All posts by Tom

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Projects

Stuff I’ve built: Power Carved Contemplation Bench

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May, 2005

    This was a project I was reluctant to start. After all, the top is a gorgeous slab of tiger maple, and the legs are some beautiful ribbon grain mahogany. How was I supposed to grind half of that away?

    I built this bench with the assistance of the Wood Whisperer himself, Marc Spagnuolo. Once the wood was selected, the top was ripped into three pieces, the middle one trimmed down to form open slots on both ends and it was glued together. The tops of the legs were cut into beefy mortises and fitted into the slots.

    Bench detailThat’s when the fun really began. Using an angle grinder and an Arbortech carving wheel, I wasted out the necessary material to sculpt the graceful forms. Once the curves were finally cut and finessed, I used epoxy and screws to attach the legs to the seat, and plugged the screw holes with pyramid-shaped ebony plugs.

    The finish was a 1# cut of dewaxed shellac sanded down with 320 grit paper once it dried. After dusting the piece down, I finished it with three coats of natural Watco Danish Oil and a coat of paste furniture wax.

    This piece won best in its class in an art contest conducted by the National Arts Program, and it has an honored place in our living room, right under one of our large sunny front windows.

    Now, all the neighbors want one…

    Safety

    A time to stop and think

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    My neighbor has this great story he likes to tell.  He worked as a plant manager (read:  Custodian) at a local elementary school.  He was refitting a bathroom in a teacher’s lounge and had done a pretty decent job.

    The principal, however, wasn’t as impressed.  “My husband is a MASTER CRAFTSMAN, he will come in and build this piece.”

    Well, when the principal’s  husband finally came to the school to do the work, my neighbor noticed that he was missing a finger.  Ouch.  Turns out that he had lost the finger in a woodworking accident – a mishap on a table saw.

    Woodworkers Safety WeekI always take time to stop and think when I hear stories like this.  Right now, I’m working on a sweet Krenov-style cabinet, and it’s coming along nicely.  But, what would happen to my progress if I was hurt in a similar accident?

    Granted, none of my woodshop accidents has been too severe.  I can remember taking a sliver of aluminum in my left eye while cutting a screen door jamb.  Then, I can remember slicing a chunk of skin off my left thumb when a spokeshave I was working with slipped and did its damage.  I can remember being out of the shop for about a week each time I recuperated.

    I also had a few close calls.  The time I had a kickback when working with a powerful Unisaw that almost took off some fingers (Apparently, I had cleared the blade by a matter of an inch – or less).  Or the time a 1/4″ straight cutting router bit snapped and embedded in a wall across the shop from me.  Those could have been very serious injuries.

    To help remind all woodworkers about the need for safety, the member blogs of The Wood Whisperer Network are taking the time to call attention to safety during Woodworker’s Safety Week – May 5 – 9.

    Each day that week, I’ll focus on a specific area of safety concern – not a finger-wagging admonition, but  some simple common-sense reminders that might help keep you out of the ER and in the shop.   The slate for the week looks like this:

    • Monday – 5/5 – Power Tool Safety
    • Tuesday – 5/6 – Hand Tool Safety
    • Wednesday – 5/7 – Eye and face protection
    • Thursday – 5/8 – Protect your hearing and lungs
    • Friday – 5/9 – Finish safety/Dangerous Chemical safety

    So,  take some time with us this week to think about your shop safety practices.  Who knows, if some of this stuff sinks in, we may have more future ‘master craftsmen’ who can count to ten without having to take off their shoes.

    Link of the week

    Link of the week

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    Simpson Strong Tie DIY Page

    Simpson Strong Tie Work benchSo, you have to build yourself a workbench, but you don’t have the time, skill or money to construct one of those could- double – as- an- altar- in- some- minor- woodworking- religion workbenches you see in woodworking magazines.

    Never fear. If you can cut some 2×4’s and drive screws, you can build yourself a very decent workbench for a small investment of time and money.

    Simpson Strong Ties, the folks who make hurricane tie-downs and other metal construction connectors, have a line of hardware that can allow you to build shelves, bins and workbenches. Their DIY page has all the plans and cut lists you need to put together a shop full of storage and work surfaces in an afternoon.

    Shop Talk, Tools

    Tools I use: My hand planes

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    My hand planes…

    When it comes to working on my projects, I always seem to find myself reaching for a hand plane. Whether to flatten a board, true an edge or plane a bevel, my planes give me total control over whatever wood I am working with.

    Since I’ve written a lot about my hand planes, it’s only fair that I show you the family photo so you see which ones I use.

    Across the back row from left to right, I have:

    • A Veritas bevel up jointer plane. This baby gets the most work by far when I’m in the shop, especially when I’m making boards square and flat.
    • A Union No. 28 transitional fore plane. This plane dates back to the mid 1890’s and I love it. The beech sole rides beautifully over whatever wood I’m planing. I have this plane set up almost like a scrub plane, and it takes pretty thick shavings as I level out the boards.
    • A Stanley Bailey No. 5 jack plane. This one dates back to the early 1900’s, and I replaced the iron with a Lee Valley O1 model. This plane is great to work with, giving me consistent results whenever I need to reach for it.
    • A Stanley Bailey No. 4 smoother plane. I got this one from a friend who bought a ‘bag o’ planes’ for me at a flea market for $10. Another plane I fitted with a Lee Valley replacement iron. This plane has pushed sandpaper down the importance list and really made finishing projects a whole lot more fun.

