Hollows and Rounds

My new hollows and rounds arrived on Friday from Philly Planes in England, right on schedule as Phil Edwards told me. They looked and smelled great(new tools always smell so good), right out of the box all packaged up safely making the trip across the pond. He threw in a nice Philly Planes T-Shirt as well! A nice touch indeed…This morning I set aside a few hours and finally made some shavings and I’m very happy to report that they’re great! Worth every cent which I should note wasn’t out of touch by any means for some custom made hand planes. They have a nice, traditional shape, comfortable to hold and a nice light weight; Phil had mentioned some additional honing may be necessary but not before they’re put to work awhile. He did a great job and I will recommend them to anyone interested in wooden bodied hand planes.
As you know if you’re a frequent reader here I have a new project I’m starting this week. I’m building a solid exterior wooden door for a heritage property here in Toronto and this is what the planes were specifically purchased for. Wanting to take the planes for a test drive I decided to work on a sample section of one of the mouldings on the door; this will be the trim around the panels and I’ll need about twenty running feet of this particular profile. I cut a scrap of poplar I had about 28″ long and squared it up to begin. The following process represents a brief description of the steps in ’sticking’ traditional mouldings.

To begin the moulding I first had to dimension the stock to size and this started with ripping it to width followed with some jointing with my 5 1/2 Bench plane. With the stock straight and square I’ll lay out the moulding profile at each end and figure out my rabbet and dado configurations. Funny when sticking mouldings, we think of the hollows and rounds first and foremost but the reality is that most of the bulk of the material will be removed with a rabbet and plough plane. The hollows and rounds follow to the create the curves, slopes and fair out the sharp edges left behind by the first special purpose planes.

The rabbet and plough plane I’m using are Veritas with my Lie Nielsen medium shoulder plane to clean up the inside corners. I used my right handed Lie Nielsen as well to put the small rabbet on the opposite side of the profile, this was a luxury having the right handed plane to deal with the grain direction. The curves of the moulding is squared off with a series of rabbets determining each stepped area. This process continues on until all that is left is a small dado and then again with my shoulder plane the edges are beveled. This was a tip I got while watching Don McConnell’s moulding making DVD; he states the you should always relieve any sharp edges before going to the moulding planes to help preserve the shape of the hollows and rounds. Actually, that tip as well as this entire process was demonstrated quite clearly in Dons excellent video- I recommend anyone planning on doing this kind of work watching it.

The moulding planes are a real pleasure to use, with a nice fine shaving it’s very therapeutic work…this is a good thing considering the amount of moulding I’ll have to make for this door project! The finish left behind from the hollows is quite incredible, a smooth burnished feel that doesn’t come across in photographs but really is something to behold. The entire process up to this point was probably no more than an hour for this piece just over two feet long.

With the profile complete I’ll put it aside to get ready to cut some miters, this will be another important stage of the door project. Lots of mouldings with twice the miters. I found a great old Stanley miter hook at a yard sale last year for $15.00- a sweet deal for this appliance it needed a little work but otherwise was in real good shape.

These miter cuts are purely for practice so lengths are a non-issue. This being only a sample the miter will really show me how even my profile is along its length. From here it’s to the shooting board to clean up the saw cut and I can finally see how it looks.

I’m using my new shooting board with my Lie Nielsen NO. 9 for this final step. I still didn’t make a 45 degree fence for this new board so I used the block portion of my combination square…this worked out well and it’s time to check the final fit.

I’m happy with this and am looking forward to getting into some quarter sawn White Oak later this week.
Stay tuned.

Work Bench Surfacing

After a long winter of work shop projects and now coming to the end of a wet Spring here in Southern Ontario it’s time to do a little ’spring cleaning’ around the wood shop. I’ve been putting this off for far too long and before I start my next project, I promised myself to spend some time and fine tune the work space. My workbench being the heart of the wood shop I’ll be starting there. I resurfaced it last year when we made the move from the East coast up here to Toronto but the heavy winter work schedule I just finished it’s due to be flattened again.
These are the steps I take when resurfacing my work bench…it usually takes me no more than an hour or two, and last night, that included taking a break to go get an ice cream with my wife and kids.

Oiling the Vices

The first step I take is oiling my vices; I used some Norton sharpening oil I have and gave the threads a nice light coating. This small can is about 4 years old and there’s still half left; I also use this product on my tools and any other oiling needs that come up around the shop. As they say: A little dab will do ya’.

