The Bench

Vacation

2009-12-20T17:36:00.000-08:00

First Semester is complete. I now have two weeks to relax. I need it. For the last three and a half months, I've spent 6 days a week in the shop for a minimum of 8 hours a day. My cabinet realistically has a couple weeks of work left before it is complete. I thought it was going to be difficult to put down this project that I have been so focussed on for the last month. This last week drained all my energy and I have now realized that I need a break. Finishing this project will be much easier with a nice rest and clear mind.

Cove Cutting

2009-12-17T18:41:00.000-08:00

I am getting ready to shape my two floating panels. I enjoy working with my hand tools a lot. The stock of Olive that I have is quite thick. Even though it takes a plane wonderfully, it is a dense wood and would require many blade sharpenings. I have decided to remove a large portion of the stock with the table saw and finesse the shape with my planes. I'm going to use an old carpenters trick to remove the waste. I will make a cove cut on the table saw.

I set up a fence that runs diagonal to the blade. Now instead of the blade making a thin little saw kerf, it will cut a hollow that matches the circumference of the saw blade.

I made a test jig to make sure I had the right angle and blade height. I have to be absolutely sure that I am not taking too much out. I cannot ruin this piece. Olive is a very pricey wood. I start by making very light passes over the blade. The machine room is filled with the wonderful smell of olive. Much better than burning olive; which I imagine would be quite unpleasant.

I removed most of the material that I wanted to. Now I will start shaping it with my planes.

The Olive is going to complement the Sycamore so well!

Cabinet Surgery

2009-12-16T20:24:00.000-08:00

Time to fix my mistake. What will I need. Clamps, Pin Vise, Thinned downed Glue, and a Syringe.

With the cabinet clamped up, I carefully lift the side that is not glued down.

I mark out where my dowel holes are and drill at an angle until I puncture into the dowel hole. Once that is done, I inject glue into the dowel holes and clamp it back up like nothing ever went wrong. The fix went great and the cabinet is now sitting in the clamps waiting to set.

What else have I been up too? I've been working on my door. I have the frame almost done. I need to do a little more work to get the frame ready for glue up.

A few little fixes. The shoulder cut on one of my frame members didn't come out square. As a result when I put the frame together there was a little gap in between the frame. I built a saddle; which is a jig that allows me to correct the uneven joint.

I only had to take off a thin little shaving to get a better fit of the joint.

With my frame fitted to size it was time to start mocking up the shape of my two floating panels. I need the panels to curve slightly past the door frame.

I have also chosen a wood for my curved floating Panels. Olive. A great wood with warm tones. I can't wait to start shaping it.

Three Stage Glue up Gone Wrong!

2009-12-14T22:38:00.000-08:00

Gluing up a Cabinet can be very simple and easy... if done correctly. The cabinet has 4 points of contact which must be glued up. Glue the first two joints separately allowing enough time in between for the glue to set up. Once those two have set up, glue the third and fourth joint together, put it in the clamps and done. Guess what I did?

I arrived back at school after lunch; ready for my third glue up. I only put glue on the 3rd joint. By the time I realized I wouldn't be able to pull the cabinet apart to glue my forth joint, it was too late. We all had a good laugh over it.

Luckily I am able to open the unglued joint and not wreck the other three joints. I will have to do a little "surgery" to the cabinet. I should be able to correct my mistake without damaging the appearance of the piece. Lucky me.

Pre-Finishing

2009-12-14T21:50:00.000-08:00

It took a little longer to finesse the shape of my cabinet than expected. But it all makes up for it when I put my finish on and see the beautiful smooth surfaces. Pre-Finishing?? Let me explain. Most would assume that when a cabinet is built, it is completely constructed and then the finish is applied. A smarter approach is to finish while building the cabinet. It is a lot easier to apply a finish when they are in pieces. Getting into corners that are glued up can be tricky.

There are many ways to finish wood. For most of our projects at school, we stick to a simple finish, that leaves a natural look. I will not bore you with the details. Our finish usually ranges from 3 to 6 coats of Shellac and 2 coats of wax polish. 6 coats??? That must take forever to finish? Nope. Shellac dries really quickly; many coats can be applied throughout the day.

