A lovely couple from Wyoming designed these blue spruce and hawaiian koa rings with birch liners. They wrote:

It's now time to cut the sides of the case. This is risky business because any mistakes cannot be corrected and Tommy is understandably nervous. After the cuts are made, he then hand-planes and takes a chisel to the edges.

So today I get a copy of the WoodWorker's Book Club bulletin and it lists the "Top 50 Member Favorites." I eagerly flipped through to see if my book on workbenches made the list.

It did. It was No. 30.

I was quite pleased by this bit of news. It was good to be on the same list as Taunton's "Complete Illustrated Guides" (at No. 1), Kerry Pierce's "Pleasant Hill Shaker Furniture" (No. 2) and Jim Tolpin's "Measure Twice, Cut Once" (No. 3, and one of my favorite woodworking books).

But my moment of glee was quickly flung into the dirty litterbox when I saw what aced me out at No 28: "Black & Decker's 24 Weekend Projects for Pets."  

That put my tail between my legs. Time to go home and start writing that birdhouse book I've had on the back burner.

— Christopher Schwarz

When I first opened the package, I assumed that the tool inside was a prototype that had a plastic blade. That happens occasionally here at the magazine when a manufacturer wants our opinion on a tool’s ergonomics before they crank up production.

But no, the white chunk of stuff at the end of the Gladstone Tools marking knife actually was the working blade. And this was no prototype.

The spear point of this 8”-long knife is ceramic. Ceramax 80, to be precise, a material you can find in a variety of industrial and home applications, including some kitchen knives.

According to the manufacturer, the knife is second in hardness only to diamond and “will never need sharpening.”

That is quite a claim, and so I immediately put the knife to work today to see how it performed. The ceramic blade is a spear-point shape that is about 1/8” thick. It has the same general shape as the now-discontinued Veritas marking knife we reviewed a few years ago.

The knife’s edges don’t feel as keen as a freshly sharpened steel knife, but the tool does lay down a fine line with little effort. It also offers the same feedback to the user as a steel knife as it makes its mark. I thought the Gladstone might feel a bit gummy (like a stainless tool), but perhaps I was just getting over the shock that it wasn’t a chunk of white plastic.

The handle that was shipped to me is not the same shape as shown on the Gladstone Tools web site. This knife has two pronounced flats that prevent the tool from rolling on the bench (always nice) and has a thin neck for your middle finger while marking joints.

The padouk handle (it’s also available in zebrawood) is well finished. It’s not as nicely turned and finished as the Blue Spruce knives, but it is nicer than most manufactured knives I’ve used. The price is $29.95 for the padouk and $31.95 for the zebrawood – those are fair prices for a nice piece of work like this.

Will the edge hold up? I sure hope so. Gladstone Tools is run by a man that many of us simply know as “Manny,” who runs Manny’s Woodworkers Place in Lexington, Ky. When I was first taking woodworking classes, I and my fellow students would hang out at Manny’s place and drool over the amazing selection of books (still the best, even today) and hand tools. Manny was always patient with us as we would fondle the Japanese chisels but purchase a small set of brad points.

Though Manny carried a few machines and power tools, the majority of his inventory has always been hand tools, including many hard-to-find things. When I first started woodworking seriously, it was Manny’s place that made a huge impression on me. I thought all furniture making used both hand and power tools. (A rude awakening was to follow.)

If you purchase this knife, add a comment below after you use it for a while and let me know how it held up. I’ll use it exclusively for a while and report back as well.

If Manny has come up with a way to ensure that I have one less tool to sharpen, that’s a pretty amazing accomplishment.

— Christopher Schwarz

For the first time in my life I truly felt like a father this week.

As you know, Gail is gone for at least a couple weeks to San Francisco, so I am alone with Peyton.

Although my office is 60 miles from home (thank God for our Diesel Jetta....), Gail only works 1 mile from home. So even though Peyton spends the day in "his room" (please don't let him know the truth that it is a kennel/crate) Gail comes home for lunch and lets him out.