Tighten and Adjust the Vices

Once the vises are oiled I’ll make sure they’re as level as I can get them to the bench top and tighten up all of the bolts. You’d be surprised at how these can back off over time. Small discrepancies from the vice jaws to the workbench top will be planed flush in a later step.

Checking the Top for Flat

With the vices oiled and tightened I’ll go around the entire bench top with a reliable straight edge and note any cups or hollows; this is a steel straight edge from Lee Valley…a dependable edge for checking plane bottoms and the like.

A Second Opinion

After I checked the surface and noted any hollows or humps, my three year old daughter Piper gave things a quick inspection to make sure Daddy is keeping things on track. Nelson, my four year old son is just out of view…he was pre-occupied with launching some of his little cars down the basement stairs. Almost ice-cream time.

Lowering the Back Edge of the Tool Tray

Because this isn’t the first time I’ve flattened my bench top, the work surface has become slightly lower than the back edge of the bench. If I were to go ahead and begin planing, the toe of my plane would be banging into this outside edge at every pass. To correct the problem I’ll take a few full length shavings off of here to ensure this doesn’t happen. Again, a straight edge to check and I’m good to go. A quick note on tool trays…when I do build another bench or if I ever purchase another, a tool tray won’t be on the wish list. Although it gives somewhere to store tools while I work, I don’t think I’d miss not having one. My shop is set up so my tool cabinet and side shelves are close enough to store everything I need.

First Pass

I’m using my Veritas Jointing plane set for a pretty aggressive cut and will begin by planing directly across the grain on the bench top. Working my way down, overlapping each pass as I go. You can see how the center section of the bench has developed quite a cup; I figure this is mostly due to the move from the coast and then the winter and spring changes in humidity here. Being in the basement probably doesn’t help alot but this is the reality of a home wood shop. I should mention that the iron in my jointing plane has a straight edge, not a cambered blade like my smoothing planes and block planes. This straight edge leaves some ‘plane tracks’ but at this stage I’m not too worried about them. They’ll be removed when I go back over the top with my 5 1/2 which does have a cambered iron.

Second Pass and Check Again

After the first pass with the jointer I’ll go back over the entire surface again taking a slightly angled cut. This system is a bit like using a scrub plane for flattening boards. I’ll plane down on the diagonal and then repeat the process orienting the plane in the opposite direction. I’m careful around the vice jaws where they meet the bench top, focusing on keeping things as flat as I possibly can.
With the main surface clear I’ll go back over the entire surface with my 5 1/2 bench plane. Again traveling across the grain, taking a much lighter shaving this time around. When all of the cups have been removed I’ll plane along the grain over the entire length of the bench truing things up for a final finish. Another check with the straight edge and it’s ready for finish. Before I proceeded with the finish it’s time for ice cream.

Finishing

With a belly full of ice cream and the kids getting ready for bed I’ll do a quick finish and call this job done. I know most woodworkers use either an oil or oil blend for their bench tops but I actually like using paste wax for mine. My process is a light rub with the wax and once dry I’ll rub down the entire surface with super fine steel wool. This probably removes most of the wax but gives the top a nice burnished feel. I’ve never had a problem with my bench being too slippery or difficulties while planing or work holding. ‘Slick as a waxed snake on a marble floor’ comes to mind. From here with the top complete I’ll go around the perimeter with a block plane to clean up any torn edges or stray splinters patiently waiting on an unsuspecting finger. I’m just putting a very small bevel on things..careful not to put too much on the front edge where we want a nice sharp corner for planing. A quick process that’s easy to do, my bench is ready for the next project.
Cheers!

TOOLWORKS

A teaser for all of the Galoots out there patiently waiting for the Bad Axe Tool Works hand saws to become available…we’re getting closer!
Stay tuned…

So Long, Mountain Ash…

This past Sunday I spent the morning with my friend Douglas, limbing an old Mountain Ash tree in his yard here in Toronto. We basically climbed the trunk like a pair of spider monkeys and with a Japanese style, Ryoba saw and some line made quick work of removing the limbs. Some of these were up to 6″ in diameter and about 12′ to 16′ long so a couple of more friends were on hand with a little electric chainsaw, a few ‘cold drinks’ and some determination. All that was left was the trunk to deal with and we tackled that last night. We decided that instead of simply throwing it into landfill or the fire wood pile we’d try splitting some up for possible future projects. I haven’t heard of anyone using Mountain Ash for furniture but hey, why not try? At best it’ll be a nice little bench or the like for the backyard.