When mixing Shellac an empty bottle is needed. Most people choose a fancy wine bottle or whiskey bottle. I decided to use a bottle that I found humorous. I selected a bottle of Colt 45. It cost 7 dollars, has a high alcohol content, tastes like piss, and promises to "get you drunk every time". I washed the bottle out and mixed up my shellac. The next morning I arrived at school and checked my shellac. It smelt like Malt Liquor. The shellac was ruined. Oh well, guess I will use a boring old wine bottle.

The Shellac made a nice smooth finish to my cabinet carcass. The Beeswax Polish I applied after added a nice shine and made it feel like silk. I have never achieved these results with a finish. But it isn't just the finish, that made my cabinet so smooth. Surface preparation is the main reason the surfaces finished so well.

The pieces for the cabinet carcass are now ready for glue up.

Catching up

2009-12-08T21:14:00.000-08:00

It's been almost a month since my last post. I have been very busy or just too tired to get another post up. I have a lot to talk about. I am behind schedule. But things are going smoothly this week, so I feel I can catch up.

Where to start?? My Krenov inspired Pipe Cabinet is not longer looking like what I had originally planned. During my mock up, I couldn't get my door to achieve the look I wanted with the original idea. My door will have a frame but instead of a panel sitting in the frame, I will have two curved panels in between the frame members. It is a little difficult to describe. Hopefully when I get my door started in the next couple of days, I can post photos that will better explain my design.

Wood: I have obviously chosen a wood to use for my cabinet carcass. I originally wanted a darker wood. Changed my mind when I found a beautiful piece of Sycamore ( European Maple) and couldn't pass up the opportunity to build with it. Sycamore is a light wood, with a nice straight even grain. The wood has a curl. When it is planed smooth it give a rippled look to the piece.

This is the Sycamore. The material is so vibrant when it is planed smooth. I am really enjoying working with Sycamore; the wood works so easily with my hand tools.

Shape: I decided to build a tall narrow cabinet. It is roughly 9 inches wide by 24 inches tall and 6 inches deep. This is what it looks like just after doweling the carcass. Up next some interior work and then shaping.

This was an early mock up of the drawers and shelf I am going to put in. The design has changed a little. There is no longer two rows of drawers.

Before I can do my final finish and glue up the cabinet, I need to shape the tops and bottoms. Mortise out my Flipper Flopper and Door Leveler. As well I need to add the mortise for my Knife Hinges. The fit here is a lot tighter than my Wabi Sabi Cabinet. I am glad I corrected that mistake.

And that about takes me up to where I am at. If all goes smoothly, I should be gluing up my cabinet carcass tomorrow and then starting on my door.

Wabi Sabi is Finished

2009-11-11T19:04:00.000-08:00

I have completed my Wabi Sabi Cabinet! Happy to be done and moving on to my first project. I learned a lot with this exercise. Not everything came out great but I feel well prepared for my first project.

The Door has been installed and finished with Shellac.

Here is an interesting detail I didn't mention. This is a Flipper Flopper. It is a small piece of wood that slightly protrudes the top of the cabinet. There is a small spring under the Flipper Flopper and when the door closes, the Flipper Flopper puts pressure on the door and latches it.

Here is my drawer flushed up and fitted. Our drawers are done a little different than most conventional cabinets. I make the cabinet carcass just slightly out of square (not a whole lot, I'm talking maybe a millimeter) This gives the drawer compartment a slight taper. I then carefully plane the sides of the drawer with a taper as well. This taper allows the drawer to smoothly open and just before the drawer is pulled out it pinches. This is known as "let go".

It's small details like this that cannot be achieved with machines. This is what separates a regular cabinet from a craftsman's cabinet.

Up Next...

My new project, which I mentioned in my last post. I am in the early mock up stage. I am making a very detailed full size mock up made of cardboard. I'm kidding; it is a very simple box glued together. I use it to get a general size and adjust the proportions of the cabinet. I then use the mock up to make templates that I use to select where I will cut my lumber stock.

