Last Project of 2022

 I hope you had a good holiday. Our's was busy, filled with music, feasting and family. I did have time for a couple of small shop things and one large project.

  For Christmas we rented a cello for our grand daughter so she won't have to carry her school cello home to practice.  She is in grade six and so only slightly bigger than the cello anyway.

  A musical instrument requires regular practice for the player to make any improvement. As a teacher I encouraged 15 minutes everyday. (knowing that once the instrument was out of the case and the student was playing 15 minutes often stretched to 30 or more) If the student didn't even want to play 15/day it meant that their interest was pretty limited. 

  To make cello practice easier I made a stand for the cello so that it could be easily at hand and enticing.

  There was no time to create an elegant stand with swooping curves and hidden joinery, this one is functional. It would look better with fine sanding and paint but....no time.  If she stays at it I will take the time to make something nicer to compliment the graceful lines of the cello.

  Oma whipped up a bow bag to hang on the stand too.  Now if our Grand daughter has a few minutes she can dash off a song since her cello is easily at hand.

  2022 has been a funny sort of year however things are improving little by little as life returns to normal (whatever that is).  I look forward to 2023 and hope you do to.

Happy Christmas and a Merry New Year.

cheers Ianw

   

  

Crossing the Rubicon - measure, shape, smooth & assemble

   We have smoothed a pre-assembled wooded box. And have decided that is not enough, now we wish to begin with a couple of boards and make out own thing. There may well be saw dust in  your blood after all.

  When you decide to make your simple project, costly and over blown measuring technology is not necessary. A ruler, metre stick or length of string will do the job for a while. I sharp pencil is useful. If you must buy something, I like a folding wooden ruler as a starting place. They are solid, low cost and no tech.

  The next step can be intimidating and/or confusing. Shaping wood can be done with dozens of different tools, similar tasks can be completed with many different tools that require different skill sets. You know the old saying 'there is more than one way to saw a board'. At this point, the beginner in a small space with a limited budget needs to basically drill holes and cut the boards to size. Nearly all wood working can be done with very basic hand tools. If you search the internet you can see excellent wood working done by people is distant countries.  However, you need to be aware they often have skills that they've developed over many years, and they are spending hours on each aspect of the task.

  I know local wood workers that do lovely work, all by hand and for them the process is where the satisfaction lay, so they're happy to spend all winter making a jewelry box. I use a mixed shop because I enjoy the process but also enjoy sharing the finished project. If you read my blog you will also see that I try to match the quality and refinement of the project to its intended use. Out door flower boxes are not a carefully crafted as jewelry boxes. Storage boxes in the basement are less refined than things featured in our living room. 

  So, this is an easy 'made from scratch' project:

 Practically speaking you buy a length of dowel or use bamboo skewers  from a craft store or a big box supplier. The square wood my be free pallet wood from behind a neighbourhood store. (with enough time and tools you can make your own dowels, if you are a purest, I guess)

  To begin your wood working journey you need to drill 8 holes and make a few cuts followed by sanding and finishing.  This stand was the prototype and so it sits on my desk, roughly sanded and unfinished. Don't fear painting wood. Not all wood grain is worth showing off.

  To drill.  A couple of generations ago you could buy a reasonably priced egg beater type hand drill

egg beater drill

  Now, this type of drill when cheap is not worth buying. There are quality drills available but...they are for serious hand tool workers, are a life time tool and cost lots of money.

  The alternative is a corded electric drill. I suggest buying one from a name brand company and a 3/8 variable speed/reversing corded drill will do most of what you want and need for a long time.  Buying a drill with a cord also means that you do not need to decide what battery system to join. I'm on my fourth battery system since beginning wood working seriously 25 year ago. A beginner, small time DIY person will do fine with a corded drill, which will last their whole life and can be had for reasonable money. Also it will be  cheaper than any brand name cordless drill.

  Once you get your drill you find that there are tonnes of specialized accessories for grinding, sanding, pumping what ever.  I used my drill with a disk sander accessory for ages before buying a dedicated sander. Again, on the internet there are many how-to videos showing tips and tricks for using your hand drill. 

