Best selling wood projects - JtmO09O"

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some,old,things,are,lovely
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Best selling wood projects - Building the Wall Mirror part IIa

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I really thought that I would be finished this project by now, but the fates have had other ideas.
A solid stint of babysitting with the grandchildren as well as the things that needed to be done by Xmouse, have all contributed to the delay.
As Old Blue Eyes would say ... Thats Life!

I briefly re-visited the shed today on my way to other chores, and found a solution to my clamping problem.

I have been tossing around various ideas to solve the short clamps dilemma.  I just dont have enough clamps long enough to span the length of the mirror - essential for the glue-up.

Here is what I came up with:

This is a long mirror, so the table saw and router table were pressed into service as benchtops, and the gap between them became the pivot point for the solution.

I clamped a pair of cauls across the middle, and used my longest clamps from this point in both directions.
 The clamps pull against each other - with the top caul in between them to keep them straight.  One happy side effect is that I have adjustable clamping pressure at every corner.
I only had time for a dummy run this morning.  The real thing will have to wait until after Xmouse.
Cool!

I do hope that you all experience the love and fellowship that family, and this time of the year offers to us.  And remember ... nothing comes before family!

Happy Xmouse to all!

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Best selling wood projects - Building the Wall Mirror Part III

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It seems an age since my last shed visit, and I have the joys and excitement of the festive season to thank for that.  BBQs, grandkids, boardgames, poolgames, chess, and time with family - all the best things.

Home alone today so was able to put in some time on the Wall Mirror.

Before final clamp-up, it is important to establish that the frame is square.  Measuring each of the diagonals will determine this.  Each diagonal must be the same length.  I use two offcuts to each inside corner.  Place a mark across both pieces and repeat the measure for the other diagonal.  If there is any difference, then the frame has to be clamped across the diagonal and adjusted so that the measure is half the difference.

Mine was slightly out so a long pipe clamp did the trick.

Once the glue was dry, it was time to cut the rebate on the back to hold the plate glass of the mirror.  I used the trusty Makita with a small straight bit and a fence with a roller bearing.

The only problem in doing this with a router, is that it leaves a rounded rebate in each corner.  This can be cleaned up quite easily with a paring chisel.

This paring chisel is a long handled Japanese chisel, and is a delight to use.

The longer handle is usually used as a fine control in the angle and direction of the cut, where small movements at the handle end are translated to even finer adjustments at the blade.

The other advantage is that you can really lean on the chisel when necessary.

Once the corners were complete, it was time for a trial fit of the mirror.

Not too shabby at all!

I have cut a shallow groove at each corner to take a contrasting timber in the style of the great architects - Greene & Greene.

Well - maybe not quite their style - more like Greene & Greene via Telegraph Point.

Thats all I had time for today.

Hopefully I can finish this over the weekend.

(If New Years doesnt get in the way too much!)
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Best selling wood projects - That Mirror Finished at Last

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The lacquer has dried nicely and the frame ready to receive its finishing touches.

A piece of mdf around 3/16 inches thick was cut to serve as the backing, and to positively lock the plate glass mirror in place.
I cut it around an inch over the size of the mirror all around.

Small flat headed nails similar to tacks, but more like cut-nails were chosen, ensuring that they were shorter by about 1/4 inch than the combined thickness of frame and backing.

Since this mirror will be wall mounted, I chose a pair of adjustable hangers for each top corner and lined these up with the ends of the backing.

These will be sufficient to take the weight of the frame and glass.

They also allow for sideways re-positioning if there is any need for final adjusting.

Always good to have some latitude built into the hanging process!

So - there you have it.

All done and dusted. 

All it needs now is to be hung on the wall in the wardrobe.

Those other doors in the reflection are a restoration that is awaiting some extended rainy weather.

Babysitting for the last little while has been great - but - you know .....   not as young as I used to be .....

I think that the next project is going to be an outside task.
I have a gable end on the house that needs re-cladding, and a garden that is begging to be finished.

The driveway needs some more asphalt, and the fish are biting down along the breakwall.......


Decisions, decisions .......................


Happy woodworking to all.
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Best selling wood projects - The Bodgie Boys Are Back

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We never tire of birdsong here in beautiful Telegraph Point.
Occasionally, however, we get unwelcome visitors.

These blokes are so cool and casual - never in a hurry to go anywhere - and even when they cruise past, they do so on lazy wings that seem to beat to a somnolent rhythm.

Yellow tailed black cockatoos are the vandals of the bush.
They hang in gangs and feed on grubs that they can hear inside the branches.  Im not sure what the grubs are doing to make all the noise - maybe choir practice - but once detected they are cockatoo meat!

The birds have beaks that are the equivalent of the jaws of life - only, in this case quite the opposite.
They tear the branches apart piece by piece to access the grub a-la-cart.
This would be fine if that was the end of it, but for days afterwards the trees drop weakened branches - some up to two and three inches thick.
Ouch!

Over the last few years we have noticed a change in the migratory patterns of these birds.
Where, once before, they appeared in two and threes, now they are here in twenties and thirties.
I know these cool dudes have to eat - but, jeez fellas - clean up after yourselves!