And here it is: The Pipe Cabinet

Why a Pipe Cabinet? Actually it is not going to be used to store Pipes. The reason I am calling it the Pipe Cabinet, is that I am using a detail from Jim Krenov's pipe cabinet that he built in 1968. A pipe cabinet usually has a door that allows ventilation. My cabinet door will have a bit of open space but it won't be used for ventilation. It's more of a design detail rather than function. It will be a nice little variation from the usual frame and panel door cabinet.

Once I have made a final decision on my mock up I will make my wood selection. I am still debating what to use. I hopefully will have some pictures up very soon with my selection.

Frame and Panel

2009-11-07T21:24:00.000-08:00

I need a back piece for my cabinet. I can't just use solid wood. Solid wood moves due to constant changes in moisture during the changes of the seasons. If I used a solid piece the back would blow out. A frame with a solid wood panel is a great way to trap wood movement.

Mortise and Tenon joints is how the frame is put together. Before I glue the panel up, I route a groove on the inside edge so I can fit the panel into the frame.

The Frame all glued up. I made the panel out of Ash. The frame is the same as the cabinet, Poplar. The back piece is oversize; I will plane it down to make a nice tight fit. Once it is fitted, I glue it in place.

I am hoping to have the cabinet done in the next couple of days.

I have learned a lot making this cabinet. There have been many points of frustration. Not every step has gone smoothly for me. I feel very prepared for my first piece, now that I have gone through the whole cabinet making process.

Speaking of first projects. I have spent the better part of this evening drawing my first piece. Most of my drawing techniques come from my blueprint classes while at NAIT. I'm not a great sketcher. I do need to have something to show my instructor what I am planning to build. I originally planned to make a cabinet with a frame and panel door. I did my first sketch and it just didn't work for me. I decided to change the design. Once I finished that drawing I was even more discouraged. Both drawings were boring, had no creativity and I wasn't excited to build them. I was at the point where I decided not to do a frame and panel door. I did a completely different design. I was moving in a better direction.

I decided to take a look at Jim Krenov's book A Cabinetmakers Notebook, to get some ideas for drawers and dovetails. The majority of Krenov's work has a simple design. The small details he puts in his work makes these simple designs brilliant. I came across one of his cabinet's that had a frame and panel door that was just stunning. I now have a new direction and a new design. I am by no means going to copy Jim's cabinet. I now have inspiration to build a cabinet that I am really excited about. Tomorrow I will make a more detailed drawing of my cabinet and start thinking what wood will work with this design!

Ouch!

2009-10-30T16:19:00.000-07:00

My last couple of weeks have been very busy. I glued up the carcass of the cabinet and started to build the drawer. The drawer construction requires Half-Lap Dovetails on the front and Through Dovetails on the back. Hand cut Dovetails can be quite intimidating. This joint is very durable; it stands the test of time. Visually appealing to the eye as well. If it is done sloppy, the eye can easily pick up faults. Taking the time to get a good fit is important. Luckily the process I was shown to cut them made the task seem a lot easier to do.

The dovetails were going well, I was pleased with the result for my first attempt at them. However while I was paring one of my tails, I made a big mistake and I ended up cutting myself very badly with a chisel.

This is a special spear headed chisel that is used to get into tight corners to clean out the Dovetail. I also use it to make minor adjustments to the tails to get a good fit of the joint. I was taking a shaving that was a little bit thicker than I should have with this specific chisel. I had to use a bit of pressure to make the cut. This is the point where I mad a bad decision. The chisel slipped and I pushed it into my hand that was holding my work. I made a very large gash on my thumb. I ended up having to get seven stitches. I was very lucky, I did not damage any of my tendons. My hand will be limited but I will be able to work normally in a few days.

The picture I have here is not my best. There are some shadow lines that make my dovetails look like they have large gaps. There are a few imperfections with my dovetails that I should be able to fix with a few tricks. For the most part I am happy with my first attempt at them.

The next step is to flush the sides of my drawer and then start fitting them to the Cabinet. From there I will install the door and the project should be complete.

