Following up on another project....

Remember the kitchen island I finished about a month ago?  Wow - check out these pictures of the completed project!

If Metropolitan Home was still in publication, 

 this kitchen could be featured in it! 

I just love the splash of color.

Back in bid'ness...

It's crazy how a one-dollar part can put you out of business! 

When you see a sign like this on one of my tools, you know I'm stressing about it! I hate it when things break in the shop, but let's face it - when you have 40 or 50 people playing with your tools - that is bound to happen.  

I was telling my mom about the planer breaking the other night - and how I opened up the side of it and saw it just needed a master link.  (It was pretty easy to figure out, when I saw this.) 

She said she was amazed at how I could figure out what it needed and fix it. But - half the battle of running a shop is knowing how to fix the stuff that breaks. Something will always be broken in the shop, or need some maintenance. 

Let's just say - I know my way around a grease gun. 

It took longer to track down the parts than it did to repair this tool. I had to go to three different hardware stores to find this part.

 Out with the old; in with the new.

As my buddy Philip says - Bing Bang Boom - you're done! 

And back in business! 

Not every repair goes this easily! But my best advice would be - Learn how to fix your tools by yourself. I'm sure the service company would've charged a few hundred dollars to come out to fix the simple issue.

Look what you can become in three years and four months!

Damn, she's tenacious!

te·na·cious

 adjective \tə-ˈnā-shəs\

: not easily stopped or pulled apart : firm or strong

: continuing for a long time

: very determined to do something

When Lupe puts her mind to something, it's probably best to step out of the way. Remember this series of twelve lectern tables she made (and sold!)?

Or this Cherry rocker? 

Or the Walnut bookcase? 

She even built this chair scooping jig ...

so she could make this stool - verrrrry cool!

And then there were these two Adirondack chairs she finished just a month ago, only to sell them (practically) before they were unloaded from her van!

Yes, she's determined to conquer woodworking, and I suspect that this last project she completed puts her in a new class designation - journeyman woodworker. I do believe she's no longer a rookie!

Check out this amazing sewing cabinet that she just completed, with a lift mechanism for the sewing machine. 

Here's what she wrote about the cabinet: 

This is my latest woodworking project, which I just finished this afternoon. This is a sewing machine table, and frankly, it took much longer than anticipated: Approximately 85 hours of work went into it. This is probably the most difficult piece of furniture I have ever made. Thank you to my woodworking sensei, Jamie Yocono, and the gang at Wood It Is for their support, laughter and beers!

For you geeks who like details, here are the specs:

Table measures: 36” long x 23” wide x 30 high.

When extended you have a working surface measuring 72” long x 23” wide.

Material: Solid cherry legs on cherry plywood carcass. Solid cherry tabletop, drawers and doors.

Main details: Continuity of the grain between the tabletops; half-blind dovetails on drawers; slat joints on doors to allow for expansion and contraction of the wood; minimal use of hardware on cabinet, except for an elevator system for the sewing machine; modified hinges to allow for a 180 degree opening.

Finish: Five coats of Watco Danish Oil with one coat of Watco Satin Wax. 

I'm exhausted just reading about it! I really have to congratulate Lupe and honor her for the fine work she's been producing from the shop. In the three short years she's been taking classes, she's moved from novice to big-time!

Just out of curiosity - I looked up in my school records when Lupe started taking classes -  it was in March, 2011. 

That just shows you how long it might take for you to transform your skills - three years, four months!

Where the hell is Matt?

Wanna feel good? 

Watch this!

Another 50 minute masterpiece!

One of my most favorite tools in the shop is the 

Veritas Journeyman's Brass Mallet, from Lee Valley. Damn, I love their tools.  

So when the handle broke (for the third time!) - I had to take an hour out of the day to make a new one. It didn't take much prodding - playing on the lathe is always a nice diversion.

 I found a piece of very straight grained oak - perfect for a handle.

 I prepped it for mounting it on the lathe, 

and then turned it down to a comfortable size. 

I used a small scrap of baltic birch plywood so that I wouldn't hit the chuck with my lathe tools. 

