Proy Wood

Im about to have to make a few drawers and decided that Id try to make doing the sliding dovetails EZer. I have drawn this up, done a prototype, tested the concept, and have started building the parts needed. This is what I came up with.

The setup has four parts; a 25" section of EZ Smart Guide rail, a vertical 36" SME (Sliding Module Extrusion) with clamps to hold the work piece that will get the sliding dovetail (pin), a vertical 24" SME to hold a horizontal platform for the work piece to receive the sliding dovetail slot, and a top platform with a large slot for the bit that the SRK (Smart Router Kit) base to ride on. It is set up on one end of my custom PBB (Power Bench with Bridge).


Both work pieces are mounted flush to the bottom of the top platform that supports the SRK base. The piece receiving the slot is easy, the horizontal platform is raised, with the work piece in place, until the work piece is against the bottom of the top platform. The vertical piece is butted against an insert that is placed in the large slot of the top platform. It is essential to the functionality of the setup that the two top surfaces of the two work pieces be in the same plane. To do multiple pieces of the same length, Ill have a stop in the edge of the SME to hold the piece at the proper height.


Once the test pieces are in place, you lower the dovetail bit until it just touches the vertical piece. Then you center the bit on the piece and make a pass along the full length of the piece. This will make a mark in the top of the piece. This mark is what you will use to align the bit for the passes along the sides of the piece.








Next you lower the bit to the depth you want the slot to be. Then align the bit with the location you want the slot on the other piece and make the cut (either through or stopped).



You then move the router toward the inside of the vertical piece and align the edge of the cutter at the top of the piece with the inside mark on the top of the piece. Make a pass to cut that side of the dovetail. Set the SRK limit stop closest to the piece.



Move the router out and line up the edge of the cutter with the outside mark on the top of the piece, set the other limit stop, and make the cut.



It is best if you start with the cuts a little too far out from the piece so you can sneak up on the final setting. Test the fit and adjust as necessary.

Your passes are in the counter clockwise direction (not the usual direction) to get a cleaner cut.



Im still playing with the setup, making adjustments, and getting the process down pat. I hope to start making drawers soon.

Pictures of the final setup to follow...

This is a pretty good idea.  I never would of thought of making a box and then cutting it in half.

http://www.familyhandyman.com/DIY-Projects/Home-Organization/Tool-Storage/diy-garage-cabinet

With the glass pack fully installed, installation day has arrived!

Ive enlisted my son as helper for the day. Brad is 15, and is a hard worker! The door weighs between 150-200lbs, so this is not something I could do myself, and he has proven his worth. The entire day, from start to finish, was 15 hours long, but everything is now installed and looking great! I may make a trip down later this week again, and do some tweeking on the lockset and get more pics.

In the fourth picture, you can see the decorative straps behind the screen door. I will get a few more pics of these when I go back down, as they really add a nice flair to the door itself!

The hardware is Schlage, bought online at BuySchlageNow.com. This particular hardware was not available anywhere else, and I had it within a week of ordering.

As a side note, this home does not have an awning or porch, which will effect the life of the finish on the door. Even though there are four coats of spar urethane on the door, it will need to be maintained periodically. This also is an East facing door, located in mid-Ohio, known for high temps in the summer and harsh winds and cold in the winter.

I would like to take this time to thank Chet and Ashley Harrod for being paitent with the whole process. Sometimes, these bigger projects can take time, but theyre worth it! As they have discovered, I will not settle for giving people substandard work, and I believe quality should be job 1. The Harrods are happy with their new doors, and that is what I strive for. Thanks guys!!! See you soon!

Hollows and Rounds...Made in China?















Being a user, collector and lover of hand planes Im always keeping my eye out for rare or unusual styles. When recently surfing around the Japan Woodworker Online Catalogue I discovered some wooden bodied, Hollows and Rounds that are being manufactured in China. China? I thought...Why not, every thing else is made there so I decided to take a closer look. Ive always wanted a nice old set of hollows and rounds; Ive searched e-Bay, online and local antique tool dealers but always found that most you come across are over priced old planes that youll need to spend a lot of time refurbishing to get them back to a user friendly state or are simply nice old tools for someone to put on a shelf and look at. I wanted something I could use and hopefully not have to spend a small fortune on.
After reading the description and studying the photos of these planes I decided to order a few select sizes. Theyre manufactured in China and arrived well-packaged in cardboard boxes with a borg logo on the side. (no Trek-ie affiliation as far as I could tell)