Well, with me 60 miles from home during the day, Gail's absence would require The Boy to spend 11 hours in "his room." So when Gail flew out Tuesday afternoon, I found a Doggy Day Care in Grand Haven (about half way between our house and my office). On Wednesday morning, Peyton wondered what was up when I didn't beg him to go to his room so I could go off to spend time busting my hump for The Man. Instead, I put his leash on like he was going for a walk.

After all of the associated Leash Dancing was done, Peyton settled down and got in the car. We drove to Grand Haven and I took him into Paw Pro (the doggie day care experts). As I got ready to say Good Bye, the dad thing kicked in. I bent down and rubbed his ears and kissed him on his forehead. I told him to have fun. I told him I would see later that tonight. I reminded him that we were one winning lottery ticket away from spending all our Summer days swimming in Lake Michigan. Then, they led him off for a day of romping, playing, chasing, chewing, etc.

As he strolled down the hallway, he didn't look back. That's when I felt like a dad. I knew he was too excited to be thinking of me, and I knew I was going to have a worse day than him.

Heeding the advice of a viewer, Tommy starts wearing a dust mask when milling wood and hopes the damage he's already done to his lungs is not permanent. Tommy cuts the upper pediment box with a band saw and router and mounts it to the top of the desk. Then, he shows how he attached the front, back and upper boards to the box frame.

No, this is not a mock up for next year's jack-o-lantern teeth, but a real life example of cutting the tail instead of the waste. This demonstrates why you should always mark the waste, on both visible edges, before starting to cut and chop.

It almost makes me feel better that this error is over a year old. And it was a mock-up using scrap wood. And I was hurrying.

My New Year's resolution? Work smarter, not faster. The speed will come, and going slowly once is still faster than going quickly twice.

Boats, logs and claps - Oh MY! In Part One of the federal table wrap-up, T-Chisel visits Steve Brown, head of the Cabinet and Furniture Making Department and a 1990 graduate, of the North Bennet Street School. Steve provides a little last-minute how-to information on getting the embellishments perfect and critiques the table as the end of this project nears.

Tommy finally gets to glue this "bad boy together." After putting glue in the front only, he assembles the drawer dividers, the back and the partition and puts them in the desk to show the viewers. Watch this episode to find out why Tommy calls himself a "colorful guy, just not too bright."

Robby Pedersen has spent almost 20 years teaching cabinetmaking to young people. His shop and showroom ? RVP~1875 ? in Story City is a destination stop for school children throughout central Iowa. Before starting his business making reproduction furniture, Robby ran the period cabinet shop at the Living History Farms in Clive, IA.

During this seminar podcast, Robby will demonstrate cutting dovetails with the same tools and techniques used by pioneer craftsmen of the 1800s. You’ll find a link to the seminar guide, distributed at this seminar, for sale at the Woodsmith Podcast Store.

Tommy needs to put stops in the back of the drawers, gluing one to each side of the drawer. The finishing touch is adding a screw to the back. Tommy is pleased with the drawer, particularly the grain texture that complements the entire piece. But when he looks back at this video, he probably won't stay so pleased. Check out his singing and, shall we say, disheveled attire.

My wife has me looking at Spinning Wheels.

So help me God, every time I think about it I get stuck humming Blood, Sweat, and Tears for hours.

Anyway, I am sure I have explained that Gail is a prolific knitter. She is quite likely a better knitter than I am woodworker. There is no doubt her completion of projects blows me away. I complete about 0.33 projects per year, and Gail busts out about 2 finished goods PER WEEK. The woman is a machine. Now she wants to start spinning her own yarn. I believe this is analogous to the fact that I use rough sawn stock. Once she starts wanting to raise sheep or alpacas, I’ll have to counter by buying a forest and a sawmill.

