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Sunday, February 23, 2014

Cant get enough of this color and my new workshop!!!!

I'm on a turquoise color kick! I just love this color from the

Real Milk Paint co. They call it cobalt but it's this stunning shade of turquoise.

This 100 yr old buffet was in great condition.

I didn't want to cover up the wood but just wanted to enhance it a bit.

I forgot to snap a pic before I started. The wood is quarter sawn oak and hardly needed any

attention. I sanded the doors and drawers and went over them with some stain that

matched the body. Painted with the milk paint. Oh I forgot, I actually did a first coat

with the color "peacock" and then did my second coat in cobalt. I didn't want the color

to be too bright and I like the greenish-blue underneath.

I have to post a pic of my new garage makeover-workbench area! Everything was done with stuff

we already had laying around the garage. The wood flooring on the wall has been up in the rafters

for 5 years! Wasn't enough to really do anything with so why not bling up the workspace area?!

Mr Pretty built me the new work bench and put the wood on the wall. I stained and sealed, as usual!

Saturday, January 25, 2014

Hold This For Me Will Ya

I have been messing about with wood on temporary benches for who knows how long now. I have used everything from a few planks spread across a couple of old oil drums to working off of one of those silly "Workmate" things. Since moving out of the condo and into a house a year-and-a-half ago, things have slowly gotten better. My tool cabinet is still with me and continues to sit in my office. It has a nice little worktop that is just the cats behind when it comes to height and I dont have to travel far to get my hands on the tool I need. This spring, I built a large, heavy bench out of pressure-treated lumber that sits outside on our backyard patio. It is great for doing the slug-work like facing boards and ripping planks, but it does require schlepping the tools I need back and forth. I wouldnt trade that piece of shit for the best Schwarz-built bench he has to offer, though, because that would mean I would have to work inside and that, Im afraid, aint for me. For me, this is the perfect set-up. When the weather is nice, Im out working in the open air and when it isnt, Im tucked away in my office working on bits and pieces and messin with things that dont produce much dust or need much room.

I have learned one major lesson while building these fussy, little mounts, though - I need a damned vise. Yesterday I was trying to flatten the face of a piece for the No.10½ plane mount. The stock was about 12" long, 2½" wide, which I can handle with a bit a fussing. What drove me to drink, though, was its thickness. Being ³⁄₈" thick on one side and 1" on the other called for some serious gymnastics to not only get it held down, but held down in such a way as to allow the plane to travel the full length of the stock without hitting anything. What a royal pain in the butt. I got it done, but afterwards I realized that I hadnt enjoyed it one bit, and if Im not enjoying it, why the hell am I doing it?

Faced with the reality that I needed a vise, I had to figure out what to do about it. Both worktops call for a removable style of vise. There is no sense mounting one permanently on the bench outside as the rain and snow would destroy it in a season and mounting one on the tool cabinet would severely limit its use, not to mention killing a good portion of my work area. If I did go with a removable style, the only type I know of are the metal cast variety, which Im not fond of from an aesthetic standpoint. I also know the edges of my planes and chisels wouldnt be to happy about working around one either, given what a klutz I am.

What I decided I needed was a small, portable vise made of wood with its main function being facing boards, especially the smaller, oddly-shaped ones that I seem to be involved with so much lately.

This is what I came up with...

Once I had an idea of what I wanted and how it had to be built, I took a look at the tools I already have. I have a set of old thread cutters, the largest of which is 1", so the single, centre screw is 1" in diameter. My little lathe holds a maximum of 15" stock, so the screw in its entirety, is 14½" long. Because it cant add too much height to the benches it will be attached to, I decided to limit it to 2¾" high. To keep the face square, I added two ¾" maple dowels on either side to help keep it aligned. I settled on an overall size of 25½" by 12" and included two rows of dog holes which should allow it to hold all the weird and wild-shaped pieces of stock I have been coming up with at late. The big question is, what is the easiest way to attach it to the bench? At this point, I plan to just add a couple of cut-outs on either side to accept the heads of regular clamps, but Ill have a look around this weekend to see if there is something less cumbersome about. I have ordered the stock in beech and should be picking it up within a week or two. Ill keep you posted how I make out with it.

In truth, Im looking forward to getting at it and finally working wood without the added frustrations of not having anything to hold it.

As usual, if anyone has an idea they would like to share with me about this, Id be truly grateful.

Peace,

Mitchell

Friday, January 24, 2014

What to do with this seventy two

I bought this Stanley No.72 Chamfer Plane about a year and a half ago for, I think, $225. Its a nice plane, one I have used many times, but it is the one plane in my collection that bugs me to no end.

My likes:

The blade seems to hold an edge forever, even though 100% of its wear is limited to the half inch in the middle.

It is comfortable to use as the tote is the same one used on the No. 3, a size that seems to be just perfect for my hands.

It also does an excellent job at producing a very true and even chamfer, for miles, if need be.

The wood has a beautifully patina.

I think it is one of Stanleys better designed tools, an excellent example of design following function.

My dislikes:

Registering it properly at the beginning of the stroke is next to impossible (On a power planer, the problem is always at the end of the board and its called "snipe". What do you call the same issue at the beginning of a board when using a hand plane).

It lacks a blade adjuster, something I truly hate in any plane (now there is a statement you dont want to hear from someone who collects wood molding planes).

It sells for a ridiculous price.

So all that said, what bugs me to no end with it?

