Warning!!  The video was all shot with the old camera!!

The new workbench top is in place and it not only looks great but it works great too.

A nice flat surface, easy to attach accessories and jigs and of course when it gets to messed up...off with the old and on with the new.

Thanks for all the feedback so far, keep it a coming!

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If you'd like to enter for free schwag or just have a comment, question or suggestion drop me a line at mattsbasementworkshop@gmail.com or  head over to my website at www.mattsbasementworkshop.com or call our Skype Voicemail at 231 354-2338.

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Since I started working on the teacher's pen project, I have been thinking more about what else I can do to create more intricate designs for my pens. I also attended a local bowl turners group meeting earlier this week where one of the guys talked about how he makes his segmented bowls. That seemed to kick the old imagination into high gear.

Taking my first step into segementation with smaller pieces, I cut up some maple that I had already planed down to 1/8". I laminated these little pieces with an accent color and turned a sample.

This is what I've got:

This shows me that conceptually I'm on track. Now I need to work on putting together a full sized blank so I can complete a pen and see how it looks.

Each piece of maple is only 1/8" thick. To show the scale, I'm including this picture that has my sample next to a dime. The length of the sample if just over 1 inch. The diameter of the sample is just about 3/8". The final diameter of a slimline pen would be a little bit smaller than this.



Hopefully in the next couple of days I'll have some time to work on putting that full sized blank together.

I was able to get a resource for the ramped mortis I used when installing hinges on my plane cabinet.  As you recall I ramped one side of the mortis to accomodate the non-swaged hinges.  This of course was not an original idea of mine and it generated some great thougths on the blog.

Below is a page from Charles Hayward's ?Carpentry for Beginners?.  If you look at figure 2 you can see that he is showing a ramp for one side of the non-swaged hinge.  The file is a word document.  I was unable to post the picture directly onto this blog, sorry about that.  If you have any trouble opening it please let me know and I can email it to you.

Regards
John


Hayward.doc (926 KB)

I was talking to a close friend today about differentiating twins. I mentioned that my nephews Harrison and Jackson are the most identical pair of human beings I have ever encountered. The only discernible difference is that Harrison has an Alec Baldwin-esque voice that sounds like he smokes 4 packs of Lucky Strikes per day (that is excessive for a 5 year old).

I just cannot imagine my two nephews being apart. For example, once when Gail and I were babysitting the twins and their 3 siblings, all 5 kids went down to the basement to watch a movie… slumber party style. I went down there and found 4 sleeping bags. When I asked why there were only 4 sleeping bags, the middle child (Maddy) looked at me like I was an idiot and said, “The twins sleep together.�

Harrison and Jackson recently got a room to themselves, and they got bunk beds. When they gave her a tour of their room, Gail asked them who slept on the top bunk. The reply was, “Nobody…we both sleep on the bottom.� When I think of the twins, I just can’t conceive of having one without the other.

So imagine my surprise when I discovered the story of a different pair of twins who were separated at birth. This story is one of the things I learned when Gail and I travelled to Dublin recently. It’s a lamentable and cruel tale of two twin brothers separated at birth. One was taken to America, and the other was hustled off to Ireland. However, the DNA connection of these two was so strong that even though each never knew of the other, the very chemistry of their makeup carried them down educational roads and career paths that were remarkably similar.

It wasn’t until I happened to go shopping one day in Dublin that I discovered the story of TK and TJ….The MAXX Brothers.

“You know what the funniest thing about Europe is…it’s the little differences.� Vincent Vega, American Philosopher (deceased)

The wood for this ring is from a tree which is commonly known as the “Tree of Heaven�. It is the tree that has taken on the symbolism for what it is to be an immigrant in America in the book “A tree grows in Brooklyn� by Betty Smith. Anyone who has ever come in contact with this tree will remember it. The journey to learn more about this tree has led me to learn more about myself. It was the long forgotten memories and dreams of a little boy that this piece has allowed me to rediscover.