I may end up building her a spinning wheel, if only so I can weasel in and take partial credit for all future work she does. Then, at dinner parties I can say things like, this is an Irish Fisherman’s sweater my wife spent 60 hours knitting for me, but hey….back in 2008 I made the spinning wheel that she used during the 10 hours of spinning that was necessary to make the yarn that was needed for the 60 hours of knitting.

While in Dublin last month we visited a knit shop (Cleo) where I saw a different way to collaborate. I first whipped out the camera to get some shots of the clothing racks they used. I thought they were cool.

Then, I saw something on some of the sweaters that struck a woodworking note….6000 year old buttons carved from Bog Oak. (click the photo to read the tag)

So if Gail and I collaborate on some of these sweaters, how might my bragging go… "Well, Gail has about 40 hours in the sweater, but each button takes me approximately 6000 years and 20 minutes. However, you know me…you can’t rush quality."

Tommy and Albert do a critical phase in the bombe lower case-gluing the writing surface into the case. Neat little tip on gluing long pieces together without over loading with glue. Albert even gets a little jiggy with it at the end. Go Albert Go.

Tommy sits down with Al to respond to questions and comments posted in his newly-launched message board and send out a big thank you to all his fans (and especially Chicago Ron for the cigars!). After being asked by a viewer, Al gives a "quick" biography of himself. He also fields a question from another viewer about a matchstick holder he made.

Tommy and Al talk workshop safety and make a table saw push stick to ensure all your digits stay intact.

Black Desk, Part 1
Black Desk, Part 2

Now I get to start on the top of the desk. The original plan was to use the same plywood and maple as the bottom shelf, however plans change. Especially when I get my hands on a 7ft oak ply desktop!

The church I work at had torn down a desk made by the in-house cabinetmaker. The top was made from 3/4" oak ply with solid oak edging and birch ply reinforcement underneath. It's heavy, sturdy, and best of all: Pre made!

I trimmed it to the 74" length I needed for the desk with a circular saw. I then spread CitruStrip on to remove the varnish. Scraped with a plastic scraper an hour or so later, then wiped down with mineral spirits to remove any trace of the stripper.

I let it dry overnight then started applying the Minwax Water Based Wood Stain in Onyx. On the underside I only applied one coat. Just enough to darken the bright bare wood.

One note about this stain. It dries FAST! In 3 minutes or less here in Colorado. I was unable to stain the entire top in one pass because the stuff would dry before I could wipe it off. I had to do it in sections. I found stripes the length of the top to be most effective in masking the overlapping sections.

I applied the stain in 6 coats over the course of several days, as time permitted. Because the oak ply had been stained and varnished before, the stain didn't penetrate the same as fresh wood would have. It took 6 coats to get the ebonized look I was shooting for. There is some small amount of the original color showing through under just the right light, which adds to the look.

After the stain fully dried (read: when I finally got some more time to work on this), I began applying the varnish. I chose Deft Semi-Gloss Brushing Lacquer because I'm addicted to the smell of lacquer. NOT! The stuff is brutal! I had to open the garage door all the way and use a respirator to put the stuff on. And the smell still permeated the house.

But it gave me the finish I wanted. Because I was going for a satin look over a solid black desk I wanted the look a solid semi-gloss finish would give. It was the closest to the dresser I had already purchased for him that I could get. Normally I would use a gloss finish for all coats except the final one, only then applying a semi-gloss. That does the best job of preserving the color and beauty of wood. But this wood is black. There is no color.

I've gotta say that I really like the way this stuff flows out when it's brushed on. Hardly a trace of brush marks throughout the desk. And with 6 coats (yep, six!), I expected to need to sand it down pretty heavily. But it was unnecessary since there were no brush marks to have to sand down!

My box fan with a furnace filter did a terrific job keeping the dust from landing on the wet finish. No bits or bumps to deal with.

The finish also flowed nicely into the oak's grain, allowing the texture of the wood to show.

I'm happy with the results. I just wish I could keep the odor from getting into my house. I think I'm going to have to stick with the less nasty finishes like shellac and poly in the future.

