• September 2008

This is one of those projects that you don’t want to build, but want to put yourself into 100% once you agree to it.  Recently, a friend’s cat passed away quite unexpectedly.  It was pretty traumatic for her, and she asked if I would be able to build something for her to keep some of his keepsakes in – his collar, a clipping of his fur… stuff like that.

At first, I wanted to build a basic rectangular box out of some exotic woods, but I hadn’t yet built a full-blown bandsawn box.  I figured this would the an excellent opportunity to give it a shot.

The body of the box was cut from some 2″ thick cherry scrap, and the top was taken from a waste piece of maple I had planed to 3/8″ thick for a previous project.  You see why now you can NEVER part with a scrap of wood!

Once the pieces were milled square and true, I sliced a chunk off the bottom of the piece for the box bottom.   Once I had done that, I taped together a sandwich of the pieces – the two cherry and the maple.  I cut the outside of the box, then cut out the circle on the inside of the middle piece.

There was a tremendous amount of sanding required to get the box into shape.  Apparently, my narrow blade had too many teeth per inch, leading to tremendous burning, especially in the cherry.  That’s something I’m correcting by getting a 3/16″ blade with far fewer teeth…

Once I glued the peices together and sanded again, I inlaid four rare earth magnets – two in the top and two in the body – to serve as a ‘latch’ for the box to keep the top affixed.

Before finishing, I cut some scrap veneer pieces to make the eyes and whiskers and glued them on with hide glue.  This way, it was easier to scrape and sand the leftover bits of glue off the maple.

Finishing included my standard wipe on of 1# dewaxed shellac.  After letting it cure and sanding it down with 400 grit wet-dry paper, I wiped on two coats of my own homebrew finish.

I guess I hit the mark.  Shortly after she recieved the box, she called me, in tears, to thank me for the project.  At least I was able to help her through a tough time…

No matter where you look, it seems as if every woodworking catalog or store carries a wide selection of tool belts.  Some are rather simple affairs, with just a few pouches that connect to your regular belt and offer a small amount of convenience, while others are full-blown carpenters’ rigs that could  keep you working on a roof all day.

Many woodworkers that I have run into don’t use a toolbelt.  But, that Norm Abram guy who works on that long-running TV show wears one every time he’s in the shop.  Some people see them as essential, while others believe they make them look like Dwayne Schneider – the ultra-creepy yet loveable maintenance man from the 1970′s sit com One Day at a Time.

So, where do you fall on this issue?  Are toolbelts essential shop equipment, or would you only put one on if you were roped into framing out a new room by a do-it-yourself neighbor?

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Legozilla’s New Yankee Workshop

It’s amazing what people can do with Legos.  Those interlockable pastic building blocks can create some amazing works of art… just like this one.

A person identified as Legozilla has created  – in Legos – a complete replica of the New Yankee Workshop.  Complete with a little whiskered Norm Abram.

From his signature plaid shirts to his workbench, this miniature goes into great detail and – as accurately as can be accomplished – depicts the shop, right down to the approximate location of the tools.

It’s not only the shop itself that is represented.  Legozilla also offers some shots of ‘Norm’ standing proudly in front of one of his completed projects – a roll top desk.

This is an amazing display to see – it’s worth a visit to the site.

Oh, before you ask, this was a customized piece built by the user.  There are (currently) no plans to offer Lego setups for sale to the public.

RATS!

In case you have been living under a rock, a lady by the name of Maureen McCormick recently published her memoirs.

Why is this significant?  Well, Ms. McCormick once played the lovely and talented Marcia Brady on the super-cheesy 1970′s sit com The Brady Bunch. You remember her – her younger sister Jan kept lamenting, “Marcia!  Marcia!  Marcia!” as she was elected president of her class, made the cheerleading squad and later went on to share the Nobel prize as she figured out a new way to split the atom.

Apparently, her years after the show were – to put it mildly – tumultuous.  Problems with drugs and other issues plagued her life after the show ended.

Now, I have no plans to buy her book and learn all of the sordid details.  It is interesting, however, to see just how many people are willing to put to print the details of the evolution of their lives and careers for the public to read.

It’s funny, because I have a similar book on the bookshelf in my living room.  Is it professionally printed?  Nope.

Does it tell all the intimate, embarrassing details of my life?  Nope.

However, it does – in a way – chart my woodworking progress through the years.