Curses - the bower birds are raiding the grapes again.
Oh, the trials of living in paradise!
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Best selling wood projects - Building the Wall Mirror Part II

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We have been clearing lantana from the front paddock near my shed, so the wall mirror has taken a back seat owing to my general knackered-ness at the end of each day.


However, today provided some shed time so I picked up from where I left off.  Here is the finished mortise that once housed a couple of dowel holes.

 

Next step is to measure the dimensions of said hole and transfer these to a suitable offcut of matching silky oak.

 

1. I used a set of vernier calipers to measure the cavity and  ....
2. Transferred that measure to a marking gauge before scribing the block to be cut.
3. Spear & Jackson did the honours, and ....
4. Stanley cleaned up the plug and brought it down to a snug fit.

Here it is in place waiting for the glue to dry.
Once that happens it will be planed flush.


Time to cut the mortises ... in the top and bottom rails that will make up the frame.
The sides will have tenons top and bottom - Ill get to them shortly.

I decided to use my router to cut the mortises, as I had a router bit that was approximately 1/3 of the thickness of the timber. I mounted both top and bottom pieces together, and by setting the router fence once, both mortises can be cut by simply turning the router around and placing the fence on the other side for the second cut.  Doing it this way also provides a wider support base for the router to sit on.

1. Each slot was cut using three passes of the router at a greater depth each time.
2. Do the same with the second cut by rotating the router to the other side.
3. The completed mortises side by side.

 There is a reason that I always think twice before cutting mortises with the router.

Yep - it throws wood dust everywhere.

Never get this problem when I cut mortices by chisel.

Truth be told - for a handfull of mortices, there is little difference in the time it takes - only in the mess that it leaves.

Time to cut the tenons.

1. A tenon saw cuts both sides.
2. Measure the tenons to suit each mortise.  This keeps them snug and tight by allowing for any variations in the sizes of the mortises.
3. After cutting off the little nibs from each end, clean up the tenon shoulders and the tongue with a shoulder plane.
4. I like to cut a small chamfer on both leading edges of the tenon tongue - helps it slide home more easily, and allows a little volume for the glue to pool inside the mortise. This helps prevent squirt-out.

Next time in Part III - Ill complete assembly and add some finishing touches.

Cool!

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Best selling wood projects - Building the Wall Mirror

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Once again, I have sifted through my stash of recycled timber to find suitable lengths from which to make the mirror.
It will be a simple affair with a touch of Greene and Greene in the design.
I found some lengths of well aged silky oak that had once been the frame of a cupboard door.
It was either originally made with unseasoned timber, or it was made none too carefully.
The lengths were neither straight nor evenly dimensioned.
They needed truing and squaring.

This piece had a hollow edge and had to be jointed before it could be ripped to width.
To help the number 8 plane remain at 90 degrees to the side during the cut, I used a Stanley jointer fence.  Because of the depth of this fence, the board had to be planed before ripping or it would foul on the vice on the way through.  Jointing before ripping also provides one true edge to run against the table saw fence.

Once ripped, the four sides are cut to length and the ripped edges are also jointed. Not as simple this time because the wood is too narrow for the jointer fence to pass the vice, so it must be removed.

Without the fence, it is important to continually check that the edge is square.

It is too easy to tilt the plane during the cut, creating a rise on one side.

All four boards need to be squared and trued in this way.

Some of the scars left over from the boards previous life.

The cupboard door had been assembled with dowelled joints - and just like tattoos, the marks are there forever.

These are unsightly and I will remove this section and fill it with a piece from a suitable offcut.

First step will be to cut the mortise.

Once the size of the mortise is established, then the appropriate sized filler piece can be cut to match..

This will be glued in place and planed back flush.

Before banging away with the mortise chisel, it is best to cut the sides with a paring chisel, so that the possibility of tear-out is minimised during the mortising operation.



This is an old Stanley - perfect for this job.

Righteeo - here we go.
The mortise chisel matches the width of the mortise for size.
Go at it and clean out that hole.

Next steps will be cutting the plug to size and gluing it home.

More next time.

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Best selling wood projects - Finishing the Wall Mirror

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Yeah - I know - about time!
Been busy - you know - Life is what happens while youre busy making other plans .......J.L.
Nearly there on the wall mirror.
What contrasting timber to use to highlight the corners?
Found a piece of African Blackwood that will serve nicely.

Now this stuff is dense.  To work, it is something like a cross between bakelite and polyethylene.
But - what a beautiful colour.

First item of business was to cut the corner strips.

Eight of these were needed to cover the four corners.  In thin-ish strips like this, the African Blackwood can show brittleness at the ends, so I have cut all of them over length.

Next, the buttons for the corners had to be fabricated using scraps.

After squaring the pieces, the tops are defined and then the plug fashioned underneath them.

I suppose it was my frugal upbringing, but I have a tendency to not throw much away.  All those little offcuts are stored away against future need.  Never know when a little strip or piece of African Blackwood will be needed.

Here is the near finished product - basking in its first coat of lacquer.
A few more coats, sanding between each coat - then final assembly.
Woo Hoo!

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Best selling wood projects - Happy New Year 2012

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........... and a safe 2012 -  where you and yours find peace and contentment.

After love, forgiveness is the greatest act we can perform.
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