Now, we've bought our drill and a small set of drill bits. The square wood needs to be cut to size, how to do that best.  For straight cuts a back saw with a mitre box is not a bad place to start.

  There are plenty of good basic hand saws for less than $50.00. These saws only cut straight lines. ( and are worth owning if you  are going to continue to play with wood) This project has no curves but the next one may be more stylish and cry out for flowing curves. I think a corded jig saw is a good place to start. A jig saw can make adequate straight cuts with care and especially can make curves and shapes. Also jig saws have many different types of blades available  designed to cut wood, metal and plastic.  While not being the very best saw for all jobs it is easily the most versatile.

  Again a jig saw with a cord will not become obsolete and will last many years and projects.

  Once everything is cut, drilled and sanded it is assembled with white glue.  Most projects do not require high tech water proof rapid setting costly glue.

  At this point  you have around $200.00 including taxes invested in your new hobby and gifts for everyone one you shopping list.   Little kids like cut out toys, (lots of curves). 

You are on your way to a rewarding and cost effective hobby. 

  What tools you need next has everything to do with what direction you want to go with your wood working projects.

 cheers ianw 

  

 

First Time Wood Working - Sanding project and tools

   Honestly many of the first wood wooding projects for my generation (60+ years old) no longer exist.  We don't need to make book ends, bird houses, storage boxes etc. they are all now readily available for reasonable prices from all sorts of retail outlets. So a person doesn't automatically end up making things from wood any longer.

  However if you like making things and aren't that keen on glue/saw dust board or plastic you may still want to make some basic things for your home space.

  Last blog I talked about how to start wood working  by beginning at the finish. (end)

  Imagine I had no tools, but liked wood more than plastic and wanted to have a slightly individual project when I was done.

   I spent $2.00 on this plywood box. To end up with a nice finished project I have to take a couple real wood working steps.

 1st- I sanded this box with 100 grit sand paper.  I sanded all the edges and corners to make the box nice to touch and reduce the chance of splinters. 

 2nd- I sanded all the edges and surfaces with 180 grit sand paper. You might not believe it but that makes the box smoother (softer) to touch.

 3rd- I sealed the wood with shellac. Any of the many sealing products could be used. I like shellac because it is quick drying, fool proof to apply and compatible when dry with just about any other type of paint, stain or varnish you may then use.

all the tools needed for this project.

  Then I used the 180 grit to lightly sand the shellac, once dry.  Our house has forced air heating...there is always fine grit in the air that settles into the finish. Next I used some water based craft to paint to colour in the box top.

  Since the box had been sealed the water paint did not blot into the wood and only one coat was necessary to get good coverage.

  Once the paint dried I but another seal coat on top just to make it more difficult for fingers to leave smudge marks.

  Doing this project will help you or your child to decide if you like the feel and smell of wood and wood dust. Rounding over edges and making the wood box gentle on your hands is a great feeling.

  This was a  'one time', project requiring two sheets of sand paper, sealer and some craft paint.  

  There are many pre assembled  wooden projects out there just waiting for you to finish them. When I was an apartment dweller I finished a couple of big items, including a television stand on a drop sheet in the living room.  Larger projects can be sanded by hand but......

A random orbital sander can make a large job, quicker and easier.  As a rule, the most expensive sanders have better dust collect, make less noise and run more smoothly.    If you find you enjoy staining, painting or other wise finishing wood projects sanders are big help with a shallow learning curve.

  A finishing sander works more slowly than a random orbital, but runs with the grain and so will not leave tiny swirls in the wood grain like a random orbital can, if you aren't careful.

  The monster of the sanding family is the BELT SANDER.  

  The belt sander can be used to remove a great deal of wood in a short time. I bought one early in my career before I had hand plane skills and flattened many board. In fact I still have that sander and occasionally still use it, though it doesn't have any dust collection  capability.  It is pretty much and out door tool now.

  I used to make cutting boards and so had a bank of sanders with ever finer grits of sand paper mounted so that I could proceed from 60 to 600 grit by switching sanders.  