About 10 years ago, when I first started woodworking, I needed a notebook to jot down some ideas.  Hey, I had a circular saw, a drill, a doweling jig and a whole lot of enthusiasm. I picked up one of those marble-covered composition books – you know, the ones with the black and white covers and the stitched binding – and started sketching out projects that I was picturing.

Those front pages do tell kind of a funny story about projects that never saw the light of day, designed with just unbelievably bad technique.  Many of those babies really needed to be strangled in their cribs.

The best part of this book, however, happened on the back 20 pages.  I took the time to color the edges of those pages with a red marker and start listing the projects I built on those sheets.

The listings are very simple.  The name of the project.  The month is was completed.  Who was it built for – my home, a friend, a neighbor?  Did I make any money from it?

At first, the projects seemed to take forever to get started.  Simple projects, such as a step stool for my son to use to reach the bathroom faucet, took about four months to build.  Other months, I was able to crank out project after project.  I could tell when I got my portable shop air conditioner – that’s when I started actually building stuff during the heat of the Florida summers.

The most important function of this list, however, is for me to look back at what I have already built and see where I’ve come from.  I have a few stars next to projects that were big steps for me.  The first project I built.  The first time I built stuff to give as a gift.  The first time I sold a piece. The first time I cut dovetails.  Each milestone brings back the memories of where I was, what I was doing and who I was building with.

My trips to a woodworking school that I used to go to in Indiana.  Yup.  Got ‘em there.

The times when I worked with my brother-in-law at his house?  There they are.

The times when my sons would come out and help me build projects?  You betcha.

The cool thing is that everything I have built is listed there.  No matter where those pieces are today, my list keeps reminding me that my work is out there somewhere.

If you are a hobby woodworker, you might want to consider starting your own book.  Remember, when you build, you aren’t only building projects – you are also building memories.

OK, I have to admit that sometimes I get embarrassed when I look back at some of my stinker projects.  But, hey, we all have those from time to time.

At least the public doesn’t have to read about them…

The router is one of the most versatile tools in the shop.  Edge jointing, profiling, joint cutting, pattern cutting… you name it, and the router is up  to the task.

In my shop, I have two routers or, more accurately, two router set ups I use.

My first router is the DeWalt 618 three-base kit.  The motor swaps between three bases – a plunge, a fixed and a D-handle.  I bought this kit with the intention of mounting the fixed base in a router table and using the plunge and D-handle for handheld work.  The motor moves easily between bases, has a soft start, can accept both 1/2″ and 1/4″ shank bits and is a real pleasure to use.  I like how low the center of gravity is on the router, and the D-handle is a joy to use, giving me more control – especially on the edges of projects.

The other router is permanently fixed on a Rousseau router plate.  It’s a used Freud FT2000E plunge router I bought used.  I took the handles off and the springs out of the plunge base to make getting the router into a table and adjusting bit height easy. One day, I do want to get a method of  raising the router from above the table.  This muscular router is what I turn to for the heavy duty jobs.

Woodworkers – as with most other people in the world – are creatures of habit.

Think about breakfast, especially during the work week… so many of us stumble to the breakfast table, eyes barely open, and go through the motions of getting what is – in many cases – the exact same breakfast we had the day before.  A cup of coffee, a bowl of cereal, a glass of orange juice.

We typically stick with the familiar because we are on autopilot, so finding the comfortable and familiar is what works.

The same thing happens when it comes to finishing.  When we get to the end of a project, most woodworkers want the tried-and-true methods that will give good results – and prevent disaster on a project we spent so much time lovingly building.

When it comes to your finishing regimen, what is your favorite think-of-first method of applying finish?

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College of the Redwoods Fine Furniture Program

Tucked away in the small California coastal town of Fort Bragg, the Fine Furniture program at the College of the Redwoods, Mendocino Coast campus is a national treasure.  Established in 1981 by master woodworker James Krenov, this program is one of the world’s most famous and respected.  The work turned out by graduates is truly inspired.

Building on Krenov’s teachings, students are encouraged to explore project shapes, grain patterns and wood colors in their understated yet stunning designs.

Currently, the college offers a nine-month program in cabinetry and furniture making with noted instructors Michael Burns, Jim Budlong, Greg Smith, Ejler Hjorth-Westh and David Welter. Other workshops lasting a few days or weeks are also offered in the summer.