Oak Curtain Rod Brackets

  We have a new young cat that likes to climb, anything, and his climbing has been pulling the curtain in our front window down, curtain rod and all.  One solution is to get rid of the cat, the more popular solution was to re-enforce the curtain.

    This little project began with two pieces of 3/4 inch oak,left overs from when I did pocket hole demonstrations at wood shows. 

  I used my Mitre Saw jig to enable me to cut the small pieces of wood safely.

   I drilled with holes using a Forstner bit in my drill press and then cut out the balance of the hole on my band saw. 

  I sanded the brackets to 4oo grit and then gave them a quick coat of spray vanish.

  I really thought of painting the brackets white, but painted wood just doesn't speak to me the way clear coated wood does.  I am also particularly fond of oak.

 I put double sided tape on the bracket and stuck it to the window frame.  Now the curtain and rod can't be pulled down by the cat.

  Once again this is a small project,but instead of making two square brackets I spend the little bit of extra time adding some shape as well as sanding the wood especially smooth.  For me there is greater satisfaction in over doing these simple things than just doing  "enough". I worked in the 'that's good enough' world, now I can take the time and do "better than good enough", and that is another good reason to have your own shop.

cheers ianw

Latest Shop Activities

 Sometimes shop time seems to be filled with a bunch of small things, some of which take up a bunch of time.  

  For example:

    If you are a Freemason you know exactly what this is, and if you are not, it is exactly what it looks like.  The operative word here is exactly.  Rather than just knock out something that is symbolic I went to significant lengths  to have it accurate and therefore a real working tool.

  The inches are marked by pieces of 1/8 brass stock set into the length of the gauge.  I can't decide if I want to put a hinge in the middle or not.  Often times these things are hinged but the real gauge was not because a hinge can compromise accuracy.  I cut all those 1/8 inch slots on my sliding mitre saw (My Bosch saw is not a new model but is still an accurate quality tool.) after careful layout and marking. This is an occasion when I used a marking knife rather than just a pencil. 

   Another little project that has been floating around, and isn't really finished yet is:

     A wee walnut box for a wrist watch.  I mitred the corners on the aforementioned mitre saw with the jig I talked about Sept 28/2013 and then edge glued three pieces of the narrow board together to make the lid.  Why did I have the long thin piece of walnut?  I must have picked it up cheap at a wood show, once upon a time.  

    Sometimes when I don't feel like taking on a big project, or when my back is aching just a little too much I wonder into the shop and putter away my time with little bits and pieces. Sometimes I find a hunk on wood and then decided what to make it into, sort of the workshop equivalent of "clean out the fridge soup".  It is getting to be time to make a plan and work on a larger piece again, I just don't know what it is going to be yet. (we did see, today,  a nice table design that would be worth borrowing )

  

a bonus penguin

Mitre Saw Jig

Lately I have been making small boxes, with mitred corners. There are plenty of ways to cut good 45 degree mitres, my method of choice is with my Bosch 10inch Mitre Saw.  I bought the saw long enough ago that I don't even know if they make a model as humble as this one or whether you have to buy a 12 inch saw now.  

  

   For this little box I have four sides that are just less than 5 inches.  To cut those on the mitre saw without a jig is a bad idea.  The fence on the saw does not provide enough support for that short a work piece and so invites you to put your fingers too close to the whirling, exciting part of the saw.  Having trimmed the end off of a finger on my table saw just a couple of months ago I have become extra careful about saws and spinning blades so  Sliding Mitre saw jig became a necessity. 

  This photo shows how little support the standard fence will provide for cutting the mitred corner.

  This shows the jig in place and the work piece against a stop block.  This makes the cuts repeatable and gives me a solid place to hold onto the wood as it is being cut.  The jig is easy enough to make, it is just two pieces of butt jointed plywood glued and nailed together at 90 degrees.  I made the jig long so that I have room to clamp it to the saw's fence.  I also made the jig long so that if I nibble off a bit getting it set up to perfect cuts I won't have to replace the jig too soon.

   And a side line.  A few blogs ago I showed you my old high stool taken apart and the paint stripped off.  The request was for blue and this is the result.

  Next weekend when my Grandson comes to visit he has a blue high stool to sit upon at the dinner table.  My brother and I sat on this stool are our Grand Parents house and I am sure that my Grand father did some of the repairs to it in years gone by. This is one of the reasons that I really like wood. This high stool pre-dates me and will probably out last me, wood is one of the few things that can do that.