Even Hand Tools can Bite!

Shaping

2009-10-15T17:51:00.000-07:00

Shaping is one of the funnest aspects of building a cabinet. I finally get to leave the loud Machine Room and head to my bench and use my hand tools. My door is concave; looking from the outside. Which means when I place my door against the sides, the edge of the door does not match with the side of the cabinet. Pictured above is a line running down the side of the cabinet. I plane that portion off and let it taper so the back of the cabinet does not change in width. The sides now follow the curve of my door.
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Here is the top of my Cabinet. You can see that I have put a curve on the edge. I did this with my little brass Block Plane.

The front face of the top has been cut to follow the curve of the door. It is shaped with the same curve as the sides. I shape and smoothed out the face with a little spoke shave. It is a wonderful tool to work with. When it is tuned up just right it shapes the curve effortlessly. The spoke shave makes such fine shavings, that your finished edge feels like silk.

The shaping of the cabinet has taught me a lot. I have a better understanding of how to use my hand tools. I can now detect when my edges are dulling better than before. A quick sharpening, improves the performance of my tools, as well my work. There is still a lot more work. I am still shaping the top of the cabinet, cause I am not completely happy with the shape. I am working towards getting my cabinet to a finished surface and glued up. From there I will start building the dovetailed drawer.

Case Construction

2009-10-07T20:05:00.000-07:00

Today just flew by! Everyone in class was working hard getting the case of their cabinet ready. The machine room was busy. Not too much to explain; I took my rough stock and cut them to size. Once I had completed that, I made a jig for the dowels that will hold the cabinet together. The purpose of the jig is to align all the dowel holes so my cabinet is not crooked. The dowels now complete the cabinet is starting to take shape.

Waiting for my Boards to Settle

2009-10-06T20:44:00.000-07:00

With the coopered door complete it is time to start milling up the other pieces of my cabinet. I have to cut out stock for the top, bottom and sides of the cabinet. Careful detail is taken into account to ensure that the cabinet will hold up to wood movement and at the same time look beautiful (Grain Graphics are very important). This was done by cutting out some simple templates that are a rough shape of the cabinet and placing them over the stock, to align them with the grain. Once I had that laid out, I cut the pieces and I will let them settle for a day before I make more cuts. The boards must settle because I have exposed the edge. This edge was not exposed to the air. Depending on the climate this board is now either taking in moisture or losing it. This can cause dimension changes to the board. As well depending on the grain the board could be under tension and that can cause it to move. By allowing the board to settle it will make it much more stable to work with.

It is now 2:00 and I have three more hours of shop time. What to do?????

I'm gonna make some tools! I have decided to make another Jointer Plane and a Chisel. I get a blank of Mesquite wood and start milling my new Jointer. I have to let that settle too! Instead of buying an Iron for my plane, I have decided to take an old file and turn it into a plane iron and use the rest for my chisel. First off I need to soften the steel from the file. I take the old file and heat it up with a plumbers torch until it is cherry red. Once that is done I have to let it cool on it's own. I can't dump it in a bucket of water to cool it off; that will only ruin it. Once again I must wait but that's okay, I have to start my daily clean up.

I am looking forward to the next few days, along with the progression of my cabinet I also have a couple of tools to finish. It is gonna be a busy week but I will be rewarded with a Turkey dinner at the end of it... So I can't complain.

Coopered Door

2009-10-06T19:39:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend I finished my coopered door. The door has a little curve to it and the thickness of the door also has a slight taper. This exercise was very enjoyable but frustrating throughout. I took a wide board and cut them into strips (staves). I added a bevel to the edge of the staves, with my jointer plane. This creates the primary shape of the coopered door.

Setting up the jointer plane and proper pressure is key when jointing an edge. Proper passes with the plane must then be done to close up low spots on the joint. An uneven pass can make the joint look worse. There where many times when I did not have my iron tuned right or did not have the right technique. This made completing my joint a very time consuming process. In fact after I glued up a joint I had completed, I realized that it was not perfect. BACK to the Bandsaw to cut the board and do the joint again. Expectations in class are to have our joints tight and of fine quality. It was very frustrating to have to do this but it all makes up for it in the end when you have a board with tight joints that are not visible. There is great satisfaction knowing that this was achieved with a hand tool. A simple tool used properly and with attention accomplished better results than and machine tool. I am truly elated by the precision and fine control of this tool.

