Greene/Greene inspired entry table

Entry Table after fuming

joined/planed pieces cut to length

Face joining with hand plane

Top edge joined

top squared off

top pieces

Tapering legs

Flush routing

finished pieces

top loose tenons

Glue up

Leg loose tenons

Entry Table before fuming

Fume box

It has been a while since I last posted.  Thought I’d post some pics of my lasted project, an entry table.  It will be functional for the space where it’s going.  I tried to make top seem as if it were floating with a Greene and Greene style.  I’ve seen a similar table, but I drew this up on sketchup.

It’ll match a desk I’ve been working on.

It was also a chance to use a new toy.  I just got a Festool Domino XL.  Worked wonderfully.

Since I was going to use loose tenons, I cut the planed and joined pieces to length.  I used hard curly maple for the top and QS white oak everywhere else.  I had to hand plane the top first.  It was too wide for my 8″ joiner.

I tapered the front/back legs at table saw.

I rough cut the cloud lift features at bandsaw and sanded to get one piece which then became a template for the others.  I then used a flush trim router bit with double-sided tape to duplicate the pieces.

Afterwards, I rounded over all the edges and sanded before assembly.

Then came the loose tenons.  I used the Domino, which was awesome.  I have to say I did get good service from Bob Marino which is where I bought the domino online.

http://www.bobmarinosbesttools.com

It is well-balanced and precise.  I sold a couple of tools I hadn’t used in a long while to help offset some of the cost.

Anyway, glued up and did some final sanding.

I made a fuming box with some 1×2 and covered it with plastic drop “cloth”.  Then, I placed concentrated ammonia (with protective gloves, eyewear, etc) in the fume box at a temp of approx 55 Fahrenheit for about 48 hours.

Still have to put a protective top coat, but am thinking about what to use.  Hope it finishes well.

Thanks for reading.  Cheers!

Radial Arm/Miter Station 2

Well, I did some work on the radial arm/miter station the past couple days.  After thinking about the dust collection, I contemplated a dust hood, but opted for a down draft area.  I’ll do some sanding there anyways.  I cut a channel in the cabinets and lined it with hardboard…then, sealed it with some aluminum tape. I only use my radial arm occasionally and am going to just hook up a shop vac when I need it.

I made the same half-lap frame as before then topped that with the construction grade plywood, and then a sheet of hardboard.

I used a pegboard as a template and drilled holes along the course of the channel.  Then, pulled it up and drilled larger holes in the plywood.

Then, I installed both the radial arm and miter saw and adjusted them to be level with the support area.  Still have to order the drawer hardware and  make the drawers.  But that’s for another day.

Cheers.

 

Radial Arm/Miter Station

Decided where to place the miter saw So, started making cabinets which will be level with miter saw and radial arm saw.  I had seen an episode of NYW a few years back and Norm had made workshop cabinets pretty much the same way.

Took a sheet of plywood and ripped to height and then cross cut with circular saw.  I ripped the remaining portion of the sheet into 4 strips.

I cut notches for the plywood strips with a jig saw in the two center pieces, and used my dado blade to make rabbets in top, back and bottom of the two end pieces.

After attaching the strips to the center pieces and then the ends with glue and screws, I leveled, shimmed and attached the unit to the wall.  I had to cut out for my dust collector pipes.

Took 2x4s and mad half-lap joints for a counter base and attached that the top.  Then cut and scribed a piece of construction plywood to the top of that, and did the same with a piece of tempered hardboard.  Next step will be to make platforms on both sides for each saw and trim it out.

But…..

Had to call it quits for the day.  Had a honey-do list to work on as well.

Cheers

Back to the Shop

After over 1 1/2 years, building the house addition, a pergola,  a new shop, and many other house projects, I’m ready to get back to making some furniture.  First project from the new shop is going to be 3 cherry blanket chests.  I plan to repay two generous friends for some cherry logs.  I’m involving my kids on the chests and hopefully they will learn and come to enjoy woodworking as much as I do.  Below is a pic of some of the wood we are milling up.

I Love the Sawmill!

I love salvaging wood. A friend had two cherry trees come down last summer…and they called me. Along with my friend’s husband and a loader, I managed to get three nice cherry logs.
The first photo shows my poor trailer, loaded to it’s max with one of the logs.
I took the logs to a local sawmill this past fall, he sawed them up and dried them in his kiln. He sawed them into 8/4 stock which always seems expensive to buy whenever I need it.
Went yesterday to pick up the wood and got some really nice boards.

Here’s a pic of the trailer (with a little less weight) with all three “logs” loaded.
It makes me appreciate the possibilities of things to come.
Cheers.

Dormer Addition

Weather has been a little bit of an issue over the past few days.  Rain intermittently, which means having to put the tarp on and off if I want to make progress.  Luckily, we had a really nice day on Saturday and we got the outside walls up.  

Two of my friend stopped by to help (one of them unexpectedly which was nice.)

We moved up the OSB sheets before putting up the wall.  I didn’t want to have to carry it all up and used a bobcat to raise it up.  

I built the walls on the second floor and attached a few pieces of sheathing which overhung the bottom of the walls.  I got this idea from the NYW when Norm made his potting shed.  We stood the walls up and attached them to the sill plate.  It worked pretty well. 

