Showing posts with label can. Show all posts

Friday, February 21, 2014

There Was A Right Way To Do Things And There Still Can Be

Working my way through the rebuild, repair, and refinish of an antique dresser we own that had been loose in the joints for a while and finally failed completely as my wife tried to move it away from the wall. This type of project has always been a little intimidating to me, there is a slightly different way of thinking and skill set involved, and while there are similarities to your standard "build it from scratch" woodworking, there are enough differences to make it interesting.

If you missed where we started from, you can catch up HERE.

The first thing to do was to take apart the piece. Not all repairs require the piece to be taken apart here there was so much damage there was no other way I could think to do it. To repair everything along the front, It required that I get the top off the dresser.

I turned the work upside down on the bench to get a good look at what I had to work with. I found half a dozen glue blocks between the base and the top. At first I thought about just taking a beater chisel and tearing up the blocks. A very caveman like approach I agree, but it did cross my mind as a first answer and I pried a little with no good results.

I pondered my options. The rail parts I had been able to get off easily showed obvious evidence that the piece had been put together using hide glue. I thought about Stephen Shepherd and his great writing over at Full Chisel Blog. Stephen covers a great many subjects most directly related to 18th century woodworking and one of those subjects is his work repairing antique spinning wheels. Coincidentally while reading about these repairs he also taught me a good deal about hide glue.

One of the best properties and reasons to use hide glue in your woodworking is the fact that it is a repairable glue. What does that mean? It means you can undo it by dissolving it with denatured alcohol, and there by take the work apart to rebuild, and reglue it.

I took a quick trip down the street to the hardware store and picked up a can of denatured alcohol, what did I have to lose. You can see in the picture above how I flooded the area around a couple of glue blocks, I also used a small brush to make sure I flooded the nooks and crannies around the blocks. Of course the picture above shows the absence of glue blocks as well. The real experiment was finding out how long to wait for the process to work.

Im sure individual milage may vary, but I only had to wait around five minutes for each soaked block to be loose enough to pry it free with a chisel.

Ok I lied about a half dozen glue blocks, now that I count the ones in the picture I come up with around 10. Math is hard.

Besides the glue blocks there were four cut nails connecting the top to the base. Here I am lifting the top front rail off its nail attachments.

I wish I could have stopped here, but the joints in the three remaining sides were all loose as well. Some more alcohol soak and a little light wooden mallet persuasion and I had the dresser looking more like a pile of kindling than anything.

This was the most intimidating moment of the whole process. I snapped a pic of this with my phone and sent it to my wife and her response was a worried, "Can you get it back together?"

I believe there are few things straight up black and white, wrong and right. I usually see lots of shade of grey in my world. But I do believe that there was a lot of "right" things our fore-bearers knew that we have managed to forget.

One of those things is hide glue. Without my predecessors use of hide glue the repair of this piece would have been incredibly more difficult how could I go any other route but to use hide glue to fit the piece back together.

I reglued every joint in the carcass. It stands strong and rock solid again, ready for another century or so. There was one more big repair that I had to work at quite a bit, but more on that next time.

Ratione et Passionis
Oldwolf

Monday, February 10, 2014

Books Are Like Clamps You Can Never Have Too Many!

A recent post about "Top Ten" woodworking books on the Village Carpenter got me thinking, and digging through my library trying to come up with my list. In the process, I discovered I was a little out of date on my List-O-Books. The official count is now over two hundred books!

Theyre all good (the "bleh" ones dont make the cut) and trying to come up with a list of just ten was hard! Im sure I will change this later, but heres what I came up with for now - with a short rational for each:

1. The Woodwrights Eclectic Workshop - Roy Underhill

"How to start with a tree and an axe and make one thing after another until you have a house and everything in it." If I had to pick just one of Roys books, I think it would be this one. It has everything I love about his writing: deep knowledge, excellent writing, history, culture, humor, and a strong sense of the interconnectedness of everything. But really, ALL his books are "Top Ten" material.