  There is a fascinating world of specialty hand held sanders  as well as machines out there for all types of unusual tasks. check it out.

cheers ianw

  

 

What Do You Need To Do Basic Woodworking?

   Lets imagine that you are a 20 - 40 something with a decent place to live and a few (very few) extra dollars to spend on improving your home, lifestyle and gift giving.  If you are a little bit patient  and slightly handy you can create many things  for reasonable amounts of money and time.  

  Often people send beginners out into the world with a shopping list of tools and equipment.  A basic set of tools needs to measure, cut, smooth and assemble.  There are dozens of tools both hand powered and electric that will do those things, these tools range from economical and generally useful to wildly expensive and extremely specialized.  To prove the vast scope of the tool world, look at something as fundamental as the hammer, there are hammers of every size and shape used for general and specialized tasks.  I don't anyone needs them all. I've done lots of woodworking for many years and only have five or six different hammers. 

  So, my suggestion is to buy the tools you need to complete the task at hand.  You may find that you are perfectly happy making small wooden crafts and so never need big, costly tools. If your wood working is done in support of other hobbies, eg. making picture frames, flower boxes, raised beds or children's toys you do not need to invest heavily in space or tools and can still get a very satisfying result.   

  I have over time, followed the "task first- tool next" theory and in 40 years gathered up a very full workshop of tools.  Those tools have provided years of rewarding pleasure and distraction for me. This method also helps insure that you don't  spent money and discovered you really don't enjoy making things from wood.  Not everyone does, no shame. Nearly all my tools were acquired as and when they were needed to  complete some project or other.  My joiner, planner and bandsaw were purchased to make building larger pieces of furniture easier. I have a good selection of hand planes, saws, chisels and knives used when making small things like spoons.

  Christmas is coming soon.  Much of the virtue of home wood projects is the ease with which the final finish can be adjusted. You can buy basic wooden shelves, bookends, candle holders, and boxes, and all the tools you need are smoothing and finishing tools. (hand or power driven).  

  A personalized gift, finished by hand and coloured to match the receiver's taste is more meaningful than just ordering something ....and having it shipped to their house.

  In the next blog I am going to talk about some the options available to help adjust and personalize projects.

cheers ianw

   

Wood shop = Repair Shop

 There is great satisfaction in making new things, trying new techniques and expressing one's creative spirit. Wood and related products are excellent mediums for all those things.  However, a wood shop also is a great place to reuse and repair.

  Currently my shop space is filled with several repair/renew projects.  I started the garden benches a while ago and I am waiting an opportunity to sand blast the ends.

  I am renewing and finishing a doll house.

  This doll house is from a kit and a friend gave it to me to finish and then give away.  It seems the original building lost interest about 7/8 of the way through.  It needed little things, like, all the edges were razor sharp, there was lots of fiddly sanding to do. (a good time for needle files.) I had to paint and attach the external fire place covering and there is lots of detail painting yet to do.

 As my wife was putting the yard to bed a couple of repairs came into the shop. The most interesting is a big red fish.

  This fish is made from a piece of construction 2 x 10, that had seem better days. The dowel that stuck out the bottom rotted away and the top fin and the tail fin are broken off. There is little that is special about this bit of garden statuary, other than I worked on it with Grand Kids. Is it worth fixing, or.....just make something new for the garden. I guess I will have to decide. My first impulse is to repair, but...maybe replace makes as much sense.

  Once I started this blog I began to doubt the fish's future, before I wrote the blog I was sure I would repair it.  Interesting how writing things down effects your thinking. 

  Christmas is right around the corner, if you are planning to make gifts, you better get on it.

cheers ianw

    

   

Beaver Craft Wood Carving Tools

 

beavercrafttools.com

  I ordered a chip carving knife blade from Beaver Craft Tools recently. It did take a while for the blade to arrive in the mail, but...considering the mess in Ukraine it arrived in an acceptable time.  I bought the blade because I have been revisiting Chip Carving and the knife is different and uses an different technique.  Something new is always worth exploring, I think.