After the first wall was up, we just worked down the line.  Made some progress.  

The ridge beam, which will be two 2×10 boards sandwiched together, will be supported by the masonry on the ends.  Today, I chipped out and then cut some of the brick at the peaks.  There will be about 4 inches of support at the ends and a mid support wall for the ridge beam.  I used some concrete to level off the end supports.  I’ll let it dry, then put a piece of pressure treated lumber on it and the ridge beam on that.  But that’ll be Weds.  

Hope you all have a good day.  Thanks for reading.

.

 

Not fine woodworking, but….

 

I started working on a shed dormer today.  Demolition day, which is work but fun.  Had a nice day for it.  It’s amazing what you can accomplish with a circular saw and a sawzall.

The house is only about 25×30.  I built a temporary support wall before cutting the trusses.  

A buddy stopped by to help move some of the mess into the dumpster and put the tarp on.  It’s supposed to rain tomorrow.  

I’ll probably take tomorrow off as we’re also getting honeybees, and tomorrow is pickup day.    Should be fun.  Cheers.

 

Arts and Crafts Morris Chair Done!

Been a while since I posted, but was waiting until I got the back cushions from the upholsterer.  I’m very happy with their work.  The woodworking part was finished sometime in February.  I made the bottom cushions which was fairly straight forward, but opted to have the back cushions made which was definitely a good idea.  

I thought I’d go through some of the details of things I did and things I think can be tweaked a bit.  

Cushions….

I made the seat frames out of poplar with mortise and tenons on a Leigh jig.  I put small dadoes in them to accept the clips for the rubber webbing.  

Next time…I’d make the frames about 1/2″ narrower on the length and width.  I first made them with just 1/4″ spacing which was not quite enough for the room the leather and batting took up.  The frames can be secured to the chair from underneath if you end up with a little play.

I added a layer of burlap over the rubber webbing.

Then, used 4″ high density foam.

And covered that with 2 layers of batting which was just like wrapping an X-mas present.

Then, covered with a piece of leather to wrap over and stapled to the bottom of the frame.

The upholsterer did a nice job on the back cushions with a bead around the edge, and a zippered bottom.

Now onto the woodworking.

I’m pretty happy with the results, but of course you’re always your best critic…I always notice my mistakes when I walk into a room, and try my best to not make them again…not always successful.  That’s one reason I like this blog, I can look back and see what I did previously.  One of my favorite quotes is from Thomas Edison: “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10000 ways that won’t work”.

Here’s another pic of the chair.

 

The through mortises on the arms.  Back one sloped to match arm slope.

The back pegs to adjust the chair’s back.  I think I’d add one more peg, so it could lean back just a little further.  I find I keep it set at the furthest back position, but I think when I make a stool to match, it would be just a little more comfortable to recline more.

The corbels which support the arms.  I glued, screwed and then plugged the holes.  This worked well.  With the arm slope, I had cut the wedges to attach to the underside first, then glued them on.  Next time, I’d glue a full block on the underside, then cut the wedge off the piece.  If you can see in the pic, there is a small gap at the back of that wedge on the underside of the arm.  Probably could eliminate that.

The through mortises of the side stretchers and the front stretchers that I pegged to hold in place.  

This project was fun.  The slope on the arms was the most challenging portion.  I didn’t curve the back slats like some others had done, but chair is still comfortable.  The back foam is a little stiff, but I think with time will conform and give a little more.  

Any comments or questions are welcomed.  

The first photo shows the chair with an end table I made about 2 yrs ago, and the clock I did about 5 yrs ago (which is NYW design).  

Special thanks to the http://www.leatherhidestore.com/ where I purchase the leather, and to http://www.sunsetstripandupholstery.com/ who made the back cushions.

 

Not productive, but fun woodworking day

Any trip to the lumberyard is a good time.  It feels like a place of possibilities.  All that wood just waiting to be planed and shaped into a piece of furniture, except for those unlucky scraps that get tossed in the burn pile.  

Anyway, I picked up about 200 BF of QS white oak for the kitchen remodel.  Took just under 3 hrs travel and pick up time.  I’m trying to keep track of cost for this project.  So with tax, the wood came to $3.31 a BF.  I’ll probably need only 75 BF or so for the face frames, and doors.  

Also got a new bandsaw blade in the mail yesterday to help with the resawing for the panels.  It’s a 1 1/2 in carbide tipped beauty.  It should last several years.  

Was a bit of a challenge to install the blade though.  It’s the largest my bandsaw will take.  Jet’s design for this one was a little lacking.  But, I took off the lower guide and was able to get it on.  

Hope it works well.  I have never had good luck when resawing, but I’m optimistic with the new blade.  We’ll see.  

 

Kitchen Remodel 2

Well, I’ve been working on the boxes for the kitchen cabinets.  

Few dadoes here, a rabbet there, a little wood glue, brads and voila. I only have to do 2 more base cabinets.   So, making some progress.   I plan on using plastic adjustable legs for the bottoms of most of the cabinets, except for the pantry cupboard.  Used them last time and they seemed to work well. 

I used dado set on table saw and on radial arm to make most of dadoes, and router with straight edge for a couple.  

Also, I’m going to pick up about some QS white oak to face them and make the doors.  The weatherman predicted snow here today, and I put that trip off until Friday.