try to get it just so it is all in one piece and has all of the parts, just for display. I doubt it's worth much to anyone but me - but it sure is fun to have around to look at and to study, to give one appr