June 28, 20178 yr Author Popular Post Ok, after a LONG Lunch Break, I rounded up the "Usual Suspects" They keep trying to hide in the dog holes.. At least they won't roll off onto the floor...or my foot. Layout for a mortise, chop the hole, dry fit.. Trim the tenon a hair, rotate the leg 90 degrees, layout another hole to be dug, and do another dryfit.. Again, had to trim just a bit off the tenon. Set up a jig on the bench...we have detail work to do.. Takes a bit of time with the Stanley 45, but...looks ok. One more mortise to do for this leg.. There will be a stretcher between the front and back legs on each side. Dog down almost far enough.. had to trim a bit off the end. Details..details. . This is what you'll see when standing beside the desk. Got the other front leg done the same way....time to try a BIG dry fit I can tell right now...this will be a bear to glue and clamp up. may just do sub-assemblies? Maybe an end at a time, THEN connect them all? The Cussing has begun....stay tuned, tomorrow I might get the back legs done. Maybe....
June 29, 20178 yr 3 hours ago, steven newman said: The Cussing has begun Now, now...this is supposed to be relaxing and enjoyable...time to walk away and take a Dew break
June 29, 20178 yr Author Popular Post getting a few needed tools set up.. Shop Stool..check Refill an empty Dew bottle with....water...check.. A supply of cool air..check. Got tired of a couple pipe clamps being way too long for the shop...tried a pipe cutter...almost through...snap! Ok, we do have a couple hacksaws just hanging around...takes awhile. Cut and jointed a few boards, there will be a panel between the base and the desk unit.... Instead of clamps almost 6' long, these are easier to use. Set up to do more mortise work.. I size the mortise to the tenon that will go there. Even used that marking gauge... Instead of 3/4" deep, went about...5/8" or so. Any deep on these, and they will hit the other tenon. Dry fit? Great, one down 5 more to do...before the big glue up fight starts. And the cussing....right now, waiting on Supper to settle down ( me own cooking!) before I try again. maybe later, a 3 finger nite cap?
June 30, 20178 yr 1 hour ago, steven newman said: getting a few needed tools set up.. Shop Stool..check Refill an empty Dew bottle with....water...check.. A supply of cool air..check. Got tired of a couple pipe clamps being way too long for the shop...tried a pipe cutter...almost through...snap! Ok, we do have a couple hacksaws just hanging around...takes awhile. Cut and jointed a few boards, there will be a panel between the base and the desk unit.... Instead of clamps almost 6' long, these are easier to use. Set up to do more mortise work.. I size the mortise to the tenon that will go there. Even used that marking gauge... Instead of 3/4" deep, went about...5/8" or so. Any deep on these, and they will hit the other tenon. Dry fit? Great, one down 5 more to do...before the big glue up fight starts. And the cussing....right now, waiting on Supper to settle down ( me own cooking!) before I try again. maybe later, a 3 finger nite cap? And the cussing I figured after the cussing you already gave it the one finger nite cap.
June 30, 20178 yr Author Popular Post More cussing.....making a Marine blush, it be.... Ok, got one of the back legs mortised and dry fitted, Then comes the bead work...ah one.. set it into a jig to hold it still..ah two.. Run the beading plane until a decent bead shows up,...ah three... Rotate the leg until the other outside face is on top, run the beading plane until this shows up. I waxed the bottom of the plane.....about flew off the bench... Dry fit four pieces ( cussing starts up) While it was (Barely) standing this way, I pre-sized a few clamps, and got ready to try a glue up.. Shhh, don't tell the Boss where these were sitting... Knock the dry fit apart, add some Elmer's and cussed some more.....Finally got it clamped up Been checked for square about...10 times...Diagonals even match! Set up to do the last leg....laid out the first mortise....More cussing....remembered I need a stretcher to go between the side ones....( foot rest?) so, I had to trudge back upstairs to the "scrap wood stash" and select a board....haul that down the stairs, resaw a chunk off with the bandsaw. Then cut it to length on the mitre box. back started to stiffen up...time to quit for the night Boss wants to go Yard Sale-ing tomorrow, including a few that start at the ungodly hour of 0800! Maybe when I get back home, I can get a little something done? Stay tuned....R Lee Ermy, you can remove the earplugs, now....
June 30, 20178 yr 9 minutes ago, steven newman said: Stay tuned....R Lee Ermy, you can remove the earplugs, now.... As State Farm says, "like a good neighbor, I'll be there..." As for the cussing, well maybe this will help Taking small bites is best...
June 30, 20178 yr Author Trying to figure out what finish to use of the wood....Witch's Brew didn't work to well last time I worked with Cherry...
June 30, 20178 yr Try garnet shellac and varnish. The shellac for sealer and to even out thr color for the sapwood.