The description on the Japan Woodworker web-site said the planes have been manufactured in and around Hong Kong for the past 20 years by Mujingfang. They decided to begin producing these high quality Chinese Style Planes seeing that previously, it was a cottage industry with little or no quality control. Furniture makers in and around Hong Kong use hollowing and rounding planes to create moldings and for shaping pieces of furniture. The plane bodies are hand made from well aged Rosewood and are nicely contoured to fit the hand.
They are 6-1/4" long and width varies according to size. The blades are high carbon steel and although needed honing and sharpening on arrival, the extremely reasonable price made it worth my while. They are sold as a set of one hollowing and one rounding plane for each width. I went with the 1/4", 1/2", 1" and 1 1/4" widths. After using these planes for the past six months Im very pleased with the quality and performance; as for the very-affordable prices all I can say is...Resistance is futile.

Id just like to take this space to say to things:

1. Greetings to the Slovenian readers of this blog!  I got 12 hits from you guys recently.  Also 17 from Serbia and 19 from Bulgaria.

2. John Kohler, author of madbrainbasics.blogspot.com, has not posted in 4 months.  John, you should be ashamed of yourself.  I was enjoying your blog and then you quit after 4 posts.  What gives?

That is all.

Im sure that all of you faithful followers have been checking this blog every day for the past few weeks and have had your hearts broken daily by the lack of new material. What can I say? Ive been busy.

Not really...just havent been working much wood. I milled a couple more logs for stock and have been pretty good about keeping up with the dovetail-a-day project. Its not going to exactly be "30 DTs in 30 days" because I was away for Thanksgiving, but it will be close. Heres where things currently stand:

Pretty cool, eh? I was considering making it an outwardly spiraling square, but then you couldnt see old joints and that wouldve taken a lot more wood towards the end. Here was the first effort:

And here was tonights specimen:
It hard to capture the differences with a camera, but you can see a lot less over-cut at the base of the tails and pins. There is a little blow-out on that top full-pin but I think that actually happened when I cut the stock to size. Ive also reduced the time by nearly a third, so thats pretty good.

The past two days have been very wet here in North Georgia. Rain, rain, and more rain. I was out in the garage yesterday puttering around and noticed a light coating of RUST on the side of one of my bench planes. Then I noticed it on the sole of the plane. Then I saw some on other planes, some on my holdfast, some on my vise hardware, and basically the whole surface of my scrollsaw. Most of it was light enough that I could just rub it off with a rag damp with Boeshield. Other surfaces, such as the scrollsaw were in bad shape:
For this, I had to get out the sandpaper and give it a little elbow grease. In truth its pretty satisfying work because the results are pretty quick and look nice too:

This rust had to have formed in about 48 hours. Unreal. A couple of weeks ago I started keeping a Boeshield rag in a little Altoids tin on the workbench for wiping off my handsaw after I used it. The Schwarz recommends this and Im now inclined to extend the use to all ferrous tools. Along with more Boeshield, Ive added a respirator to my Amazon wishlist; Im getting a little tired of that penny taste in my mouth.

Speaking of Amazon, it can be pretty fun to play around with some times. For example, THIS is the most popular item in the "Tools and Home Improvement" category. I watched the video for Twilight Turtle wanting to know if he projected actual constellations and it looks like he does. But judging from the included book theyre all messed up: they have Cepheus as a house! Grrr. Also, THIS is the bestseller in the "Power and Hand Tools subcategory. Is that even a tool? Frankly Im astonished THIS and THIS werent even in the Top 10. Come on, America! Is there any question that our country is in the tank?

So there you have it...not a whole lot to report. Right now Im just trying to wrap up the semester, graduate, and get really really good at dovetailing. Also, most projects in the near future will probably be Christmas gifts, so they may not receive the much attention on this blog.

In the near future Im looking at building another couple of saws. Ive been looking at bow saws for a little while and I think they would be fun to make, so look for that after Christmas. My mind is moving more and more towards harvest lumber for stock, so I think a big rip frame saw is in order as well.

My book shipment has arrived.

Now, if youll excuse me...
I must go lick the feather.
Wish me luck!