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A few weeks ago mama decided she wanted a cabinet to store her arts and crafts supplies that are taking up floor space in our upstairs hallway. She went shopping online and found a cabinet she liked for 230 bucks, and it was the typical particle board white surface type of stuff. So I told her I'd be happy to build it and the materials would be less as well. So she and I went to our lumber store and picked up some 4/4 poplar, poplar because she wants the exterior painted white, and I want the interior natural finished. We will be using General Finishes Milk Paint for the exterior. Also, I am going to build saw tooth shelf supports as well. This is our hardwood lumber dealer "Reel Lumber", about 30 miles from home, it's full of all kinds of stuff, from pine to oak to exotics and everything in between. Our Poplar was running about 2.70 a board foot. I spent about 150 bucks, and with the Milk Paint, we are going to come under budget from her online cabinet she wanted, and we are going to have a piece of furniture to pass down to our kids, and their kids. Got the boards home and had to size and join them. Note: if you look behind my Makita CMS, you'll see a cross with a flame in a heart plaque, when I was going through some serious health issues a year ago, my friend Jess @Smallpatch, sent me this very special and inspiring gift, it lifted my spirits enormously, and when I felt I needed a little nudge from the Lord while working in the shop during that rough time, all I had to do was look at my plaque, and I felt it. To this day I cherish it, and I feel the Spirit in it. Just a board on the bench, laying out dado's. Glued up. I built the face frame with a Kreg pocket screw jig, and then glued the frame to the case, and bored holes in the face frame for 1/4" dowels, 1 1/2" long and glued and driven in to the case, then a flush cut hand saw and cut the dowels flush and block planed them smooth. Since the case is going to be painted, I thought adding the extra strength of the dowels would be good since you won't see them below the paint. I also mixed up some two part epoxy and floated it over each dowel, let dry then sanded smooth, just so there weren't any issues with the end grain of the dowels sucking up the paint. Joining boards for the raised panels. Getting the rails and stiles ready for the raised panel doors, I was playing with my Stanley 45 yesterday, and after a few tweaks here and there, she purred and plowed, making some wonderful clean 1/4" wide by 3/8" deep grooves to accept the raised panel. The grooves turned out very nice. After running the grooves in, I used a block plane to take a whisper shaving off the top to clean up the surface. Within an hour I had two rails and one stile done, and I was starting on the second stile when mama called me in for dinner last night. Here is where the case is as of today. The backed boards are beveled and nailed off on the back of the cabinet. Today I am gluing up the door panels. I'll keep the images coming, and thanks for looking! My very special cup, that a friend gave me, and also a cup for mama too!

Something a bit different....as a way to use up a pile of scraps? One such pile. Have already sliced a couple of these scraps. I don't think the old 1/2" bandsaw blade will be of much use... Been a bit too beat up, lately.....I do have a 1/4" blade in the saw, right now.. Not really a new one, but it is at least...sharp. Maple tends to turn a bit brown. Cuts were a tad wavy. Motor at first didn't want to work this hard....and tried to shut down....until I pointed out to it, that the motor it replaced, was STILL in the shop...and YOU CAN BE REPLACED......motor started right up....imagine that Thought I could just jack plane these smooth....plane was a bit too big, for this job... The Stanley No. 3c that I had just rehabbed, happened to be sitting out, where I could grab it...seemed to do a decent enough job.. I even used it to joint a few edges... Got one looking decent enough as for width...needed trimmed on the ends for square, though.. Works for me. Got a few all the same width, mainly by bandsawing to width. was able to gang a bunch up.. Used the #3c again. to make them all the same width. Had two pieces, came from the same board.. Figured I could book-match these two into a panel for a lid....they needed a bit of work, one end being wider than the other end...bandsaw to correct that, plane to do the edges straight...try to make the grain as close as i could.. May need to add a bit, to get to the width I need. Set the thin stuff aside, for now.. These will be sawn down into 1" to1-1/2" wide strips....to make the frames to house those thin panels..had to set up a jig on the saw... Set for 1" width, for now....may go with the 1-1/2" instead....more to work with. Made a big mess today... May be about time to bring the trashcan back down to the shop? May need to do some glue-ups, and make some frames. Stay tuned...will see IF I can get this done, before next Tuesday morning...

It was too cold in the shop yesterday and my 7 year old daughter was "SO BORED" in the house that I suggested a trip to the local antique mall to hang out for a bit. To my surprise, she agreed, so we went and did a little rust hunting. Although I cant say that we found much in the form of complete tools, it was a fun afternoon for her and I plus we did come home with a few useful and unexpected items. I was only in for 14 bucks for the whole day and 25 cents for gumballs. Our treasures included 2 router plane cutters that will fit nicely in my Stanley 71 which had none when I bought it, a few irons for the Stanley 45, a medallion for a Simonds saw, a full leather hide to be used for whatever projects may come, and an old WS badged with split nuts. The saw is a bit of a bummer as it was shortened to just the far edge of the etch. I really bought it because I certainly have use for the split nuts and handle if I choose not to clean up what is left. The etch is visible enough to make out Brown Cast Steel number 3 and the keystone emblem leading me to believe it is a Disston built saw.