The base wood is walnut which represents passion and intellect. The crème colored wood ailanthus (Tree of heaven) celebrates the spirit to overcome all life throws at you.
http://www.simplywoodrings.com

Three people at "the real job" have requested a set of Adirondack chairs. I'd also like a couple more for my own yard. To get everything ready,I've been working through a pile of rough pine my brother-in-law had given me. One set of chairs need to be done by Friday. Thankfully the person that wants these doesn't want me to finish/paint them. That is going to save me some time, and quite frankly if she had wanted them painted they would not be done in time. I do need to add little cup holder divets to the arms rests, but that shouldn't take to long.


One of the sets of chairs I made a while back had an unfortunate encounter with a puppy that liked to chew things. I'm going to make a replacement set of arms because it drives me crazy knowing that my chairs look ugly! I've seen them too, that dang dog did a heck of a job.

So I recently bought six handscrews (two each of the 8", 10", and "12 jaw length). I put them on the rafter near the workbench and radial arm saw where I can reach them easily if I need them, and I can tell already I'll be using them a lot. They've been here less than a week, and I've already used them for several tasks:

As an impromptu saw stop,

To hold a smaller machinists clamp (that held a modified hook that I had cut and was filing smooth), and also to serve as a third hand to hold up a chair rail (I attached the handscrew to the door frame at the height where the bottom end of the rail went and set that end of the rail on the hand screw. I could then hold the other end with one hand and attach it with the other.).

If I was at all unsure of the purchase of these handscrews, I'm now convinced of their flexability and importance for workholding. In fact, I picked up 4 more of the Rockler 10" hand screws for the bargain price of $20.

This ring is made from Ancient Kauri wood and 99.9% pure fine silver.

When we were in Erie last weekend, someone commented on their recent visit to this site and wanted to confirm that I was in fact still making planes. I assured them I was, but the comment has been rolling around in my head ever since. When we got home, I checked the site and sure enough... there has not been a “planemaking� post for quite a long time. Here is what has been going on in the last two months.



Front to back; A Brazilian Rosewood filled A5, an English boxwood filled A5*, an Ebony filled A6, an Ebony filled A1 panel, a Brazilian Rosewood filled No.4, a Brazilian Rosewood filled A5, a Brazilian Rosewood filled A1 and a Brazilian Rosewood filled A2 jointer.

A shot from the other side.



And some detail shots.



This is a family of 4 planes infilled with Brazilian Rosewood from a single plank. The No.4 is bedded at 52.5 degrees and has a 2" wide blade. The A5 is a York pitch with a 2-1/4" wide blade and the 14-3/4" long A1 and 22-1/2" A2 are bedded at 47.5 degrees. This is going to be a fantastic set of planes to use.




* This is second boxwood filled plane I have made. The first was an XSNo.4 I made last years and I have been dying to make another ever since. Boxwood is a real treat to work with - it cuts like hard butter. I also want to thank Bill Carter for generously supplying the piece for the handle. Finding genuine boxwood is really tough, let alone something large enough to make a handle with.



This past Friday, I shaped this Brazilian Rosewood handle. Above is a shot I took when I started shaping, and the black streak came alive. To me - this is what dreams are made of! Below is a photo of the handle fully shaped, sanded and ready to have the adjuster fit.



The two Ebony filled planes are at the tail end of the french polishing process - they each have 9 coats at this point and are looking magnificent.

Next update - the kitchen doors!

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.

It's now time to put in the lock. Tommy shows how to mark the position on the lid and then goes to work cutting out a hole. He then demonstrates his fine chisel skills before putting the lock in place. After he attaches the lid, it's done!

Tommy and his furniture team (Steven Brown and Lance Patterson from North Bennet Street School) visit RISD Museum at the Rhode School of Design. Tommy meets with Museum Director, Hope Alswang, and Curatorial Assistant, Melissa Burchanan to discuss a priceless piece of historical furniture.