2. Hand Tools: Their Ways and Workings - Aldren Watson

One of the first hand tool woodworking books I read. The information is great (it has a few quirks)and his pencil illustrations are fantastic! For an added bonus, you can have fun trying to find the names, or initials, of the people listed on the acknowledgement page hidden in the illustrations throughout the book.

3. Traditional Woodworking Handtools: An Illustrated Reference Guide For the Woodworker - Graham Blackburn

A fascinating, detailed guide to hand tools and their use. It makes a good companion book to Watsons Hand Tools, especially since it covers moulding planes, something Watson left out.

4. Craftsmen of Necessity - Christopher Williams

A great book focusing on the fading (or vanished, it was published in 1974) connection between man and his environment, with a focus on architecture, agriculture, boat building and various other crafts. It examines the impact of machine technology replacing direct craftsman/environment interaction.

5. The Nature and Art of Workmanship - David Pye

A serious, almost academic in a philosophical way, discussion on, well, art and workmanship. If you are serious about craftsmanship, you need to read this book. It is kind of a highbrow cousin to the more folksy Craftsmen of Necessity.

6. Woodworking with Kids - Richard Starr

Solid hand tool information and truly inspirational photos of kids and their projects. I wish I had access to a teacher like Starr when I was a kid.

7. The Workshop Book: A Craftsmans Guide to Making the Most of Any Work Space - Scott Landis

This is one of those books I keep going back to. I love poring over the photographs of woodworkers shops. I like trying to identify the tools in the background, spot interesting storage ideas, and just trying to learn as much as possible about the craftsman by looking at his space. I always notice something new.

8. A Guide to the Makers of American Wooden Planes 4th edition - Emil and Martyl Pollack and Thomas L. Elliott

If you are interested in old American planes, their makers, and their place in history, then this is the book. It is written more for the collector, than the user, but its the first place I go when Im seeking information about the moulding plane Im about to put back to work.

9. Keeping the Cutting Edge: Setting and Sharpening Hand and Power Saws - Harold H. Payson

The best single source of saw sharpening information Ive come across. Too bad he strays into power saws :)

10. How to Work with Tools and Wood: For the Home Workshop - The Author

A solid "How To" hand tool book, mixed with subtle sales pitches, campy illustrations, and a surprising amount of philosophy. For a more complete discussion see my post Your Boy Is Safe When He Is Working With Tools And Wood.

Monday, February 3, 2014

Woodworking projects i can sell

Really nice Woodworking projects i can sell must see

Woodworking Projects I Can Sell

How to sell wood pallets | ehow, How to sell wood pallets. valuable new wood is used to construct pallets used in manufacturing, shipping and other industries. if you've got old wooden pallets, you. Www.woodcrafter.com - wood craft | wooden products, Offering wood craft supplies as well as traditional art supplies.. Woodworking projects | ebay - electronics, cars, fashion, Sunset woodworking projects i sold from lowe's. ninth printing in 1984. a collector's book for sure. first 2 pages of book are coming loose from the binding..

12 simple woodworking projects that sell fast: the "under, 2 responses to 12 simple woodworking projects that sell fast: the "under $100" secret to success. Wood project kits | ebay - electronics, cars, fashion, Find great deals on ebay for wood project kits in craft kits for kids. shop with confidence.. Easy rustic wood crafts to make & sell | ehow, Easy rustic wood crafts to make & sell. primitive or rustic wood crafts are popular in the city as well as the country. making and selling them is one way.

Cool easy wood projects – how to build diy woodworking, Cool easy wood projects - step by step diy woodworking blueprints pdf download how to build a cool easy wood projects with quality plans.cool easy wood. Thinking wood, As a novice, i wondered how can i get started in the wonderful world of wood working. until a few years back, my skills with wood were limited to a couple of workshop. How can i get rid of dog pee smell on concrete and wood, Best answer: bleach won't work. you can buy some more expensive remedies in the stores or, go to the grocery store and buy a $3 gallon jug of the white.