Two Tough Tools for Re-claimed Lumber Projects.

 I am currently making the many stakes that will be used to hold up Eva's peonies.  

  The stakes is about 24 inches long and are made from construction grade left over 2x4 and 2x6.  Some of the wood had been outside for the whole winter. so pretty rough.  I brought it in for a couple of days to dry out and then set to work cleaning, cutting and shaping. 

  To rough this wood to length I used a rough cut saw.

  This is a pull cut saw generally used to cut plastic pipe among  other nasty on site jobs.  It was purchased for just that sort of thing.  I use enough construction lumber and pallet wood to need a cheap no worries rough saw. It came from a local hardware store a while ago for a reasonable price thus I have no reservations when using it. There are no shortage of handsaws  with  impulse hardened teeth for under $30.00 CAN. I really recommend every shop and home should have one for everything from garden trimming to rough carpentry.

 The other rough tool is not as obvious.

  Ten years ago I imported hand planes from India made by Anant Company.  There are a couple of companies that make a similar low cost planes.  I have two of these Stanley 33 copies, one for rough work and one with a fine blade setting.  Since this plane cost about $25.00 and the blades aren't great to begin with I use this plane to explore the wood I am working.  Some re-claimed wood is so nasty it needs to be wire brushed or hosed down before I can do much with it, once it is 'cleaned' I use this plane to round edges and clean up rough grain.  Yes there is a nick in the blade, but.. better this tool than my good Veritas low angle smoothing plane. This is also the tool I put into the hands of my Grandchildren.  The less I fuss the more the kids are comfortable in the shop. 

  I have made some quality things from pallet wood, the wood can be nice once the gritty exterior is removed and then you can use your 'good' tools to finish your project.

cheers, ianw

  

   Peonies can be top heavy.

In the Shop Today- Oct. 2019

  Today I planned to spend more time in my shop. I am returning to my 'work 30 minutes, stretch out 60 minutes-repeat often as possible' schedule.  I have things I want/need to do and I really don't want back pain to stop me. 

  First thing I did was sharpen one of my wife's fine serrated blade kitchen knives.  To touch up the fine serrations I needed my triangle needle file and my magnifying headset .

this is another of those tools that I only use a few times per year,
but would be stuck without.

  After I sharpened the knife I set to work to up grade my bathroom caddy. 

  I had up cycled as orange crate and have been using it since December  2016. Over time I got tired of bottles and stuff falling over and getting trapped underneath the handle. The caddy needed a couple of internal dividers added to the design.

  To make the dividers I used my rip saw, planes, drills, dowels and bench top planning jig.

The wood began with a piece of reclaimed lumber from a skid.  First I ripped the board it to width with a hand saw, holding it on the new raised bench top.  Now that is much easier and at a better height.

  After I used a hand saw to  rip the wood  to width I hand planed the board holding it with my planing jig. I used my mitre saw to cut the wood length, hand tools are nice, power tools are quick. 

  I glued and pinned the dividers in place with 1/8 inch bamboo skewers cut to one inch dowels.  Dowels are used because I don't want rust stains from screws in the caddy/tote  which will get damp in the bathroom.  I have made several projects with the 1/8 bamboo pins, the pins really are just for alignment 'til the glue dries, but they are cheap and available. 

    The caddy was painted bronze last time, purple this time.  When I am out and about I pick up cheap cans of spray paint for jobs were the colour  doesn't matter, currently I have purple.  I added the two internal dividers to keep things from falling over while I move the caddy around.

  The planing jig is something I made in May 2017 and used on my lower work table, but really like on the raised work surface.  

I added a couple of semi-permanent dogs
 to the end of the jig. 

  Just for an update:

planter with foam box insert
back on my Mom's patio.

  The cheap paring knives that I sharpened can be replace for a couple of bucks, the planter uses a discarded foam packing box and the bathroom tote thing is an up cycled orange crate and skid lumber.  I like to be able to repair and remake things to keep materials out of the land fill sites as much as possible.  

  I have a couple more knives to sharpen and a small box I am gathering nice wood for to keep me occupied for the next few 30 working-60 stretching days.  The larger raised work surface seems as though it will make a big difference in the long run.

cheers ianw