    On the left side, from back to front:

    • A newer Stanley block plane. This was my first real block plane, and it works really well.
    • An older Stanley low-angle block plane. This honey is a gem. The low-angle action slices through end grain like nobody’s business.
    • Older Staney No. 100 block plane. A relatively new acquisition that I’m growing to love more every time I use it.
    • Veritas Flush Plane. Wow, an interesting tool that can handle all manner of tasks. Got some glue stuck in an inside corner? This baby can clean it out with no problem.

    In the middle row from back to front:

    • Stanley No. 80 cabinet scraper. OK, it’s not technically a plane, but it does the work a scraper plane could do. It took some time to properly sharpen and adjust this one, but it’s really nice that it works now!
    • Kakuri Japanese smooth plane. This plane is a champ. It doesn’t have an adjustment mechanism – you use a mallet. Properly set (it takes some practice), I can plane translucent shavings from a board, leaving an an absolutely smooth surface. You pull this plane toward you – different feel, but boy, does it ever work.
    • Stanley No. 92 Spoke Shave: Again, not technically a plane, but until I can buy a compass plane, this tool is the one I reach for when I fair up curves. Spokeshaves have very small blades – sharpen with care!

    And, the right side from back to front:

    • A Lu Ban Asian-style shoulder plane. Another wood plane that takes some time and care to set, but once it’s in the sweet zone, it’s all butter. I routinely cut my rabbets a little thicker than needed and use this plane to make a perfect fit.
    • A Veritas bullnose plane. A great value from Veritas. This plane can function as a small shoulder plane (I wouldn’t do a lot of work with it), and the nose comes off for the work as a chisel plane. Again, great for reaching into those corners.
    • Another old Stanley No. 100 block plane. Again, a nice plane to work with.

    Over the next few months, I’ll keep on doing how-to articles on working with these planes to achieve excellent results on your projects. Until then, hey, since I have the planes on my workbench, maybe I should give them a good cleaning and hone the blades!

    Experiences

    My first woodworking experience

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    It’s been said that you never forget your first time.

    If that’s the case, then I’m really scratching my head as to why I got into woodworking as a hobby.

    Walter T. Bergen Middle SchoolLet’s hit the rewind button on the way back machine. The year, 1982. There I was, a skinny kid growing up in Bloomingdale, New Jersey. I was in seventh grade at Walter T. Bergen Middle School. The big time. You see, in sixth grade, things were just like they were in elementary school – you stayed in your classroom most of the day, leaving only for phys ed, art, music and lunch.

    But, seventh graders actually got to change classes. This was my first experience going to a math teacher’s room. A history teacher’s room. A science teacher’s room. It was totally new, and a lot more fun than sitting in the same classroom all day.

    Another very important thing happened to me – all seventh graders got to do a semester in wood shop class. Woah. Power tools. Visions of being the best in this class danced in my head.

    Unfortunately, I had to get through a semester of Home Economics in the fall first. The food part wasn’t that bad, but the sewing was a nightmare. I ended up making a pair of sweatpants that had no business being worn in public.

    But, as the spring semester began, we were off to wood shop. Mr. Kirkegard was a very patient man, and, judging from his looks, he was probably big into the counter-culture movement of the late 1960’s or early 1970’s. Far out, man.

    We spent the first few weeks learning how to draft. While I was trying to align a T-Square and a drafting triangle with a sheet of paper, my eyes kept wandering to the big gray Delta Unisaw and the bank of power tools against the wall. Oh, yeah, I was going to DIG cutting wood!

    Tom swings a hammer?How disappointed I was to discover how tight the restrictions were for the tools. No table saw. The band saw and drill press were to be used under tight supervision. And, even the power disc/belt sander was monitored carefully. Bummer.

    I think those first few weeks of actually working wood were to get an idea of who knew what and who was not going to be trustworthy near the tools. My suspicions were confirmed when we were allowed to pick our assignments.

    Some of the brightest and the best were allowed to build turned salt and pepper shakers. Most of the kids were allowed to build cutting boards in various shapes. (We were told we could make cutting boards in the shape of a hand with a finger extended – but only ONE particular finger was forbidden, if you catch my drift.)

    Me, well, I was assigned a coat hanger. A poplar board cut – say – 18″ by 6″, with three 3/4″ holes bored into it. Then, I was given three lengths of 1″ dowel and a stack of sandpaper, and told to sand the dowels down until they fit the holes.

    I must have REALLY impressed him….

    No, I'm not that old....So, while the other kids in class were building their creations, I sat at my work table and sanded the ends of three dowels for weeks. It was tedious and my hand hurt, but I was going to make those dowels fit come heck or high water.

    Well, the big day arrived. Mr. Kirkegard came over to me with a bottle of glue and a mallet. “So, Tom, you ready to assemble your project?”

    Uhh, the other kids were busy finishing theirs, so I guess it must have been time. I nodded my assent, then handed over the components. He smeared glue on the sanded end and tried to fit it into the hole. It was a tight fit. He pounded on the dowel with his mallet. He was getting frustrated, and I think I heard him muttering something under his breath while he worked. It finally surrendered and went into the hole.

    The same thing happened with dowel two. However, while he was driving dowel number three home, the poplar board split down the middle. Mr. Kirkegard stood over the piece for a second, looking down with hatred in his eyes. As if on cue, dowels number two and one took that opportunity to tip over out of the now too-large holes, roll off the bench and clatter to the floor, trailing wood glue in their wake.

    Stoically, Mr, Kirkegard picked up the board, retrieved the wayward dowels, and stepped into his office. The door shut with a resounding thud and the bell rang shortly after.

    At the end of the semester, I opened my report card to see I had gotten a C in shop class. I’m not sure what ever happened to the project, but, if you go to the Passaic County, New Jersey landfill and dig back through 26 years of refuse, I’ll bet you’ll find an unautographed Tom Iovino original piece of art.