If you’ve read Woodsmith and ShopNotes magazines for any length of time, you know that we’re a fan of threaded inserts. They make it easy to build jigs and fixtures and knock-down furniture or projects. They’re a great way to add machine threads for attaching screws and bolts.

E-Z Lok is a manufacturer of threaded inserts for a variety of industries and applications. And I’ve recently discovered that their web site is a valuable resource of information you can use when building projects that make use of threaded inserts. Their web site contains PDF documents that contain detailed dimemensioned drawings and complete charts listing dimensions and recommended hole sizes for their inserts. (They caution you to try out the insert on a scrap piece to get the exact hole size.)

Click here for a chart of their inserts for hardwood.

Click here for a listing of the knife-thread inserts for softwood.

I like to use press-in “Finserts” whenever I can (see photo at left). I don’t have to thread them and risk not getting them in straight. You can simply press or tap them in place. Click here for more information on finserts.

If you scroll to the bottom of these pages, you’ll see links for PDF documents of drawings and charts.

E-Z Lok’s products are sold through a variety of distributors like McMaster-Carr, Reid Tool, and MSC.

Welcome to the A1 Wood Flooring Blog! Here you'll find flooring information and updates on our main site - A1 Wood Flooring.

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.

Watch Al, Bobby, and Tommy discuss (with big words) some table saw safety tips and demo the Saw Stop table saw. Tommy breaks down the process of setting the saw up, engaging the safety systems, firing the blade break and resetting the saw.

This fall, our magazine is sponsoring the first-ever weekend conference devoted to hand tools and learning to use them.

We're calling it the Woodworking in America conference, and we'll be bringing together the country's best hand-tool woodworkers and manufacturers for a symposium in Berea, Ky., on Nov. 14-16.

There will be more than 40 short classes on tools and techniques during the long weekend, plus a marketplace where toolmakers can display (and sell) their wares, social events with the demonstrators and toolmakers and more.

So who is going to be there? Here's the list of people who have agreed to teach seminars during Woodworking in America as of this date (with more to come):

Roy Underhill: Known as "St. Roy" to the legion of fans who watch "The Woodwright's Shop" on PBS, Roy worked at Colonial Williamsburg and then launched his show about traditional hand tools.

Frank Klausz: One of the country's consummate craftsmen, Frank is a professional New Jersey cabinetmaker who trained in Hungary and has a lifetime of experience with the full range of handwork.

Michael Dunbar: Founder of The Windsor Institute, Michael has single handedly revived the craft of building Windsor chairs, has trained thousands of woodworkers and is a passionate student of the art and history of handcraft.

Adam Cherubini: The author of Popular Woodworking's popular "Arts & Mysteries" column, Adam is a devoted 18th-century woodworker who builds period pieces using period tools.

James Blauvelt: A Connecticut cabinetmaker, joiner and carpenter, James owns Bluefield Joiners and is a student and teacher of Japanese tools and traditions.

Robin Lee: The president of Lee Valley Tools in Ottawa, Ontario, Robin has been a driving force behind the expansion of the Veritas line of premium handplanes and a caretaker of the company's immense tool collection.

Thomas Lie-Nielsen: The founder of Lie-Nielsen Toolworks in Warren, Me., Thomas has been making and selling premium traditional hand tools for 27 years. Thomas's company was the trailblazer in reviving many traditional forms of tools that had been lost.

Larry Williams and Don McConnell: Two of the principals behind Clark & Williams in Eureka Springs, Ark., Larry and Don are bottomless wells of information about traditional tools and their workings. Both are accomplished woodworkers, planemakers and tool historians.

John Economaki: The founder of Bridge City Tool Works in Portland, Ore., John has long been a pioneer in developing new (and very beautiful) forms of hand tools for woodworkers.

Konrad Sauer: The owner of Sauer & Steiner Toolworks in Ontario, Konrad is one of the leading makers of custom infill handplanes.

Wayne Anderson:Wayne specializes in designing and building custom infill handplanes that are deeply rooted in the past but are each a completely original work of art.

