Author Archives: Greg Merritt

HB Tansu #3-Progress 2

Posted on March 11, 2015 by Greg Merritt

What a difference a few days make.  My electric was restored late Sunday afternoon.  Thus ending the almost four day struggle to keep the water pipes and myself from freezing.  Today the temperature climbed to almost 60F.  No complaints with … Continue reading →

Posted in Hillbilly Tansu-002 | Tagged , , | 9 Comments

Making Do!

Posted on March 7, 2015 by Greg Merritt

Wednesday night a winter storm rolled through dumping ten inches of heavy, wet snow. Thursday morning found the roads impassable and I had no electricity. No electricity means no heat. So priority number one was to keep the house warm … Continue reading →

Posted in Hillbilly Tansu-002 | 13 Comments

HB Tansu #3-Progress 1

Posted on March 1, 2015 by Greg Merritt

So the boy has decided that the tansu has some utility and has requested that I build one for him.  So I agreed.  Since he will be moving out in a few short years I thought an ultra-portable option would … Continue reading →

Posted in Design, Hillbilly Tansu-002 | Tagged , | 12 Comments

Cleaning Day and Tool Storage

Posted on February 28, 2015 by Greg Merritt

Today was all about cleaning the shop.  I’m pretty good at always wiping down my tools and putting them away.  Sweeping up the shavings…not so much.  The shavings were close to knee deep, so something had to be done before … Continue reading →

Posted in 5-Tools, Thoughts-Views | Tagged , | 12 Comments

Chinese Gate Bench-Progress 6

Posted on February 22, 2015 by Greg Merritt

I picked up today where I left off yesterday by profiling the remaining three legs.  I followed this by adding an edge detail to the long edges of the seat board.  Again I pressed my single moulding plane into service. … Continue reading →

Posted in Chinese Gate Bench | Tagged | 15 Comments

Chinese Gate Bench-Progress 5

Posted on February 21, 2015 by Greg Merritt

Woke up to about 8″ of heavy wet snow this morning.  This mess continued all day and is still coming down as I write this.  Trying to get to work Monday is gonna be fun.  Anyway, back to our regularly … Continue reading →

Posted in Chinese Gate Bench | Tagged | 2 Comments

Marking in the Waste

Posted on February 19, 2015 by Greg Merritt

I’ve been working with wood for a lot of years.  Most of those years consisted of fits and starts with no real skill building taking place.  There were several reasons, but past is past.  This all changed a few years … Continue reading →

Posted in 6-Joinery | Tagged , , | 10 Comments

Chinese Gate Bench-Design Notes

Posted on February 16, 2015 by Greg Merritt

I thought I would take some time and discuss a few key points pertaining to the structural design of the Chinese Gate Bench.  I designed this project from the ground up utilizing photos of antique benches and filling in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Chinese Gate Bench, Design | Tagged | 4 Comments

Chinese Gate Bench-Progress 4

Posted on February 15, 2015 by Greg Merritt

First let me address a point of confusion that I inadvertently created.  My intent all along was and is to install this bench just INSIDE my front door.  Given the name of the project and writings in my first post, I … Continue reading →

Posted in Chinese Gate Bench | Tagged | 4 Comments

Chinese Gate Bench-Progress 3

Posted on February 14, 2015 by Greg Merritt

Progress continues despite the frigid weather.  My little oil-filled space heater is getting a real workout.  I started my day by chopping and sawing the joinery in the remaining two legs.  After I finished that, I tackled the short end … Continue reading →

Posted in Chinese Gate Bench, Design | Tagged | 8 Comments