End Tables Part 12

Posted on June 29, 2014 by Greg Merritt

Heat index of 89F and 68% humidity for the last two days.  So I put on my big boy pants, tied a bandana around my head and went to work in the shop.  In short, it sucked!  But I did manage to get the tops and shelves surfaced and fitted.  After that I gave them a coat of dark brown Transtint dye.  Transtint dye is alcohol based so it dried pretty fast.  I guess that is one positive thing about the heat.  Then I went to work with the polissoir.  It worked pretty well on the red oak.  The open grain is a little bit of an issue but not too bad.
The top photo shows one of the tables mocked up.  All of the parts still need a coat or two of wax.  I also still need to make a couple dozen turn buttons for attaching the tops and shelves.

While ripping one of the tops to width, I hit some sort of void in the oak.  I’ve never had this happen before, but it was a pretty big hole just below the surface.  I should have taken a before photo but I was too worried about getting the patch in place.  In any event the finished result didn’t turn out too bad.

I’m close, really close, to finishing these tables.  Other than the turn buttons, all the rest of the work can be done in my cool house.

Part 11 Greg Merritt Part 13

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Hillbilly Tansu Sliding Door Grooves

Posted on June 25, 2014 by Greg Merritt

While researching antique tansu I found several examples that incorporated sliding doors. There is something about sliding doors that gives an item that Japanese feel.  Plus I like them.  Sliding doors just seem to make more sense to me than hinged ones.  But that is a whole other discussion for another time.  Bottom line is I plan to add sliding doors to at least some of my tansu designs.   Continue reading →

Posted in Hillbilly Tansu Joinery, Illustrating | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Heat + Humidity=NO SHOP TIME

Posted on June 24, 2014 by Greg Merritt

It’s been over a week since I posted anything.  This is a direct result of having almost no shop time.  Maybe I’m getting soft in my old age, but I just can’t handle the heat and humidity anymore.  Within just a few minutes of being in the heat and humidity I am totally miserable.  This woodworking thing is supposed to be fun and relaxing, right?  So I’m going to have to find some way of cooling the shop if I have any hope of getting anything done in the next couple of months.

Luckily, in this instance anyway, my shop is small (8ft x 12ft) and it’s very well insulated.  So my choices are window, portable or mini split AC units.  The mini split would be great but its way too expensive.  My widow is the crank out flavor, so window unit would have to be installed thru the wall.  Portable AC units need to be vented to the exterior so there is that little issue.  I’m still weighing the pros and cons but will have to make a decision soon if I have any hope of getting some shop time.

I did manage to get all the oak panels for the end table tops and shelves surfaced.  They are ready to be sized and given a final surfacing.  Then there will be staining and finishing.  I may actually be able to finish this everlasting project….eventually.  I’m also working on the next detail for the Hillbilly Tansu and hope to have that posted in the next few days.

Greg Merritt

Posted in Thoughts-Views | 8 Comments

Build Yourself a Sokozarai-Nomi (Bottom Cleaning) Chisel

Posted on June 15, 2014 by Greg Merritt

My Hillbilly Tansu project requires the chopping of several narrow and deep mortises.  6mm(W)x18mm(L)x24mm(D) to be exact.  Clearing the waste from these mortises is difficult to say the least.  There is almost no room to lever out any of the waste so I’m forced to use a narrower chisel to dig out all the chips.  This works but is tedious and, even when being very careful, makes the chances of bruising the mortise edges high.  On several of the practice mortises I did just that.  So I had to find a better way.  I could shoulder the mortise, but that makes the mortise even narrower and leaves too small of a tenon.  After searching around the internet, I found that the western solution is a swan neck chisel.  This seems like a good solution but this chisel is still too large to clear my narrow and short mortise.  So I kept looking.  Then I remembered reading something in Toshio Odate’s book, “Japanese Woodworking Tools: Their Tradition, Spirit and Use“, about a chisel designed for this sort of problem that the Japanese use in building shoji screens.  According to Odate: Continue reading →

Posted in 5-Tools, Design, Hillbilly Tansu Joinery, Illustrating, Sokozarai-Nomi (Bottom Cleaning) Chisel | Tagged , , , , , , | 10 Comments

End Tables Part 11

Posted on June 15, 2014 by Greg Merritt

There is nothing like a hot, humid shop and scrub planing oak to remind you of how out of shape you really are.  I started surfacing the oak panels that I had glued up for the tops and shelves of the end tables.  I only managed to get two of the panels surfaced and flat before dehydration, heat stroke and severe chaffing set in.  So a new plan of action is in order.

I will spend about a half an hour a night after work each day this week working on these panels.  Maybe that will get them done and ready for fitting, finishing and installing.

