steven newman

Seems to me...one like this came through the shop...one year..Flipped the picture over, to better read the lettering... Was missing too many parts...including the flywheel.. Notice the chuck? Holdall? Decided to sell this on Fleabay...after I had it all cleaned up....as for that bolt... Yeah...that bolt. Shipping was almost as much as the sale price!

Well, today was a case of...eat Lunch..or...go to the Shop.....should have ate Lunch.... Got the one panel out of the clamps....set it aside, while I got #2 clamped up.. Needed a couple extra c clamps, for this one. Set this down, out of the way....and worked on the first panel a bit.. Something didn't look right...checked things out with a large square....one end was out just a bit. Planed to the new line. Sanded and planed to get this thing as flat as I could....still had a couple spots only a little plane could work on..( Stanley #60-1/2) Was finally able to use the plough plane.. Stiles needed a groove milled, was easier to do AFTER the panel was glued up. Groove is for a Tongue & Groove corner joint. Once the end panels are glued up, I can add the matching tongue. Which brings up the first malfunction of the afternoon...Needed to continue the groove for the box's bottom panel...should be easy to do, right Weeeelllll...a lot of break-out. When the bottom is installed.. Won't really see the break away stuff. Should have stopped here, for the day....guess who didn't Need to get a better light for the bandsaw. I double-checked the sizes of these tenons....3 times...before they were cut. more on this in a bit Chopped a few mortises, enough to get this far.. Didn't really line up. Bandsaw issues = sloppy shoulders. Tablesaw to TRY to clean them up....wound up clipping one tenon completely off Did not feel like making a brand new rail..trimmed the other end to match....by the time everything was square, plumb and the SAME size...had to trim the raised panels to match....At least I waited to raise them AFTER all the trim work was done... Done in the vise, was easier than laying them flat on the bench, and trying to clamp them done. In the vise, the planes could even ride along the top of the vise. The rail without tenons.....drilled through the stiles, counter sunk enough the the match cutter won't hit the head of the screw. Decided to just glue the mess up...up. Set this mess aside....worked on the other end panel....raised it's panel...adjusted the shoulder cuts for a SQUARE fit....and did a dry fit.. Still not quite right..bottom rail had issues...then the top had to match...AND the entire mess had to match the one in the clamps...sooo Works for me...third hand as a clamp. That "F" style clamp is a 3' one...don't have any shorty ones. This is a dry fit only...will need a caul or three when the glue does get spread....and some of the shorter clamps can be used. Tomorrow? Long panel needs to match the completed one. The short end panels will need cleaned up, while I try to glue up this last panel. Cussing has begun Started about noon today...was now after 5pm....hang up the apron, call it a day Stay tuned...

Hung up the apron, when I closed the shop for today... Was a bust day, today. That apron WAS clean, when I started

Started for the shop @ 1400 hrs....returned from the shop @ 1705 hrs.....legs were getting crampy....for some reason....spent half of the time sitting on this.. I did try the "new" rip fence out.....not the slightest hint of a wiggle...was solid as a rock... So these are now all the same size.....milled the grooves...which was...entertaining Jig was the greatest.. The fourth stile wanted to fight the entire process....was chipping out on the end....not a biggie, will cut the foot profile at that end... Laid out for some tenons.. Bandsaw to mill those ( hmmm, blade seems to be a bit dull...) Then get the place set up to chop tenons.. Laying out for the top rail was easy enough....needed a way to locate where the bottom rail needed tobe.. Once the top one was done, I could use the top rail and the panel, to show me where the mortise needed to be... Then used this as the pattern for the rest..I also profiled the feet...beltsander to fine tune them.. And a dry fit.. Dog Holes are great at keeping chisels from rolling off... Panels were raised the way Paul Sellers does them... At least with this panel, anyway....second one, I went back to laying the panel flat on the bench...save me knuckles that way Test fitting as I went. Dry fitted the entire panel.... Turned out, the panel was a 1/16" too long...had to trim and re-bevel and another test fit....finally, was able to spread some glue, and use up most of my clamps... C clamp because that spot wanted to shift a bit...added a second one at the other end, after this was taken. There is a caul....so everything gets pulled towards the top of the stiles/legs. So..how does this float in mid-air? My "third hand". Worked on getting the other panel ready for glue up....and set this aside... A little better-up. Left this on the bench.. Not much to do? Well, I could get the rails cut for length, for the end panels... Trying for a 1/2" tenon. We'll see how THAT goes. I did save one of the cutoffs from the feet profiles... to match the front and back feet. Waiting on glue to cure, right now.. Stay tuned..

My, how the shop has changed.....