   I bought the blade without handle for a couple of reasons, I am cheap and can make my own handle being the major one.  The other reason, a blade can be shipped through the mail in a flat bubble wrap envelop fast and easy.

   Fitting handles to knife blades is quite simple now that the available glues are soooooo good.  The sides of the handle are cedar with a hardwood slice in the middle into which the blade is fitted.

  The handle is over sized in all dimensions so that there is plenty of scope for custom shaping.  For things like this I let the glue dry over night to be sure it is set and curing. 

  

  The final knife has a fairly short handle and the front of the handle is wrapped in cotton soaked with 'super glue'.  The cotton cord allowed a post assembly taper to be added. I have wondered about how hard and long wearing 'super duper glue' would be, so this is an experiment.

  The knife blade arrived very sharp and in a timely manner even given the current situation in Ukraine.  I will now have to use the knife for a couple of projects and see if an Old Dog can wants to learn a new trick.

cheers ianw

Getting Ready for Christmas

   As a general rule I don't endorse or promote products.  I usually say what I have to work with and sometimes share links to the tools used on TheToolStore.ca website. In this case I was sent Wood Maxx screws to try out since I use lots of self taping screws in my shop projects. Usually I drill  a pilot hole even when using self taping screws.  Anyway, I set out to do a project that would require a bunch of screws to check out this new to me product. 

note: No pilot holes were used in the course of this project.

Recycling, reusing and crafting are all the rage currently and I love to reuse skid wood. Usually a project using purposed wood adds extra steps and effort.  Not this time. The rustic nature of the wood was a bonus rather than a liability.

I  gathered together a few mixed boards from my skid wood stash, laid them out on my work table and set to work.  I gave all the boards a basic sand to 120 grit, making sure that all the nails were removed of course.  Since then will probably be moved about several times being decorated etc, I sanded all the edges to reduce the possibility of splinters. 

  This is one of two trees destined to adorn the entrance to our home this coming holiday season. I screwed the two trees together with the Wood Maxx screws, quickly and easily.  I liked the screws better than drywall screws both because they are #2 Robertson ( square ) drive and as #8 a better screw for this job.

  After I screwed the trees together I gave them two heavy coats of deck sealer so they will endure for a couple of seasons at least.  Now, we are thinking about  the nature of the decorations.  The plan is for the  trees to feature all natural ornamentation, we will have to see how the plan works out. 

  This is another rustic project that can be made with found wood, a couple of tools and almost no experience. Go For It.

cheers ianw

Small Lathe project

  I hate to throw good stuff away.  Recently we bought some creme fresh at the store and it came in lovely little bottles. So I decided to make an oak stopper/top to enable us to reuse the bottle.

  It was a pleasant little project. I began with a square of 3/4 oak, a piece left over from a church pew. The corners were knocked off before putting the piece on my mini lathe.  I have used my lathe to make an assortment of small things for our house over time.

  The finish is Hemp Oil. Oak is water resistant and hemp oil is neutral so the small jar can be used to store just about anything. 

  Making things like lid, and cutting boards, vases and bowls enables you to fill you space with 'your' work. I find it makes me happy to see things we've made and used in our space, try it, you may like it.

cheers, ianw

Starting Wood Carving ?

  Two of my grand children have watched me wood carve and show an especial interest,  My Grandson is interested in carving wood, and he and I have done a couple of projects together. My Grand daughter has show interest and aptitude for soap carving. 

  By the way, soap carving is a good way to get them started with low risk and low cost.

  Now it is time to set them up with their own set of tools to use at home.

  I selected these tools to cover most eventualities.

  There are:  two gouges, one shallow, one flat.

                    two straight chisels, one very narrow and one about 1/4  inch wide.

                    a V tool, and a very sharp knife with a curved blade.

  The current plan is some flat carved Christmas ornaments as a starting point. This variety of tools will give the kids good tools to start their carving careers.  It can be very frustrating to a beginner if the carving tools dull quickly, it makes doing your project more difficult and as a beginner you can't tell it the cause of the problem

  Notice it is a mixed bag of makes and types.  All of these tools are good quality, will get sharp and stay sharp. With this set I included a strop and :

  These grippy gloves and I've glued leather finger guards on, thumb and fore finger left hand, thumb, right hand. 