Every now and then, I'd test the size by gripping it - I didn't want it too big for my (small) hands.

Eventually, the size and shape was perfect - I made it a bit longer than the original handle.

That one alway seemed a little short to me!

A little shellac and wax, and then it was ready to mount to the mallet head. 

The small tenon on the end came off with a chisel and a bit of sanding.

 And here it is - another 50 minute masterpiece! There are times when these little projects are just what I need - quick and easy diversions to the bigger pieces I build. Plus - they're much easier on my back!

Working with a Maneater

The school has been so busy lately, that I'm running out of bench space. Right now, the benches are 60" square, but some students come in to work and take up a whole bench, when really - the benches are designed to be shared by two people.  So I'm making smaller benches, sort of using this design as a guide. 



I found this online - I have NO idea where I found it, but I like it. (Note to self: bookmark sites you like!) It's just simple and sturdy and straightforward. I like that. (If this bench/image belongs to you - I'm sorry I can't give you credit for it! Contact me and I'll be happy to place a link to your site here!)

So - I'm making a prototype of a workbench that I want to use at my shop. The work is going smoothly, although I did make a couple of (fixable) errors. That's what prototypes are for, right?

I'm getting ready to do the last bit of shaping and routing, before I assemble the two sides - and it's time to pull out the router and round over some edges.

Remember that old Hall and Oates song - Mateater? 



 That's how I feel when using this router bit. It's a 3/4" round over bit, perfect for making large round overs on sharp corners. I don't use it often, but when I pull it out and throw it in the collet, I know things are going to get dicey!  It's a wood eater!

Over the years, I damaged more than a few corners using this bit. It's so easy for the bit to grab into your wood, cutting an area of wood that you hadn't intended to round over.  So - here's a tip - clamp some scrap on either side of the wood you intend to rout. Just make sure the clamp isn't in the way of the router base.

The scrap wood gives you a broader area on which to rest the router base, and it reduces the chance of an errant cut, 

leaving you with crisp, rounded edges. 

OK, back to work for me!... hope you're having a productive day in your woodshop. 

OCD Woodworking: Measure seven times, cut once..

This beast of a gorgeous kitchen island is nearly finished - and it's amazing! All that is left to build is the shelf below; it will eventually hold some storage baskets. 

I saved a couple of gorgeous wide boards for the shelf slats, and since this piece is going to be stained to look like weathered driftwood, I decided to give the shelf the appearance of an ocean pier, with some spacing between each slat. Also - I didn't want dust and schmutz building up over time in the corners of the shelf. So the gaps allow the dust to fall through to the floor, easily vacuumed when cleaning house. 

I cut the shelves to size, and then notched the corners to hug the legs. Notice that template I made - it helped me work out the right sized gap before cutting my actual wood - I've learned that lesson before! 

My latest mantra has become - measure seven times, cut once. 

These Lee Valley's set-up blocks really make it easy for deciding upon the right sized gap.

 Here is the shelf in place. I left it unattached, so that staining would be easier.

This client wanted to give this island an appearance of driftwood, with an aged effect. So I distressed the piece a bit - which is always fun for relieving a little aggression! I simply took some various tools and beat up the piece - simulating wear and tear. It actually feels a little odd to break the edges you just spent time so carefully sanding! 

It's always tough when you deviate from the finishes that one normally uses - but I experimented with two different finishes - ones that I'd never used before. 

They chose the silver-grey two part stain, which gave me about six hours of working time. 

It was hot and humid when I applied it, and it was drying more quickly than I had hoped - so I had to work my way around this piece at a very fast clip. 

Luckily - by the time I had made the 360˚ loop around it - I'd gotten the application evenly applied and blended. 

It's so easy to get spoiled by using Danish Oil - which is incredibly easy to apply. Slap it on, wipe it off. Not so much with this stuff. I will probably find splotches of silver stain on my arms and legs for the next week or so! 

I re-attached the Baltic Birch plywood top that will eventually have granite placed upon it - and stood back to admire the piece.  

With a little luck and a lot of muscle, this piece will makes its way home soon.