Best selling wood projects - Making A Boat Paddle Tenor Ukulele Part 7 Neck Preparations

Best selling wood projects

Long time no uke .....
Where were we?
OK, the body shell sides are  ready and glued in place.
The neck block has to be made to accommodate the neck tenon.
I have chosen Australian cedar for this because of its lightness and strength.
The neck block has to be moulded to fit the shape of the top end of the body - it will also support both the top and back of the uke.

Cutting Out The Neck

I have made up the neck blank from three strips - two of sassafras and one of Australian rosewood.

 One end is cut to leave the middle piece of rosewood.  This will act as the tenon to anchor the neck and body together.

Here is the neck roughly laid out on the laminated blank.

The angle of the headstock to the neck is 15 degrees - easily measured with a protractor and angle gauge

After laying out the neck shape precisely, I cut it out on the bandsaw.

Here are the offcuts and the roughed out neck.  I keep the scraps - they will come in handy later.
All of the remaining shaping of the neck will be done by hand using rasps, spokeshaves and scrapers.

Ill move on to that next.
Happy shavings

Best selling wood projects

Read More..

Best selling wood projects - Where Have You Been Watcha Bin Doin

Best selling wood projects

Holy macaroons Batman, doesnt the time fly when you are busy.
A short potted history for between my last post and this one -

• house painting - outside
• grandkids
• renovations and repairs to the main bedroom and walk in robe
• house painting - inside
• travel
• grandkids 
• house painting - outside
• re-building with my son, his garage
• travel
• grandkids
• house painting - outside
• uke
• singing
• travel
• Hastings Woodworkers Guild

Where was I up to with those projects....................
The ukulele hasnt moved from its last known location and condition - still on the "to get finished" list.

I have begun a hall table for our Guild exhibition in a month and will document it here.

Building a Hall Table - Part 1

My good friend Terry gave me a couple of slabs of camphor laurel that he no longer needed, and I decided that one of them would contain enough timber for a hall table.
I laid it out and cut it before I thought to take a picture.
Here is whats left of the slab - not very impressive is it?

Here is a hint of its lovely colour:

Heres what it dresses like to reveal the multi coloured grain

I cut out the legs and the side rails and glued them in using mortice and tenon joints:

Heres a close up of the joint showing the completed side rail tenon in its mortice as well as the mortice for the front rail:

Here are all four legs with both side rails glued in place:

The front and back rails will have a strengthening cross piece let into housings.  Here I am cutting them with a tenon saw before chiseling out the waste.

Here is the completed cross member sitting in its housing as a trial fit:

Finally with all pieces ready here is a trial fit of front and back rails before glue up:

After glue up Ill work on the table-top.
Happy shavings to all
Tom
Best selling wood projects

Read More..

Best selling wood projects - Where Do You Get Your Lumber

Best selling wood projects

A question that we all have to address as woodworkers is one of supply.
Where do we source our timber?
This is a question that I am often asked, and as recently as this morning I fielded a telephone call specifically on this topic.
The obvious places, such as hardware stores and trade timber yards are fine for construction projects, but the choices are limited and prices are high.
My own experiences might be a help in guiding others to find cheaper outlets with wider variety.

Side-o-road-iata

This is a generic "species" term that all my woodie mates use to describe "found" timbers.  The species vary - but usually include branch loppings, storm damaged trees, the results of noxious tree removal, or maintenance clearing.
We have a beautiful timber here on the coast called camphor-laurel, that is a declared noxious tree and is slated for removal everywhere.  This is often available free for the collecting.
I usually keep a lookout for this kind of timber, and people know that I am interested in their tree loppings from yard clean-ups as well.

Eucalyptus train-iata

Our club house - Hastings Woodworkers Guild - is situated in Timbertown, Wauchope and this hosts a working steam train.  Daily, this steam engine uses eucalypt offcuts from numerous mills in the area.  I have lost count of the number of times a beautiful piece from the log-pile has been turned into a box or a bowl.
There are numerous wood-heaps around that are either firewood, demolitions, furniture factory offcuts etc.  All of these can yield timber for small projects.

Mills and Lumber Yards

The numbers of these wonderful hives of industry are shrinking, but there are still timber mills to be found if you look.
They are worth the drive as the selections are wide and the prices are better than retail.
We are lucky enough to have several mills within an hours drive of here, and the outing is an experience to be savoured.

Here is a one-day outing that we did recently to Botique Timbers of Rollands Plains.

A 50HP bandsawmill makes short work of slabbing this camphor-laurel log.

 Some of the club members add scale to the size of the milling equipment

At Botique Timbers, the slabbed lumber is air-dried in the open - usually covered in old galvanised iron sheeting.  This leads to some interesting warping occasionally, but the timbers are normally surprisingly straight and stable.

Burls - yes there were plenty for the bowl turners to select from.  These are normally sold by the kilogram - unlike the slabbed lumber - which is sold by the usable super-foot, or board-foot as our US cousins call it.
This is a quirky mix of metric and imperial calculations, but we have learned to be at home with them.

Advice is freely given and discussion often ensues ..........

...................... disagreements are handled with diplomacy and skill .................