  I have had my grand kids in my shop when ever they are here and ALWAYS emphasized safety.  Now they don't even think to begin something in the shop without the proper safety gear in place. 

  I am hoping to see some results in the next couple of weekends.

cheers ianw

Garden Bench Restoration

  Recently, an old friend brought me two garden benches desperately in need of repair.  The wooden slats were so rotten that many of them were loose where they joined the ends.  However the benches were not a total write off, and I volunteered  to make the repairs.

 

  The white paint  was mostly gone and the slats were beginning to rot. So far it is mostly, only surface damage.

  The first thing was to take the benches to pieces. The bolts holding the slats were totally rusted. I had to cut the bolts off with a grinder and cut off disk. 

  The process of getting rid of the loose paint was easy, I used my grinder and a flap disk.  These disks come in various grits and are good for heavy removal of wood, paint or rust. I use a flap disk on end grain of slabs (May 29,2019) in combination with a power planer and belt sander.

 I have one end sanded and painted. Sanding was a huge job requiring wire brushes, flap wheel and a dentist pick.  So I got one end cleaned up and painted with rust resistant paint. I always say it is a good idea to use the best tool for the job.  So....the remaining three ends are going to be sand blasted, it will be faster and give a good or better result. 

  So progress is delayed while I arrange for the sand blasting.

 

 The wooden slats are sanded and painted with three coats of exterior paint. All that remains is to drill the holes and bolt it together.

  While awaiting sand blasting I am working other small projects. I have to remind myself when I take on a project that at some point all or most of it has to be carried down stairs to my shop. Stairs are the historic enemy or wood workers and Pandas.

  cheers ianw

Catching Up - the news that is fit to type.

  There has been a small interruption in the flow of blogs for no other reason than there were other things to do.  While Thanksgiving is not the huge holiday for Canada that it seems to be in the United States we have still been busy with friends, family and fall fair.

  So the first up date is to show the results from the Rockton World's Fair. I entered four carvings and:

  Two of my entries did well.  The other two where good but not as good as the eventual winners.  There is a serious wood carving club in our area and they keep the standards high.

  

  Also a Gnome update.  You saw the house in the shop on September 13th. Here it is peacefully installed in Nicole's garden.  

  All of these projects do not require many tools or much expenditure.  Give it a try, chip carving is particularly cost effective, really only one knife. 

  cheers ianw 

p.s. get out and see the Fall Colours before they're blown away.

  

Two Woodcraft Projects

  Recently I made a Gnome Home, not a cabinet grade shop project but...one that was appreciated. (also fun) 

  So, I had some materials laying around and made another yard ornament.

   Rudolf is about 6 inches tall including antlers. This is the sort of shop project you can do living in an apartment. I found the body and head are wind fall lumber from the side of the road. The legs are whittled round(ish) from a 1 x 1 cedar fence board and the nose. I think I once bought a small bag of noses (knobs) at a craft store. A project like this is even a good one for a beginner with very limited tools.  I needed a hand saw, drill, two sized drill bits, a shop knife and pliers to make the antlers. You don't even need to sand the deer if you want to avoid the mess and dust. 

    This next project used more tools.  The tools, glue and clamps that made the box were more involved than the carving equipment.  I have some bass wood boards that cut re-sawed to make the basic box. The box is held together with glue and dowels.

  Chip carving knives are quite basic and for this project I only used the one on the left.

It has been a couple of years since I did any chip carving so this design is a bit rough. I had forgotten how enjoyable this type of wood working can be.

  The lid is held in position by two end pins.  That type of hinge system can be adapted to nearly any sized box and long pins can be used instead of tiny hinges with tiny screws. While this box has some carved bling it is a solid functional item too.