Its condition.

The japanning on the main casting is just...well...sad.

The V-Sole has some lumps and craters that came with the plane from the factory, I believe.

The japanning on the adjustable sole is almost none-existent.

The blade cap isnt too bad, but it has its issues.

Its a "B" casting.

I paid another $225 for the beading attachment, but Im still looking for the bullnose.

The question is, what do I do with it?

I sent my Miller Falls eggbeater off to Wiktor Kuc, over at WKTools.com three months ago. Mr. Kuc broke his wrist just after that, and that put him out of commission for a while, so the return of it is understandably delayed. One of my requests when I set it to him, though, was he not make it look like a brand new drill. That look is impressive, but not the look I like in a vintage tool and remember, to me, looks are half the battle.

So how do you deal with missing japanning without having it come back looking like a repainted plane?

I found a guy who restores planes on eBay and I really like what he does with these old planes, but the problem I have is that they do not look like old planes any more. I emailed him with my thoughts, and Steve assures me he is well equipped and experienced to deal with it within my requested limitations.

If the plane can be redone without looking like a remake, I then have to be concerned about the value of the tool. Will refurbishing it increase its value, or decrease it?

Oh, what do you do with an old seventy-two (sorry, I like that rhyme).

Peace,

Mitchell

just this past week

well, i think im going to be writing on this one for a minute or two. i have not posted much new stuff lately, and today, in looking at my pictures, i realize why. the last two weeks have been pretty intense, all in a good way. exactly one week ago today, i took a solo road trip to stowe to drop off the hanging swing and check our templates for our next project there, a curved, sort of built in bench. click the photos to enlarge them ...

when i say sort of, i mean sort of built in, definitely curved. it goes at the top of a three story spiral staircase, in a cupola, looking down the valley, over the top of stowe village ... great view !

our template, which we made from a paper template made by the contractor .. a 72" radius.

on the way up, i traveled over the recently reopened vermont route 107, devastated last summer by hurricane irene. they are still working on it and in several places, i had to stop for one way traffic, and i have to say, the devastation that has been repaired in the last 8 months is hard to comprehend. there were miles of this ...

on the way back, i took the scenic route over lincoln gap, to visit a client i made a table for in 1991. i had seen her recently at an art opening and she mentioned her table could use a little sprucing up. i could see that it had been used a lot, but after an hour or so of sanding and a new coat of oil/poly mix and it looked like a 20 year old table that was in great shape. i plan to stop on my way back from dropping off the curved bench and give it another coat ... after that, it should be good for another 20.

i remember her sending me photos of the dining room details that she wanted included in the table inlays and though i remembered her photos, it was cool to see them in person.

and in the metal shop ...

sams got a number of projects winding down. he rebuilt one of these forms he made a few months ago, and made two new ones. its and interesting project in that he made the cad drawing in 2d, printed it at 1/8" to the inch, cut it out, folded it up and sent it to melansons, where they cut the pieces on their waterjet and folded them on their computerized brake. very slick ...

heres the paper mockup ..

and the finished form with the sliding bolts for opening, and the lifting handles added. its a two piece form that is split after the concrete sets up.

hes also wrapping up three fireplace screens. the grid/screen material he got from mcnichols is really cool and ill post a photo when they are finished.

its a challenging concept as they have to fit and look good in some pretty rough stone openings. we made some mdf mockups and fitted the trim pieces in place before getting underway ... worked slick ...

and trevors working on a figured mahogany coffee table that will be going to california

stage 1

tah dah ... it will be in a room with a bubinga steinway ... hence the reddish finish you can see on the top in its early phase.

and heres a new one for us .. a copper topped porch table. we built this half size mockup just to see how the concept and processes would work and we plan to make it into a console for sale at our upcoming open studio weekend on memorial day.

the individual copper pieces laid in place

a view of the painted bottom planks ... shes a big one ..36 x 132. it will have the x base like in the mockup photo.

we glued and nailed the copper on using jacks to the ceiling to press it into place.

were also exploring new bases for our claro walnut slab tables. this one is in the works and we like it so far. on monday, well put finish on the walnut and the steel and get sam to connect the two base pieces with another x of polished 5/8ths rebar .. we angled the bases to follow the angled ends of the slab. so far so good. were liking it ...

we also had a small antique restoration ... i wish i had a before picture as it was really not pretty. lots of drawer borders and edge pieces missing and a lot of white scum like stuff on the shellac. missing pulls, etc. looks pretty good now ...

and it had the coolest english style dovetails i think i have ever seen ...

and we helped install the 4 x 8 piece of granite on the kitchen island

beautiful! and im glad to cross that one off my list. it was a great project ...

all in all it was quite a week. in addition to being very busy in the shop, we also sent out a bunch of new quotes on new projects. hopefully, the economy is gaining steam in the world of custom furniture .. all for now. have a great weekend ...

Thursday, January 23, 2014

This May Replace The Old Friend I Just Sold

As you may know I recently sold my much loved DeWalt 12" Dual Bevel Sliding Compound Miter Saw. Though it has always been one of my favorite power tools, the depth required for those long rails was just too much for my current shop.

So heres a video of Boschs new Uber-Miter Saw. While I have to get my hands on one before I decide, the new Bosch Glide Saw is certainly on my short list. If youre not familiar with the saw, or if you just cant get enough of its cool Glide action, check it out.

How do you like your miter saw?

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