Ron Hock: One of the earliest and most important players in the revival of handtools, Ron makes high-quality replacement plane irons, chipbreakers and marking knives in Ft. Bragg, Calif.

Mike Wenzloff: The founder of Wenzloff & Sons sawmakers in Forest Grove, Ore., Mike is a long-time woodworker and expert in saws and saw sharpening. His premium saw business has exploded in the last two years.

Joel Moskowitz: The founder of Tools for Working Wood and an expert on woodworking history, Joel has recently been making many traditional hand tools, as well as selling them through his catalog and web site.

Clarence Blanchard: The publisher of "The Fine Tool Journal" and the president of Brown Auction Services, Clarence sees more old tools in a week than most of us see in a lifetime.

Kevin Drake: After studying under James Krenov at the College of the Redwoods, Kevin founded Glen-Drake Toolworks, where he combines woodworking, toolmaking and education. His innovative tools have received numerous awards; we named his Tite-Mark one of the "Best 12 Tools Ever." 

If you are interested in attending, please visit the web site that is dedicated to this conference at WoodworkinginAmerica.com and sign up for the conference's newsletter (the sign-up box is on the top right of the page). You'll then be the first to be notified of when registration will open (it will be before July 1) and the pricing for this event.

Attendance will be limited to a few hundred people (we want to keep the event intimate and manageable), so be sure to register as soon as slots become available. We are expecting the conference to sell out.

There are more announcements and surprises ahead that I cannot share with you right now, so please stay tuned to the blog and the conference's newsletter.

— Christopher Schwarz

I now have the cabinet case, back panel , and front doors installed and adjusted. Everything looks fine at this point, with my next emphasis on the interior of the cabinet. Afterwards, I will finalize the design of the cabinet stand. With respect to the interior, I have a design idea in mind and have begun to make a few sketches. I will most likely leave the left hand side of the interior free and clear and build up the right with two stacked drawers and perhaps a third drawer further up. This design allows the right hand door to be opened independently in the sense that drawers can be accessed without the need to open both doors. This part of the design is interesting and helps me to resolve the division of the interior compartments.The client has indicated I have carte blanche to design the interior as I wish with the only requirement to have one large and one smaller space for art objects, along with two drawers. Sometimes less is more and in this case ( no pun intended) the larger the non-drawer compartments, the larger the objects which can be showcased.

In the photo, I use tape as temporary door pulls while I decide on the door pull design. I'm debating whether to simply have one pull located on the right hand door. If I decide on one door pull, I will elaborate on the thought process leading to this decision.

After my return from a ski trip this week I will be dedicating the next few days to finalizing the design of the interior and beginning to create it. On this ski trip, my wife and I are staying in a small resort town with surrounding towns that have plenty of small shops and boutiques. We both plan to glean some fresh design ideas from other visual objects, not necessarily wood objects... and inspiration for this piece of furniture and other, future designs along with inspiration for her wood inlay jewelry designs.

Here in the Dominican Republic, we had Tropical Storm Fay pass over a week or two ago dumping about 15 inches of rain at my house. Today, we have Hurricane Gustav going over Port au Prince, Haiti and dumping an inordinate amount of rain here once again. Don't get me wrong, we need the rain, but let me explain my problem.

I have been working on flattening the sides and top of the English workbench I am building. Given that the glue up was fairly rough and I am using a Jack plane that I really don't like, it is a fairly big project even though the bench will only be 6 feet long.

My plane has a cheap iron in it (I have a nice Hock iron, but I am saving it for a woodie plane), and in the best of times I have to keep it waxed or oiled in storage and, I have to sharpen it at least every couple of hours when I am working the southern yellow pine for my bench.  read more »

A question on dovetails on WoodCentral led to a discussion of their history, and one of the posters produced a link to a photo of a box with some of (if not the) earliest examples of dovetails on record:

Ancient Roman box, dated from the 2nd or 3rd century, currently located in Limesmuseaum Aalen (German language site) in Baden Württemberg. See the original link (Google translation) to the photo on woodworking.de.