  

  The hinge pin is visible in this view.   You can also see if you look closely, the dowel pins. Each end has four tiny dowel pins, made from cocktail tooth picks. My plan for this box is for it to be used as a pencil case so it will get knocked around during its life, but also appreciated and used .  Chip carved items are often heavily carved, in the case only the back and bottom are uncarved. Traditionally the back would have been carved too.  The carver is partly showing off, and originally killing time in the down time or off season so the more detailed and intricate the better. 

  Now I need to clear shop space because I have taken on a large restoration project, not difficult but LARGE.  Details to follow.

cheers IanW

Fall Fair Season is upon us!!

get out and visit your local fair,

better yet enter to win.

  

Gnome Home

 

  This is one of those silly projects that are inspired by things seen while drifting around the internet.  I saw a post of Gnome Houses as a part of a garden display.  We have a nice garden, which features wonderful flowers,  a large red fish, Captain the lifeboat from Thomas the Tank Engine and Scoop 

of Bob the Builder fame. And some things that were not products of the workshop too.

  Recently I salvaged some wood blown down in a unseasonably strong wind storm.  After filling the back of out car with wood and hauling it to my shop I had to admit I had no plan for the wood. (I just couldn't leave it there to rot).

  

  Anyway a friend with a small chain saw cut some of the pieces for me into basic house shapes and I set out to design and build a home for a tiny fictional character. 

  Believe it or not I had to spend some time imagining what I wanted it to look like when done. 

  

To get depth of colour behind the window I drilled a hole the size of the window and painted the wood behind it in a dark blue/gray colour. The door and doorstep were added separately  after the house's front was painted several coats of the eye catching pinkish red. Every part of the house is soaked in clear deck sealer so that it can live under a tree in a garden for several seasons without being touched up. (no one likes a home that demands too much ongoing maintenance)   In keeping the the natural style the roofing is cedar shingles. 

  The tool that was most useful in the project that I hardly ever use was a coping saw. The door was shaped on my band saw but its window and that upstairs were cut with a coping saw.  I decided against using a jig saw because I didn't want to drill that large a starting hole and....it was just quicker and easier than getting my scroll saw out and set up.  I really like using the scroll saw but only if I have a larger project that makes it worth the set up time. Hand tools are quieter and often quicker for small tasks, hand tool skills shouldn't be ignored, in my humble opinion.

  Beyond getting the rough shape, all the work on a fun/silly project like this can be done completely using hand tools.

 cheers Ian 

p.s. welcome back to school everyone.  

Opa Fix - lathe work

  Opa fix.  All of the Grandchildren's lives I and my workshop have saved the day when life or unforeseen circumstances have impacted any of their stuff.  I have repaired dozens of toys for them and the tradition continues. Clara's book fell apart and her turtle suffered an accident.  In the shop are a selection of glues for all materials and they all get used.  Super/Crazy glues is good stuff but not always the solution.  Every shop needs rubber cement, two part epoxy, wood glue and super glue, not to mention a hot glue gun.  Adhesive technology has advanced quite a bit since I began wood working, it advanced and improved.  

  This weekend's other project was a wood turning project.  Our Granddaughter is totally immersed in the "Warrior Cats" series of books and has developed an interest in the medicine cats and the herbs that are used by them.  

  To process the herbs Clara needed a mortar and pestle, so yesterday we turned them on the lathe.

  Clara still stands on a box to be at a good working height, she is careful and very attentive while working in the shop.  The result is good quality basic work. She also wears a face shield and dust mask while working.  She did 90 % of the work, when she wasn't totally comfortable I did some of the details and the inside of the bowl for her.  FYI Clara is going into grade six next week. The bowl is white oak that was sanded to 600 grit and then finished in paste wax.  It will serve for the learning stages of her herb study, if she stays interested we'll make another from harder closer grained wood later.

Mortar and Pestle

  The pestle was turned from poplar which makes it fairly hard and the mortar is white oak.  They were made from wood at hand, should we want to make another set I'll opt for maple. 

  This was a good project since we turned the bowl on a face plate and the pestle between centers.  It was fairly quick but with good results so a good beginner project. There is scope for more interesting design development too. 

  It is great working for and with Grand Children in the shop.

cheers, ianw