July 1, 20178 yr Author Popular Post Let's see how much I can get done, working at the speed of smell..... Got the assembly out of the clamps, decided to "pin" the joints.. Drill a few holes Cut a dowel into a few pins, and drive them into the holes, with a spot of glue.. Trimmed them flush with a coping saw and a block plane to smooth them out.. Needed to clear the bench for a bit, set up a dry fit to make sure I had things in the right spots.. Hmm, close enough. Left this sit for a bit, Jig on the bench, cross stretcher gets a bead on all four corners... Used a new chisel to clean things up a bit. Set this aside, and set up to chop the last of the leg mortises... Just the usual suspects. Yes, that is MY mallet.... Got all three holes chopped out, maybe a dry fit? Not too hateful? Yes, that is a bottle of Gaterade. Got down the glue and clamps.... Leg vise as a third hand. Some dummy forgot something.....the outside corner of the leg needed that fancy beadwork done....oh well, can do that when I cut the dovetail joints. All clamped up...added a few more clamps, as I needed a measurement made.. Now you can see where the cross stretcher will go....rather where it will be after a dovetail is made.. Need to cut the socket, after the glue cures. I find the center point and go from there. Might help with the glue up? Took the clamps off the false top, to do this dry fit, where do I stash the panel? Right here, of course. Need to scrub it flat, trim the ends square, and make corner blocks to set it in place. Desk unit will have dowels as locators, rather than screws. May get one or two, anyway, to keep it from tipping over. maybe some "Olde School Pocket Hole" stuff? Back was hurting ( maybe a leftover from that tumble on the floor?) brain farts were starting....figured it would be a good time to stop... Stay tuned..
July 2, 20178 yr Author Popular Post Cussing has begun, again. False top has been squared up....flattened (almost) on both faces, need it to be more around the edges, the desk unit will cover the middle. BIG Dry Fit is now back apart, clamps have been staged ( but NOT on the washer)....need some work with a plane, drill holes for pins, and cut a dovetail socket in the left side assembly. Right side merely needs the socket cut. Honey-do List may interfere with too much work in the shop getting done....may just hide IN the shop til evening...... Film @ 2300.......maybe?
July 2, 20178 yr Popular Post I'm always amazed at how much the cussing helps the joints fit together properly. Edited July 2, 20178 yr by Fred W. Hargis Jr
July 2, 20178 yr Author Hmmm... Time to get meaner than concrete....scrub jack to take down the high spots.. This one is a Corsair #C-5 by Great Neck. Got things close, the the #6c was used... All of this AFTER squaring the ends. Check to see IF it still fits.. . I guess it will have to do....Started taking the assembly apart, had a few things to do.... Finding all kinds of uses for the shop stool. Bead work.. First part of the bead was a bit tricky, though. Next, I drilled a few holes, and drove a few more pins... Coping saw to cut them done, and a block plane to smooth it out....needed a slightly larger plane to clean things up.. That little stick? was part of a jig, of sorts.. About like a hold fast. Time to get fancy.. Marked where the dovetail socket was to go....and made a few cuts....removed the waste.. Things are starting to get..ugly...test fit.. I can work with that. Same was done to the other part... Ah one, and ah.. Two. Decided to do a glue up...it went downhill from there.... Have since flipped this up onto it's feet....still wasn't pretty....Visegrips because one clamp didn't want to...clamp. Had quite enough "fun"for one day.... Later, IF I feel like it, I take a few clamps off, and make some Pine corner blocks, and maybe install them. Might be a chance to use that "cordless" Mitre saw? Stay tuned...
July 3, 20178 yr Author Popular Post Thing is out of the clamp.....doesn't look too hateful...maybe I got lucky... Ok, cordless mitre saw.. Seems to cut a decent enough miter. Needed to make four corner blocks. Drill a couple holes for screws, and then.. Countersink for the screw heads....A bit of Elmer's ( about out, too..) and a couple screws.. Glued and screwed in place.. Installed all four of them.....needed another hole drilled.. I drill a hole straight down, then rock the drill back and forth to make a slot for wood movement....Time to chose which side of the panel goes down..this one? Meh...maybe the other side? Looks a little better.....Place the panel on the bench, this face down. Set the distances all the way around Screws were a hair too long, anyway. Nut allows the screw to tilt a bit as the wood moves. About to call the bottom half of of this desk complete Will just have to do, for now.. Stay tuned....
July 6, 20178 yr Author Now, here's a scary thought..had a dream this morning......and watched the deskpart of this project being made, showing every joint needed....right down to a false bottom....Single Brain Cell Sketch Up seems to be working overtime? Lots of dovetails to cut......grooves to plough, breadboards to make....even measurements! Plans. we don't need no stinking plans.....as the saying goes...
July 6, 20178 yr 7 minutes ago, steven newman said: Plans. we don't need no stinking plans.....as the saying goes...
July 6, 20178 yr Author I now have all the major parts cut to rough size.....sides with the angle, front, and back, and the parts for the lid and the top. Tomoorow I'll load up the van, and haul those and a bunch more slabs to Quincy, OH. and do an all day run through the planer...hope the blades hold out.
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