After the 6 coats were applied over a full Saturday, I let it cure overnight in case there were any thick areas that needed extra time to harden. I doubt it, but better safe than sorry.

So this morning I got my son to help me carry it into his bedroom and install it under his bunk bed. The layout of his room precluded a full shot of the bed with the desk underneath. And, honestly, it's a teenager's room. You really don't want to see any more than I'm showing!!

I had drilled pocket holes in the leg frames with a Kreg drill bit, and these were used with Kreg 1" Fine pocket hole screws to fasten the top to the legs. I also put some felt pads at the top of the legs to keep the top from loosening and rattling on the legs over time.

Once everything was installed and tested by my son and I laying on it (I'm not skinny either), I put his lamp on the end and took some final pics.
My son is really happy with the results, as am I. I love how everything turned out and suspect he'll be using this desk for a long time.

Soon he'll have his computer, some shelves, and piles of crap all over the thing.

He is a teenager, after all.

I was in Toronto on Tuesday - visiting with some good friends - Anson and Joanne. I was also delivering this little Blackwood infilled XSNo.4. This plane has a few unique features worth noting.

The sole of this plane may look pretty typical - but the material is quite unique - it is pure iron. There is a very skilled blacksmith in town here - and during one of my visits, I asked him if there was a material that would be “rust proof”. He said he had some pure iron from France that might be suitable. So he gave me a piece to try.

This plane is going to spend a good part of its life restoring a boat on the east coast - so rust was a primary concern. I used brass pins to hold the infill in - to eliminate another potential rust area. I used a steel pin to hold the lever cap - I was concerned that a 3/16"D brass pin would not hold up over time.

The pure iron sole was a real treat to work with - much softer than the 01 I usually use. It felt more like bronze than steel. It piened beautifully! I suspect this won’t be the last pure iron sole I use.

For the Myanmar people of Southeast Asia the blossoming Paduak is an enchanting time. I have heard that to walk among the Padauk trees when in full bloom is to walk hand and hand with the spirit of nature. For the Myanmar people it signifies youth, love and romance.


See it here: Ruby Red Padauk Wood Ring

Hi Folks
For a change I've been tinkering with my guitars. The Telecaster that I recently refinished is back together and a replacement scratchplate arrived today to add the icing on the cake. Sadly it doesn't fit quite right so you'll have to wait until tomorrow for a "post tweak" picture. She looks really pretty, though. Kinda Tele Keith Richard would be proud of.
Also did a little upgrade on my Strat (yes, there is a Fender theme here!) I fitted a set of "Texas Specials" single coils, the ones in the Stevie Ray Strat. And what a difference a set of pick-ups can make - transformed! If you ever wished your guitar was a little posher sounding don't buy a new one - upgrade!
Made another pair of "Black Beauties" and thought you might like a photo. A friend has recently discovered a treasure trove of Indonesian Rosewood" and I aim to ransack some of it so stay tuned for more rosewood tinted planes soon.
Cheers
Philly

Happy Father's Day from Highland Woodworking!

A special $20 Free Gift just in time for Father's Day.

Purchase a $150 (or greater) Highland Gift Certificate by June 15, 2008, and we will give you a FREE $20 Gift Certificate as a special bonus.

Visit Highland Woodworking to order your Gift Certificate today!

Beautiful Mesquite Cabinets require the hand of a craftsman and Mesquite HardWood from ADM.



Photo Courtesy of Warsaw Woodworks

Fine Mesquite Cabinets installed By Craftsmen Like Joe Mozdziock of Warsaw Woodworks of Chino Valley Arizona really make an impression. This Kitchen Center Island was installed by Joe in the Prescott area. The Kitchen can become a place of warmth and beauty , and premium lumber from Arizona Desert Mesquite is the place to start. Here's a shot of some cabinets in the kitchen.

 

Contact :

Warsaw Woodworks
Joe Mozdziock
P.O Box # 2625
Chino Valley AZ  86323
(928) 636-0197

joemoz@netzero.net