So the saga of the never-ending end tables continues…..

Part 10 Greg Merritt Part 12

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Chisel Lust Follow Up

Posted on June 10, 2014 by Greg Merritt

Let me thank all of you who took the time to post your thoughts on chisels. I haven’t done anything rash yet but I have taken a hard look at chisels, steel and reviews. I am surprised that so many commented that the Lie-Nielson A2 chisels didn’t take a super sharp edge. After a little research, A2 seems to be tougher but not capable of achieving a fine edge like good old high carbon steel. So it’s a trade-off.  Several of you noted that you had newer chisels but kept going back to your vintage tools. I think this hints to the balance of the Narex chisels that I talked about. Mine just seem top-heavy while I’m working. Is this one of the nuances that vintage makers had figured out and the new manufactures have overlooked? Maybe.

The Japanese chisels just seem way to fussy. I’m sure they are superb tools but they require too much work IMHO. I like the idea of Japanese tools but the reality is they are just not for me.

Let me add that Narex chisels are good tools and a very good value and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them for someone just starting out or are on a tight budget. I just wish they felt more comfortable in my hand while working, mostly while chopping. But I’ll stick with them for now.

So I went out to the shop this evening and sharpened up my Narex chisels, shaved a little end grain, wiped them lovingly with an oily rag and put them back in the rack. I apologized to them for my wandering eye as I closed the door, but made no promises that it wouldn’t happen again.

Greg Merritt

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Tool Lust of the Chisel Persuasion

Posted on June 9, 2014 by Greg Merritt

I do not own any “high-end” tools.  I have quality tools that consist of a mix of old, new and user built.  I have vintage Stanley, vintage Record, a WoodRiver and user built planes.  I have vintage saws, a couple Veritas and a user built saw.  I also have Narex chisels, both bench and mortise in metric.  These tools serve me well and I’m satisfied with them…mostly.

chisels-000Once in a while I find myself in a darkened room surfing the internet and looking at tool porn.  Chisels to be exact.  I admit it, I have a thing for chisels.  Not just any chisels, chisels that will set me back some serious money if I ever actually pull the trigger.  I like my Narex chisels.  They sharpen easily, hold an edge reasonably well.  I do find them a little top-heavy but have improved that by doing a little reshaping of the handles.  So why do I keep trolling catalogs looking at chisels?  I think it’s the lure of unknown.  If a $7 Narex is pretty good then a $70 chisel must be fantastic.  There are two chisels who’s siren song I hear the loudest, Lie-Nielson socket chisels and blacksmith made Japanese chisels.  Both high quality offerings and pricey.  Plus there is the added excuse that I would be supporting artisans in the tool making craft.  Imagine how much my work would improve with a chisel of that quality.

So before I do something reckless, expensive and possibly life threatening (SWMBO), I thought I would solicit some feedback from those of you who are reading this.  What chisels do you have?  Do you own the Lie-Nielson?  What are your thoughts?  Do you own blacksmith made Japanese chisels?  Thoughts?  Should I pull the trigger on new chisels to satisfy my lust? or Should I turn off the internet, sharpen my Narex chisels and get on with woodworking?

Greg Merritt

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End Tables Part 10

Posted on June 7, 2014 by Greg Merritt

I managed to get two panels edged and glued together.  Which means I promptly ran out of clamps.  So while those are curing I’m on hold until tomorrow for the other two panels.  I’m not sure why, but I do not enjoy gluing up panels.  There is nothing difficult about it, I just don’t enjoy it. Continue reading →

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Hillbilly Tansu Front Drawer/Door Bearer

Posted on June 7, 2014 by Greg Merritt

Joint #2 in the Hillbilly Tansu Project is for the front drawer/door bearer.  This piece, for me, was the key to developing the rest of elements for the tansu construction.  Once I had this element designed all the rest sort of fell into place.  Like I said in my earlier post, what I am doing is only conjecture and is in no way historically correct.  But, I have been able to develop what I think will be a rock solid and scalable assembly.  So back to the front bearer and it’s joinery. Continue reading →

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Hillbilly Tansu Corner Joint

Posted on June 3, 2014 by Greg Merritt

I touched on my affinity for the Japanese tansu in my last post.  I have wanted to build some version of a tansu for quite some time now.  You can explore several samples here.  There is surprisingly little information available on how these chests are put together.  Maybe I’m just looking in the wrong places.  The tansu that are simple panel construction seem fairly straight forward, although the few bits of construction I’ve seen tell me there are several nuances that are not so obvious. Continue reading →

Posted in Hillbilly Tansu Joinery, Illustrating | Tagged , , , , , | 15 Comments