It's a fascinating piece, I think most would agree.  I love this sort of old research...  and there's some real sophistication in the design of this box - though I guess sophistication shouldn't be a surprise when you review artworks of the period.  Helenistic statues display the foremost sophistication, for example...  But I digress

The poster also included an informative link to another German site on Roman woodworking tools I also found very interesting.

This box some fairly sophisticated woodworking - and obviously the dovetails' design is well developed at this point.   It's pretty obvious to me that they've been around for (literally) thousands of years...  Interesting that the idea of craftsmanship hasn't really changed all that much in all this time, isn't it?  There is a legacy to woodworking that goes back hundreds of generations, which is something that is easy to forget in the "we do it so much better now" frame of mind.

 It reminds me of some of the items that have been passed down to me..,.  One of my most treasured came from the old country with my grandparents - it's a traveling/storage box known as a "koffort":

Koffort - an antique Icelandic traveling/storage box that's been in my family for at least 150-200 years.

This box was originally made in Iceland, and my parents both believe it is at least 150  years old, and was quite possibly much, much older than that.  It was handed down to my father from his great grandfather when he was 13 years old...  By dad's account, his great grandfather had told him that "it was very old" when he himself had received it from his great-grandfather when he was 13 years old in 1933.  If we trace that path, his great grandfather would have been 13 years old in 1868, a difference of 65 years.  I don't know where, when, or by who it came into his great-grandfathers possession - but if it was "very old" then, I would guess that makes it at least 50 years older than that, which puts it at 1818 or so - and it could easily be yet older - but I have no documentation or even any oral history beyond what I've told you.

The construction of the box is quite simple and elegant - very similar to a "six board chest", but without any legs and a slightly more involved lid design.  The corners are dovetailed, and an iron strap has been added for strength at each corner:

Dovetailed corner with iron strap

I doubt the strap was original to the box - most like it was added some time later.  These boxes were heavily used and abused, and traveled with the owner all over creation.  Often they would also be used like what you would use a safe for today...  The angled "handle" on the side is repeated on the far side and is angled to make the box easier to be packed on the back of a mule, horse, or ox.

Inside the only additional item is a small tray at one end:

Interior view

Looking closely at the tray, you can see it's also dovetailed - and you can see the primitive hinges, which I also believe are not original:

Tray at one end is also dovetailed

The fact this is also dovetailed is important in showing the attention to detail this box was given during it's construction.  One also has to remember that when this box was built, Iceland had no real native timber of it's own.  Almost all wood came in the form of imports from abroad or, and this is more likely the case for a personal item like this, from driftwood.  Logs would follow the current up to the shores of Iceland having started anywhere along the shore from the Caribbean to upper Labrador in Canada.  Wood, therefore, was quite precious.

Another similar example I have is a larger version of the koffort, which I guess is called a "kista":

Kista - a larger version of the koffort

This is from mother's side of the family.  It's not nearly as old, I believe mom thought it dated to the late 19th or early 20th century.  It's a little more crudely made, but still uses dovetails in it's construction:

Dovetails on the Kista

 This particular box sat in a dirt floor barn for many years, and the bottom had rotted out of it.  Dad repaired it at the same time he refinished the koffort.  He did a good job at the restoration, but I'm not so proud of the finishes he chose.  But still, I'm proud to have them both here with me.

In my spare time over the last couple of years I've been working  on my own version of a koffort.  I'll post about it someday when I'm finished, but needless to say that anything I do will pale in comparison when you consider the history of these pieces, which is what I think truly makes them special.  I can only hope that, some couple hundred years from now, somebody is marveling over my creation wondering who the craftsman was that made it, why he did, and if he was as proud of his koffort then as I am of owning it now.