 A close-up of the bandsaw mill in action - here it is just finishing the cut as the log slides past it.

Discussions about the merits of an unknown timber can arouse interest.  This is a piece of snakewood which became very popular after the briefing ................

I source much of my timber from this mill, as it is only about a half hour from my home and I have known Mal - the owner - for over twenty years.  This outing, which I organised for the club members, might just see them coming back for re-supply of their own timber needs.

I came home with a few lovely West African makore boards and some hairy oak.

A great day indeed


Best selling wood projects

Read More..

Best selling wood projects - What You Can Do With Leftovers

Best selling wood projects

Shed time has been hard to find this weekend, as the rain-caused problems needed attention yesterday, and a trip to and from Coffs Harbour took up most of today.
As well, the tomatoes needed staking and the climbing beans had gone skyward without support. I was reminded of Jack and a certain giant. (Interesting little colonial story that one - use up all your own resources then go to another land and steal all the possessions of the inhabitant, before scarpering home and living happily ever ...)
I digress.
In trying to be more resourceful than Jack, I am pressing into service some re-cycled timbers collected from demolitions.
The bench is near complete. Last tasks were to panel the back for bracing, and to strengthen the unsupported particleboard shelf underneath.  Nothing fancy - a scrap of old masonite for the back and a piece of roughsawn roundback for the stringer.

The glued and screwed roundback stringer clamped to dry.

When I glued the nosing piece to the bottom shelf, I thought I had on hand more wood packers than were actually the case.  The glue was drying and I didnt have time to go cut some more - so - I did what every self deluding woodie does from time to time - I told myself that - just this once - it wouldnt matter, because the clamps would probably not mark the timber anyway.  

Doh!

The evidence is before you in the next picture.

After I removed the clamps, I sent myself to the corner to write out a hundred times - I must not listen to the little voice of stupidity that lurks in the impatience zone of the cerebral cortex. 

Gnats with lobotomies dont make this mistake. 

Double Doh!

 The near complete bench.

Next step will be to construct the carcass for the cupboard that will sit atop the bench.

I have a couple of demolition panels that I thought were meranti (pacific maple).  Turns out they are veneered solid pine core.  Good and solid with plenty of stability. 

veneered solid pine core

These will form the sides of the cupboard, and as an added bonus, they are already dadoed.  

The spacings arent what I would have chosen, but they are close enough.  

There will be a shelf divider-cum-mullion, (or maybe two, havent decided yet) in the middle, which will need dadoes on both sides.

Pre-dadoed panels  - eeeh ha!

This week in the shed is going to be interesting.

Best selling wood projects

Read More..

Best selling wood projects - Making A Carry Case For a Large Format Camera Part 1

Best selling wood projects

Large format cameras are something of an anachronism in these days of high definition digital imaging, however they have their devotees and disciples.
They are big, cumbersome and require lots of bits and pieces - as well as a sturdy tripod.

I am going to make a carry-case for the safe storage of one of these - my Toyo-View 45G.
Currently it is still in its original cardboard and styrofoam box, but these are deteriorating and certainly wont stand up to being carted around outdoors.

 

Here is a how to:

I have selected some meranti - pacific maple - for its strength and lightness.

Edge glue some boards to make lumber of the appropriate width.

When the glue is dry, true one edge as the reference edge from which the sides will be cut square.

The six sides of what is essentially a box are laid out prior the cutting the dovetail joints for the sides and ends.

I use a Gifkins Jig to cut the tails for the dovetails first.

The completed joints look like this.

A trial fit of the carcass without top or bottom fitted.

The top and bottom will be cut out and rebated into the carcass and the whole lot glued together.
When dry I will cut off the lid on the tablesaw.

More to come in part 2

Best selling wood projects

Read More..

Best selling wood projects - Its Beginning to Look a Lot Like

Best selling wood projects

 Christmas Bush - planted many years ago by LOML, and it has finally graced us with some flowers. These start out white and turn a lovely red as they mature.


The red blossom at the base, is crucifix orchid flower.  An amazing plant that grows profusely and seems to thrive on neglect.  Just the thing for our garden.


Looking past these there is the last of springs jacaranda blossom in the front paddock that adjoins my shed.


The shed is some ways from the house, and the hill walk is a great mini constitutional.  Time was, when I used to run the uphill leg as part of my I feel alive regime.  Not any more.  Tried it once or twice when the phone was ringing - never again.


Now, I know Im alive when I get to the top because Im still conscious - and usually panting.  


Whats that old saying - 
...........the older I get the faster I was .......
One advantage of aging and its enforced pace, is the opportunity to see things that we hurried past before.

Ever followed a butterflys erratic flight?
Or gazed at the sun into the fading night?
You better slow down.
Dont dance so fast.
Time is short.
The music wont last. Link

Another surprise greeted us this morning in the form of mama jill and young joe not more than a metre from our front verandah.  They had been feeeding here during the night.

They normally keep their distance from the house, but the grass must be extra sweet right there.

Joe found the bull-ant nest and near went into orbit.

What a sight!

The next shed project is a full length wall mirror for the walk-in wardrobe.

The frame will be silky-oak ala Greene and Greene.

Should be fun.

Best selling wood projects

Read More..