Stone Posted December 21, 2007 Author Share Posted December 21, 2007 Lookin' good. Hmmm, do I see mortise & tenon work? It's all mortise & tenon joinery. A close up of the front would should how poor it is -- I used too different approaches for the mortises and tenons, so they don't quite fit. It will also look a bit odd when it's finished -- I used three different types of wood: White Oak for the frame, Birch for the ply panels and cherry for the drawer front. It took about 25 hours spread over about five months. There were a lot of errors along the way. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mcj Posted December 22, 2007 Share Posted December 22, 2007 Lookin' good. Hmmm, do I see mortise & tenon work? It's all mortise & tenon joinery. A close up of the front would should how poor it is -- I used too different approaches for the mortises and tenons, so they don't quite fit. It will also look a bit odd when it's finished -- I used three different types of wood: White Oak for the frame, Birch for the ply panels and cherry for the drawer front. It took about 25 hours spread over about five months. There were a lot of errors along the way. It may not seem like it, but making some errors is necessary, because we learn from them. It doesn't matter if it's about woodworking or cooking. When I had time, I used to enjoy watching two woodworking programs on PBS: The Woodwright's Shop (with Roy Underhill, I think he is/was the head woodworker at Colonial Williamsburg) and The New Yankee Workshop (with Norm Abram, from "This Old House" fame). These programs are polar opposites of woodworking technology and thus would show completely different approaches for us to tackle our projects with. In NYW, Norm uses power tools galore. It's quite rare for him to pick up (and use) a hand tool... instead of a hammer, he uses a nail gun. In WWS, Roy does everything with hand tools, including making a foot-operated lathe using a tree branch as the spring to "rewind" the work piece. The rest of us fall somewhere between these two extremes. If it's any consolation, I never got enough practice at mortise & tenon joinery, so even though I know technically what to do, I can't get them 'just-right'. If anything, it gives me a greater appreciation for those that can do it well. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Stone Posted December 22, 2007 Author Share Posted December 22, 2007 Even Tiger hits flubs now and then. And the guys on the woodworking forum, who build stunning pieces of furniture, talk about how they usually make at least one big error per piece. The only difference is that I work through the errors, instead of doing the bad piece over. Soon, however, I'll try to get it all right. Then I can learn about finishing. I bought an FMT jig for M&T work, although I have cut some tenons by hand. Chisels are more dangerous than chefs knives and take out larger chunks of ... flesh. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mcj Posted December 23, 2007 Share Posted December 23, 2007 I bought an FMT jig for M&T work, although I have cut some tenons by hand. Chisels are more dangerous than chefs knives and take out larger chunks of ... flesh. When trimming tenon cheeks & shoulders, I'd recommend using a low-angle plane such as this or this. The low angle is indispensable when cutting across grain, especially end grain. When using chisels for trimming mortises, I would use a technique that I learned for woodcarving: I use the chisel to slice using a side-to-side sweeping motion... with one hand (my left) having a firm grip on the metal shaft above the tip & braced against the wood, it's the pivot point. The other hand would be on/near the far end of the handle and control the sweeping & thrusting motions of the chisel. The tight control greatly helps to limit chisel movement, drastically reducing slippage & break-away pieces... including flesh. I see that you know: good chisels should be razor sharp, like a top-notch chef's knife... and for basically the same reason — dull tools are far more dangerous. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Stone Posted December 29, 2007 Author Share Posted December 29, 2007 First, I finished this night table I've been working on intermittently for months: Ok. I still need to finish finishing, but I messed that up a bit. Still, I'm happy with it, especially because the numerous flaws don't really show in the picture. Then I built a quick outfeed table for my TS. Used Wood Whisperer's podcast to learn how. Still need to get levelers from Rockler: Finally - built a flip-top stand for my planer. Yes, I need to put on the casters and some type of finish. And bolt on the planer. And build the drawer (but I may wait for a dovetail jig for that.) But I'm pretty happy with it -- only minor errors. I used the plans from Woodonline, and had to modify the size a bit. Of course, I made some errors in calculations, but was able to work them out. And I messed up the mitering for the top, but was able to work them out. The slots for the swivel pin ended up 1/4" off center -- my fault. But at least they line up. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