The first step was dropping this thing and we began with an old buck saw Douglas had…we shared the duties and then settled in with both of us at either side of the old frame. Between a slightly dull saw and the wet wood we were cutting it soon became clear that the little electric chainsaw was in our future. A couple of ‘cold drinks’ and we were off. It probably didn’t save us much time but it did save our backs and arms. A relief cut here and a little wedge cut there…timber!
Even a tree on the small size like this one gives a mighty thump when it finally lands. From here we cut the remaining limbs off and blocked up the trunk into a few lengths. I wasn’t sure how or if this would split for me but a couple of wedges and my Swedish made, Gränsfors axe I began the process. I started at the top end of the piece and drove in the first wedge; I wish I had a tape recorder because the cracking and splitting noises were amazing! I’d give the wedge a knock and stop…the wood fiber would continue to split and crackle for a few seconds longer every time-a very cool audio display to say the least.
The first spilt went pretty well although where the limbs once grew the grain had some irregular patterns and it went a little off. No problem though, from here I would quarter the two sides and then quarter those again. The second split went much better due to the fact that I ended up shortening the length just behind the knots and swirls where the limbs grew. We had a good time dropping and splitting this tree. The ‘cold drinks’ helped as well and I wondered through the entire process about woodworkers of the past doing this kind of job for all of their wood stock…it’s not terribly hard work but I’m sure there’s a knack to do right. I think I discovered a few tricks in this first session and will keep my eyes out for any more inner city ‘gems’ needing disposal. Funny this morning thinking about limbing the tree, falling it and splitting it, a few hours spent with a few more hours to go in a year or two when it dries.

I just ordered some Quarter sawn white Oak for my next project but took a slightly different method…it involved sitting in front of this computer, typing out a cut list and faxes it over to a local saw mill; not quite the same work out but hey, it’s not how we get our wood onto the bench that counts, but what we do with it from there that really matters. Time for a ‘cold drink’
Cheers!

January 24, 1916 – May 21, 2009

Where do we find inspiration ?

Is it the calming curve of walnut-rocking
or the smile on the face behind the hands creating…
An inspiration to all not only working wood; but to all that work and live.
Peace.

Philly Planes

Just got another update from Phil Edwards regarding my hollows and rounds…they’re complete and should be in my grubby little hands by the end of next week. I love it when manufacturers give updates of their work while it’s being done, it makes parting with my hard earned cash that much easier! Phil has been extremely professional and a pleasure doing business with; if his planes are half as good as his customer service then I’ll be a happy woodworker.
I’ll let you know when they arrive.
Cheers!

On Edge Jointing

In a previous post I was looking at some edge jointing techniques David Charlesworth uses and a few readers made some comments and posted a few questions. I thought it would make much more sense to ask David himself, instead of carrying out another online discussion or thread speculating the how’s and why’s of his methods with readers. He was gracious enough to drop me a note; if you didn’t see the original post you can see it here. Be sure to read the comments there to better understand the topic.
Cheers!

Tom,

best wishes,
David Charlesworth

A Fall Front Desk in Walnut

O.k. so my last few blogs have been about other people’s handy work, hand tools and the like and I’m happy to say that I’m back in the wood shop working again on my own projects.
These last few weeks have been busy with life outside of the wood shop so it’ll be great to make some shavings again. I’m working on a new piece that follows in the realm of the ‘hand made modern’ line I’d been designing over the past year. The first was the walnut entertainment cabinet and the second the walnut and aluminum sideboard. This new piece is also made from solid walnut with an interesting take on some through dovetails I’ve been calling a finger tail split… It’s basically a technique where I cut wide through dovetails as per normal procedure and then split each one again with a finger joint. It makes for a unique look but can be a little tricky to execute. The photo shows the main carcass dry fit together with the door panel glued up in the foreground. The upper main carcass is a basic box with a fitted interior secretary incorporating drawers and shelves. The door panel will have bread board face and the cabinet will have a rabbeted back dust panel. The leg frame will really be the component that transforms this piece from a simple dovetailed box and draw it into a more, Mid-Century Modern vein. (at least that’s the plan on paper) Funny how things can change when you start to ‘get into the grain’.
I’ll be posting some more details as I go so stay tuned…
Work really does make life sweet!