Planes and Grain Graphics

2009-09-28T21:31:00.000-07:00

I was expecting to finish my last two planes off a little earlier. However we started learning about grain graphics and that set me back a few days. Earlier in the week I applied a hardwood sole onto the bottom of my jointer plane. It is a thin piece of Kempas wood that has great wearing capabilities. With my Jointer Plane all tuned up, I was finally able to use it to shape the sole of my Coopering Plane. The Coopering Plane is used to shape curved surfaces, so the sole has a convex shape to it.

Along with completing my Planes, I began doing a Grain Graphics exercise. It involved taking a piece of Ash and cutting it at a diagonal to the growth rings. Cutting in this orientation produces a board with straight grain. I then took the board and cut two curves into it. By taking the time earlier to cut the board into a rift sawn pattern, when the two curves are cut the grain lines now followed the curve. This creates a visually pleasing pattern to the eye. After the board was cut out, I then had to finish the surface using my Planes and Spoke Shave.

With the Grain Graphics exercise complete; I will move on to our next project: The Wabi Sabi Cabinet. Wabi Sabi is a Japanese phrase meaning "Beauty through Imperfections". With this being my first attempt at building a cabinet with hand tools, I assume there will be many little imperfections and oops' throughout.

Making Shavings

2009-09-17T20:14:00.000-07:00

Today is the most enjoyable part of building a plane; I get to make shavings. I took the plane assembly out of the clamps and laid out the shape I wanted for my smoother. The advantage of a wooden plane is that as I work with the tool, I can change the shape to fit comfortably in my hand. After a demonstration from our instructor, I spent most of the day getting the shape and tuning up the mouth of the plane. The tune up is the most important part of the process. If done carelessly, the plane will not work to it's full potential.

Finally everything is ready to go. I have the iron in the plane and the wedge set. The tool works almost effortlessly and draws a beautiful thin shaving. The performance of the tool fills me with joy. I never thought I could achieve such precise control with something that I have built.

I have two other planes in the works. One is a Jointer plane, made of Maple. This plane is used to straighten edges and true up surfaces. The second plane I am currently assembling is a Coopering Plane. This one is used to smooth curved panels. The Coopering plane is made out of an African Hardwood called Jatoba. This is the same material as my smoothing plane. The next few days will be spent completing my planes. My tool cabinet at school will soon house three new tools that will help me complete my first project; a small "practice" cabinet made of simple poplar.

Plane Making

2009-09-16T20:14:00.000-07:00

After learning how to tune up our block planes and sharpen all of our irons, it is time to start building some Wooden Bench Planes. Making your own tools allows you to customize and build tools specifically for your woodworking needs. Aside from tool making being such a pleasurable experience, it strengthens the bond between the craftsman and his instruments. If you build a tool you are going to have a better perspective of how the tool is going to work and react with the material. A better understanding of how a tool reacts yields better quality of work.

The first bench plane that I am building is a Smoothing Plane. It is a mid-size plane used for smoothing up and finishing surfaces. The irons are so sharps that the cuts are exceptional. No need for sandpaper. In fact, at Inside Passage sandpaper is a bad word. Pictured above is my smoothing plane all cut up and ready for assembly. The second photo is the plane assembly in clamps for the glue up. Once the glue up is complete, I can cut it to final shape and make some final touch ups.

The Beginning

2009-09-10T22:35:00.000-07:00

I'm Michael. I am living on the Sunshine Coast for the next year to attend Inside Passage School of Fine Cabinetmaking. I am very fortunate to be attending this school. There are very few schools in Canada that focus on hand tool skills and other fine details that go into building beautiful wood works. My primary focus over the next year is to develop my abilities as a craftsmen and begin my career as a furniture builder.