splinky Posted December 29, 2007 Share Posted December 29, 2007 thanks for the inspiration! i really need to empty the garage or the basement this spring and set up a workshop. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mcj Posted December 30, 2007 Share Posted December 30, 2007 Wow, you've been busy. A decent finish does quite a bit at helping to bring out the natural beauty of wood. Some "flaws" are hidden by finishes, others are made all the more visible. Yours are "good" flaws. What's the point of having tools if you can't build a better workshop, right? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
helena Posted April 24, 2008 Share Posted April 24, 2008 some stuff from George Nakashima - his studio at New Hope, PA is a pleasure to visit and a great destination in a mandatory New Hope motorcycle ride. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Pingarina Posted April 24, 2008 Share Posted April 24, 2008 Oh wow, Helena. I didn't know about the workshop in PA. Nakashimaaaaa Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Stone Posted April 24, 2008 Author Share Posted April 24, 2008 A friend just dropped $40,000 for a Nakashima dining table. I have to say, although I've never done it, I can't imagine that attaching a stretcher and legs to a slab is a hard process. The trick is to find the slab. I recently finished this: Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Pingarina Posted April 24, 2008 Share Posted April 24, 2008 Well done, Stone! Is that cherry? I'm re-finishing the top surface of an early 20thC cherry dining table. My first time doing this. A friend, a professional woodworker, was kind enough to loan me his little orbital sander, a box of sandpapers, and some other stuff, and showed me how to do it. I think I'm gonna get me one o' those little machines! Re Nakashima: I think that part of the coolness of his pieces is making it look like you could do it yourself (with the perfect materials, of course). Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Stone Posted April 24, 2008 Author Share Posted April 24, 2008 The drawer is a piece of cherry I had lying around. The rest is oak. Except the ply, which was birch. (hmmmm.) Every time I look at this picture, I realize that I did a lously job aligning the grain of the back ply with the inner shelf. If only that were the only problem. As for refinishing the table, you may want to look into harsh carcinogenic chemicals before taking a power tool to an old piece of furniture. check www.thewoodwhisperer.com and look at his early podcasts. One discusses stripping and refinishing. I usually use Rock Miracle if I can find it, then fine sand paper, by hand. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Behemoth Posted April 24, 2008 Share Posted April 24, 2008 some stuff from George Nakashima - his studio at New Hope, PA is a pleasure to visit and a great destination in a mandatory New Hope motorcycle ride. [...] There was a gallery near 2nd (3rd?) and market in Philly that sold his stuff, not sure if it is still there. My friend and I would go and drool all over stuff, so you probably don't want to touch anything. I've never actually looked at this thread before. I am seeing Stone in a whole new light... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Pingarina Posted April 24, 2008 Share Posted April 24, 2008 The drawer is a piece of cherry I had lying around. The rest is oak. Except the ply, which was birch. (hmmmm.) Every time I look at this picture, I realize that I did a lously job aligning the grain of the back ply with the inner shelf. If only that were the only problem. As for refinishing the table, you may want to look into harsh carcinogenic chemicals before taking a power tool to an old piece of furniture. check www.thewoodwhisperer.com and look at his early podcasts. One discusses stripping and refinishing. I usually use Rock Miracle if I can find it, then fine sand paper, by hand. What do you mean? The sander is hooked to a vacuum, and I wear a surgical mask. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Stone Posted April 24, 2008 Author Share Posted April 24, 2008 My concern is damage to the table, not the lungs. I doubt that one big sanding project will harm you. Although I'm not giving legal or medical advice so tell Ron Johnson to buzz off. Is the table painted or stained? http://thewoodwhisperer.com/ Check out episode 3. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.