I’ve been lucky with the weather this week. It has been warm just about every evening when I came home from work. So I was able to get an hour or so in the shop a few evenings. Over the course of this week I have been prepping the parts for the rear frame assembly. My plywood wood order arrived about mid-week and tonight I brought everything together.
First order of business was Continue reading
My affinity for Japanese tools and methods began several years ago when I first read Scott Landis’ “The Workbench Book” that I had checked out of the local library. For you younger readers, the library is how us old folks used to get our hands on books if the local book store didn’t have what we were looking for. No digital download or instant access. Just go to the library and hope for the best. Anyway, in that book there is a photograph of Tosio Odate working with low horses in his shop. That image sparked Continue reading
I don’t think there has been a better time to for someone to start wood working in over a hundred years. At least for hand tool woodworking. Quality tools are once again being manufactured and the internet gives us unprecedented access to used tools. There are numerous blogs on the internet with a wealth of information. Not so much this one, but the good ones. 🙂 Videos abound for just about any type of Continue reading
I jolted awake in the wee hours of the morning with a sobering realization. I hadn’t ordered any plywood panels for this tansu. Which meant that I was pretty much dead in the water until I had ply in hand. The only thing that I could do today was dress the pieces for the front frame and glue it up. So that is what I did. Continue reading
Finally some shop time! It’s still getting cold at night here. Below freezing at night cold. So I planned ahead and turned the space heater in the shop on low last night before I went to bed. This morning the shop was a toasty 50F. OK, maybe not toasty, but plenty warm to start working. Today my focus was on the drawer dividers on the front of the tansu and the drawer Continue reading
I spent Saturday completing the side rail joinery. Basically just more of the same like I posted in Progress 5. With the side rails completed, I turned my attention to the front and rear bearers.
The first step was to cut the five rear and the five front bearers to rough length. This length is taken from the full-scale shop drawing. Adding additional length for the tenons on each end. Then I surface dressed all the pieces. Using one piece for a master, I once again turned to the full-scale shop drawing Continue reading
If you work with hand saws then you’ve heard the oft repeated mantra:
“Let the saw do the work.”
Makes sense. The problem is that it can’t be taught. Told, yes, taught, no. It is one of those things that can only be learned thru practice. How tight to grip the handle, some or no downward force. These are things that must be experienced. We all know it Continue reading
It was almost 70F today! Spring is just around the corner. Finally!
I took advantage of the warmth and spent an hour or so in the shop after work today. Today saw the start of the from/rear rails. I marked a master directly from the full-size drawing and them ganged all the rails together and marked them all to match. At this point I had a decision to make. Should I mark out all of joinery or tackle them one at a time? I opted for Continue reading
Today was basically a repeat of yesterday. I chopped the mortises in the rear cross rails and then fit the corresponding post tenons.
One additional operation today was to layout and chop the handle rail mortises. Nothing special about that other than to ensure they line up from post to post. This is easily accomplished by ganging the posts together and marking them all at the same time. The handle rail mortises were the last of the Continue reading
I had an easy, slow paced day in the shop. No rush. Just enjoyed my time working wood and making. My goal today was to chop the mortises in the front cross rails and to fit the corresponding post tenons.
I had set out the joinery for these pieces a few days ago and was able to jump right in with chopping the mortises. The main mortise is a standard thru mortise. There is a mortise that intersects with it perpendicularly. That mortise is reduced two thirds of the way thru to a square profile. Its this intersection that must be given attention. I can’t just chop one mortise and then the other. If I do so when the second mortise meets the hollow of the first there is the potential for spelching (breakout) of the unsupported fibers. In the past I have inserted a scrap block into the first mortise and used that to support the fibers. Today I tried something different. Today Continue reading
In which 1snugthejoiner writes about woodworking, publishing, house renovations, cats and Shakespeare (don't worry – that last one is rare).
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An amature woodworker who works as a data analytics consultant
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I went to woodworking's funeral a few weeks ago. It was a nice service..there were lots of flowers and a luncheon was held afterwards..
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HILLBILLY DAIKU 