Took a few trips to the Latrine today....might have whatever is cleaning me out about whopped......Got bored...Monday, or not, need to get something done... Took the panels out of the clamps.... Got the two glue-ups and the end panel roughly to width....and jointed the edges....small parts = small jointer..Millers Falls No. 11 Trimmed the front and back panels for length, so that they match....then a bit of clean up Worked on all four faces... Front and back panels.....which left the ends to cut to size... Needed to mark dead center.....without using a ruler to measure things... Used a long straight edge ( big square) went diagonally from the corners....marked near the middle...."X" marks the center... Squared a line across. Tried to "split the line"....then squared the ends.. Spent a while, getting frame parts close to final sizes.. Due to a couple having snipe problems...had to resaw these for thickness, so they all matched..some were even 4/4! Then set up the plane, and a jig.. Not much of a jig? Well, IF you add a pair of clamps.. Everything that will touch the raised panels get a groove.. this was the easy part... Depth checker. Candle to wax the slide. #3c to smooth the edges a bit, and check which way the grain was running...#45 has a #12 cutter installed. There are bottom rails that need a groove to house the plywood bottom of the box.. Was NOT the easiest way to do these. Glad only four rails needed this cut. As to why I did not use the old wooden plough plane? A matter of size....this was just too long. Parts for the front of the box. Tomorrow ( maybe..) I can mill the Mortise and Tenon joints? Still need the narrow stiles for the ends.....noticed the rip fence on the tablesaw was trying to move... "Fired" the stock fence...installed the "Saw Guide". Was actually made a LONG time ago ( back when WOOD actually had a forum) for a DeWalt Jobsite saw. May work on this a bit....hate to mess with the cleat, as other set-ups depend on it...like a router, or the circular saws. The 4 sticks need ripped for width...needed a fence that won't move. Just 3 pieces of scrap....and a few screws. Cleat was set at 90 degrees to the rail, before it was screwed in place. Will give it a test drive..tomorrow. 6 loads from the dust pan to clean the floor...I think that will do..for one day.... Stay tuned..

Was feeling under the weather today.....took the day off, never even went to the shop. Didn't even stop by the service down at the Courthouse.....will see how I feel in the morning...

IF anyone is just passing through my neck of the ohio woods....stop in.

When this table was made, I was working out of a Pole Barn Shop...out near Pemberton, OH....see if I can pull up a few scenes from that place... The tablesaw I used to have...did a LOT of work, both with it...and on it... Still have this table. Here it had a lathe, a drill press, a Monarch vise ( beltsander to sharpen on), the Craftsman grinder. and the Craftsman 12", 3 wheel bandsaw. Blue door thingy is a router table...had to move the herd IF I wanted to use it. Had a dovetail template I could attach to the far end, and buzz out drawers. Some of the other toys hanging on the wall. Was a bit less tidy, back then... At the other end of the "bench". That is my old Dovetail jig. Chopsaw is the Pole Barn owners. Jig is sitting on a spindle sander he built. Pole barn had two bandsaws, mine and his. Mine has a round file chucked up...for what, I have no idea. Barn was a large one. The concrete floor only took up half of the barn....Shop took up half of the floored space, and an enclosed "Game Room" ( with heat!) took up the other half of the floored area. It did have a "loft" above the room....storage, mainly......Was NOT a year round shop....unless you liked "Frost Nibbles" on you. Summer time, you could open both of the big doors up, and get a decent cross breeze. Any rainstorms that came through....you needed earplugs. Metal roof was NOISEY! A lot of work got done out here...had a time-share on the tools with the owner....May try to find a few other "shots" of the place...sometime. The Middle section of the bench...on the other side of this wall, was the Game Room Thanks for looking in.

Hey, it beats throwing the scraps out into the firepit. Have been resawing some of the thicker scraps.. Trying to keep these flat. Crosscut a few other pieces, jointed a few edges, spread some glue around.. 3 pieces for this panel glue up, and.. 3 more pieces to make this one...will let these sit awhile...may start trimming some frame parts .. Have to rip these down to all the same width. Will leave them a tad wide, to make groove making easier. End panels? Thinking I can get 2 end panels out of the longer board...."shorty" is for "Plan B"... Lid? Underneath all the Poplar and other goodies...lies a 1 x 12 Oak scrap....May just use it as a lid? Just waiting on the glue to cure...while I pick the dried stuff off me fingers... Stay tuned.

At the 11th hour, of the 11th day, of the 11th Month...the guns of The Great War fell silent...... Be sure to wear a Red Poppy, tomorrow...

Sitting here, picking dried glue off me fingers.....have a pair of 1/2" panels sitting in the clamps.....then I can size four panels for size....as I need to trim down the two end panels....."Just another Oak Box" sort of thing....working with Oak always leaves the shop smelling like a Tea Pot.... Sharpened a few edged items....2,000 grit, then stropped. Couple chisels, and finished sharpening that "new" plane iron. WR #62 to flatten the sole a bit better, and clean the sides. Will see how the rest of today goes...

Photos of the new to me van... Seems to be a gray colour... Being inspected by the Squirrel-killer cat....and no..she wasn't allow in the van.. Am now about 10k in the hole....for the next 33 months.