A New Hand Saw from the Dovetail Master Himself

Rob Cosman is a well known Canadian ‘hand tool coach’ offering DVD’s and books on wood working for the past 10 years or more. When it comes to sawing dovetails he’s absolutely incredible. I’ve watched pretty much all of his videos and can honestly say they’ve helped me a great deal along my own hand sawing journey. I would strongly recommend them to any worker at any stage. I’m very happy to hear Rob is offering a dovetail saw on his website. It seems to have some interesting features and I’ll be curious to hear what people have to say about it. For starters, it has a heavy brass back that Rob says is almost twice the weight of a standard dovetail saw and is much better suited to “vibration free sawing“. Second it comes with a 22ppi for the first 2″ of blade and then a more standard 15 ppi. This fine tooth will make starting cuts much easier for beginners. Another plus, the saw plate at 10″ is an inch longer than most dovetails saws on the market. Well, without trying one before purchasing one, (which you already know from my last blog I don’t really enjoy doing all that much), I can only go by what I see and what I read. Again, I’ll be hoping to hear from anyone that gets a chance to use it.
Lastly, on this point of ‘Trying a tool before Buying a tool…‘ The description of the saws and the pictures on the website are all I have to go off of so with that I say this: These new resin saw handles are scaring the hell out of me! I know Rob said he went with the balance and durability in this “resin” composite handle, but from the picture on the website it looks like he had a few old bathroom counter tops he decided to recycle. I’m sure they feel great in hand and as Rob mentions are water-proof (for all of those times I’m cutting dovetails back home in the fresh Atlantic surf)
Maybe I’m a wood snob or am completely naive to this new technology of resin in handsaws, but for me a saw needs to have a wooden handle. Now just so everyone doesn’t think I’m ‘Rob bashing’ or anything I’ll also mention the new Veritas DT saw…they’re a little bit on the creepy side too. I’m well aware that a hand tool doesn’t have to look great to be great but it sure is nice when they do! Theres a truck load of hand tool manufacturers making sculpture like tools that perform as well as they look.
Robs new saws also come with a custom wooden box which I like. The idea is nice but I think it would be even nicer if the customer had the option of solely purchasing the saw without it; I’d be curious to see the price difference. Maybe I should take my own advice and see about trying one out. I’m sure he’ll be at the wood show next year with some of them. I’ll look forward to it.
With that, knowing Rob Cosman, and being a fan of his work for years, these things will probably eat dovetails for breakfast-but brother please…from one East Coaster to another…those handles?

Do you Buy before you Try ?

Over the past few weeks I’ve been surprised at how many new hand tool manufacturers are popping up on the Internet and all of the well known manufacturers are offering new and exciting product. This is nice but I’m sometimes weary…it either takes someone with a bucket of dough or a trusting consumer to buy tools on the Internet without first trying them out, unless it’s from an extremely well known tool maker or you’ve at least done some homework and read some reviews from reliable voices.
I know I don’t have a bucket full of dough but I can say there are a few hand tool manufacturers I feel quite confident in. I see a new product in a nice little picture, I read a few details that the manufacturer obviously wrote themselves and with that I reach for some plastic and wait for the mail truck.
Looking at some recent articles showing the rise in the hand tool market I know I’m not alone on this. So all that said what does it take to do that?
I’m just curious if there’s a lot of people out there who would never think on buying a hand tool that they’ve never once put their hands on…I suppose in a perfect world I’d be able to get to all of the wood shows and special hand tool events, try out all of the new tools before I commit, but my reality is something quite different than that. I try to develop a relationship with manufacturers and when they offer new product I go further than just reading a short paragraph on a web-site. I’ll contact them and make conversation, discuss the company history and see how the new product came to be. I’ve found almost every hand tool manufacturer I’ve contacted with questions or concerns to be absolutely forthcoming with information and assistance. If they’re not I’ll go somewhere else right? That is my job isn’t it ? My duty as a member of society to go elsewhere when I get bad service…let people know of my bad experiences as well as the good ones of course!
The good ones thankfully out way the bad and as a woodworker in 2009 I feel fortunate to be living and working through this exciting time. Whether you realise it or not we’re watching a section of history unfold in the hand tool market alone. This renaissance will be looked back upon the way we look back on our vintage Stanley’s and the like. My Lie Nielsen such and such will probably be worth more when my grand kids hock it on ‘What-Ever-Bay’ in a hundred years….
I digress…
Wooden bodied moulding planes, panel and back saws, specialty tools and educational platforms-it’s going to be an interesting few months with so many new and exciting things happening in my wood shop. I’ll fill you in on the details as they unfold. Stay tuned…
Oh yeah, the picture at the top has nothing to do with the article; I just thought it was a nice shot of our first born- Sally, the Unplugged Watchdog is our nine year old Beagle. She spends just about every waking hour with me in my wood shop. Maybe I should use this photo for my tool chest for sale advertisements? What a disgusting thought.

Cheers!