 

I’ve always been impressed with Makita tools. My dad has always been a fan of their tools and I sort of grew up with them. He’s got an early model benchtop planer he’s had for over 15 years that’s still running strong. The quality of Makita’s tools is hard to beat.

Makita has recently announced some new tools, and you’ll be reading more about them here. The first one on the list is their new variable speed, orbital jig saw. The 4329K jig saw features a compact design, three orbital settings plus straight cutting, with a powerful 3.9 AMP motor for use in a variety of materials. The new jig saw features an ergonomically designed rubberized grip to provide more comfort and control, while the variable speed dial control (500 – 3,100 SPM) delivers optimal cutting performance in a variety of materials. The die-cast aluminum base bevel cuts 45 degrees right or left with a positive stop at 90 degrees for solid cutting performance. A through-the-body dust port provides optimal dust management with use of clear dust cover and vacuum.

The saw is ideal for professional woodworkers, cabinetry makers, and specialized residential construction workers who require a best-in-class engineered jig saw in a compact size. The saw uses Tang shank blades only, plus has an on-board hex wrench for easy blade changes. The saw includes a blade and tool case.

Read more about Makita tools here.

Tommy cuts the wood for the drawers and finds some "sweet" colors and swooping patterns. After putting the pieces in place, he says they look too "blasé" and "lame" compared to the beautiful wood of the writing surface and opts for a do-over. Stay tuned to see if the new wood meets Tommy's expectations.

Quite a few of the camp members got together during the last year and built gers (popularly called yurts) for this year's Pennsic. They bought air-dried ash from a saw mill, and built rather impressive tents. Anne and I have had a ger for the last five or six years, and they are extremely comfortable camping ? even when it rains (or pours) steadily for six days, like it did last year.

One good thing about gers is how they resist wind. Because they are domed at the top, and all the force of the roof's weight is transfered down to the walls, when a strong wind comes it pushes the entire structure tighter to the ground, using the same aerodynamics that lift an airplane (only in reverse). I'm always glad of this when heavy thunderstorms come through. It wouldn't survive a tornado, of course, but as long as the materials hold, I'm fairly confident that the tent won't fail in linear winds.

Another plus is the fact that they have holes at the peak of the roof that can be uncovered in good weather. This lets air circulate as though the entire tent were a chimney. With the smoke hole open and the tent walls slightly raised, the air flow keeps the tent almost the same temperature as the outside.

Gers have walls that support rafters pegged into a roof ring. There are no internal supports, so a 16' diameter tent like the one Anne and I use, is entirely usable space with five or six foot tall walls at the outside and rafters that rise to a peak of 8 or 9 feet. The walls are a lattice of cross-bound staves that are arranged like those expandable baby gates: the lattice opens out to form a wall of diamond openings (see below). The latice is very flexible and can rollup fairly tightly.

The red column above is the wall (called the khana) of a 16' diameter tent with 5' walls. Like all of the new gers, they stained the wood of the khana, rafters, and roof rings to match and attached the staves of the khana with aluminum aircraft rivets.

The pile of red wood above is all the rafters for the same ger. These fit into a roof ring at the top and sit on a wire at the bottom. In some designs the rafters are notched and sit on the x of the lattice walls

Above is the wall and door of another tent, being assembled. This is the same size tent as the red one. In this case, the walls are held fast by the door frame and by the wire that encircles the top of the wall. In traditional gers, there are belly bands that encircle the lattice of the khana and prevent the circle from expanding during use.

Here is the roof ring that supports the top end of the rafters. It is leaning against the outside of another of the new gers.

Above the roof is being put on the ger. In these a ladder is used, but in many constructions the ring can be raised from the ground. In fact, traditional Mongolian gers have two poles that lash onto the roof ring and allow the rafters to be assembled by one or two people without the use of a ladder.

Several of the new gers had quite impressive wooden doors on them. Unfortunately, I neglected to take pictures of them. Adding a wooden door to our tent is a project I've had in mind for some time now. Perhaps I'll make one for next year. For now, we're comfortable with a canvas door panel.

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