The Long Road Home

The last couple months have been packed with quite a bit of business travel, however, one trip was very absent of the day job’s influence.  A few weeks ago I made the trek back east to Maryland for Memorial Day.  This was the first Memorial Day without the hero of our family…our Dad.  My youngest sister lives there in Maryland and my other sister came up from Georgia so that we could all visit Arlington together with Mom.

We spent a fair bit of time at Dad’s grave remembering, telling stories, hugging, crying and laughing.  The flags were placed at every grave, and off in the distance you could see the movement of wave after wave of Boy Scouts placing roses on every headstone.  I failed to notice the day we laid Dad to rest…Arlington may be one of the most beautiful places on earth.  Thousands upon thousands of our heroes all placed in rows that echo the focus and precision with which our bravest lived their lives…and saved countless others.  I was in awe.

 

The second purpose for the journey was to collect many of the things from Dad’s shop that I would bring home to my own.  Dad was a woodworker, a craftsman of skill, precision and passion…and he taught me at every chance we had together.  For almost 20 years every trip back home included woodworking lessons.  Many times we would pre-plan weeks before I arrived.  I can recall his voice and his words in almost every task I execute in the workshop.

My youngest sister was gracious enough to loan me her truck for the trip back to Colorado, and my Mom and other sister were brave enough to drive cross country with me to bring this load of precious cargo home…and then drive back!  I cannot thank them enough for delivering my Dad’s treasures to me.

I could proudly list the contents of an entire pick-up bed of tools, jigs and wood that we brought on our journey, but there was really only one thing that I needed to come home with me.  While I’m very grateful for routers and sanders, wood slabs and a mortiser…which I’ll enjoy using for years to come, the whole, long drive would have been worth it if all that came with me was this…

 

This is where Dad held court in his workshop.  I helped him build the doors and frame the top at his little shop down on the Potomac River almost 20 years ago.  This bench cabinet was built to match the height of the table saw and served as an in-feed surface and storage for all things needed to use the saw.  While specifically designed for this cause, complimenting the table saw would not be this treasure’s greatest purpose.

For two decades woodworking and life happened around this cabinet.  There were many woodworking lessons, but even richer were the conversations…memories, our marriages, raising kids, politics, money, war, love and life.  We were sitting at this cabinet the first time he told me about Viet Nam, and the first time I ever saw his eyes well when describing the heroism of an Airman who threw himself on a loose phosphorous bomb to save the rest of his crew.  I met those parts of my Dad that he was ready to introduce me to right here at this cabinet, in this chair.

There is a patina on the bench top where he used to sit, a well worn surface where his hands and arms rested when he sat there.  There are cuts, nail holes and hammer dings from all of his grandchildren.  The grain of the plywood top is raised by the moisture of many Maryland summers and the sweating beers and coffee drips that left countless little puddles.  Needless to say it will never need sanding.  And always at the ready was “the chisel.”

 
He kept it razor sharp and probably used it on almost every project for little touch ups or fine tuning any joinery.  He had nicer chisels, but this was the go to.  Some variation of, “Oh, hold on…hand me the chisel Bubba” was spoken to me probably a hundred times over the years.

And so now his cabinet is the anchor of my shop, lined up behind my table saw ready to serve the next crew of Harbin woodworkers.  I’ll be giving the lessons now and hopefully can share even half the wisdom with half the grace the Dad did.

Pete

The Latest Herd of Boxes

Shop time has been precious and rare over the past couple months...other than late evenings when power tools are off the menu.  Lots of travel and work, but despite the busy schedule I was finally able to put the wraps on five of the boxes that I had in the works.

And now, without further ado..."Behind this first door...box number one."  (Eric Idle game show voice...)

Recycled Oak with Claro Walnut corner keys and a Sapelle veneered lid panel.

Unfortunately the camera isn't catching the shimmer in the Sapelle as well as it looks live.

Box number one will be headed back east to Bonnie, the most generous contributor to the "Go Lobos" WCC fundraiser.  Please visit http://www.nywolf.org/ to lend your voice to the HOWL in protecting our endangered wolves, including my favorite (and college mascot) the Lobo.

Box number two is made with woods that span three continents...American Oak, African Padauk corner keys and a curly English Sycamore veneered lid panel.

This was the box that received all of the test cuts along the way before working on the WCC charity box.  See some of the gory details here...

http://secondwindworkshop.blogspot.com/2013/04/a-slip-of-bit.html

http://secondwindworkshop.blogspot.com/2013/04/filling-gap.html

Three coats of hand rubbed Danish Oil really warms up this old, recycled Oak and makes the English Sycamore POP!  Again...I wish my camera and lighting did this thing justice.

And finally, you may recall the earlier sightings of this triplet set of Padauk boxes...

http://secondwindworkshop.blogspot.com/2013/04/more-happy-mistakes.html

The lids for these boxes are quarter-sawn, spalted Maple. I experimented with the design of this first lid by cutting a small stepped profile along the top edge.  I'm still deciding if I like this style or not.  Click to enlarge these pics to get a good look at the stunning grain and funky spalt-line patterns.  All three boxes were finished with three coats of hand rubbed Danish Oil, buffed between each coat.

No extra profile treatment on these next two lids.

The third box didn't receive any Wenge inlay as I was able to get a clean match of the heartwood/sapwood transition around all four corners.

You're probably thinking, "Hey, that's great Pete!  Must feel good to get caught up on your projects."  Of course, if you're thinking that you're probably new to my blog!

(Queue Eric Idle...) 

"Behind door number two...an unfinished display table."

"Behind door number three...a pair of Rietveld Chairs resembling a pile of sticks."

"Behind door number four.........."

Pete

Krenov Comments - Part 2

What makes a master craftsman decide what they want to build and how they’ll go about doing it?

"Most of the work I do is fairly small. This is partly because to me wood is precious, and very often I have planks with parts that contain something that interests me and may lead to a certain piece being made. Also, my shop is small, with rather unprofessional equipment; it is difficult for me to join and surface wide stock. And finally, by my nature I have a tendency toward detailed work; there is a dimension beyond which I feel I will accomplish less rather than more."  - James Krenov

While looking at Old Jim’s lifetime of work, one might never consider that he made decisions about the pieces he built based on the size of his shop or the quality of his tools.  While he does state that he prefers detailed work, he eludes that working in a small shop with modest tools does impose some limiting factors.  He just chose to not let those things limit his enjoyment and advancement of his craft.

 

I don’t think anyone could look at JK’s work and imagine that he suffered any “shop limitations” with “rather unprofessional equipment”… yet there he was, humbly happy in his own environment, making the enormous contributions he has via his vision and his hard won skill.

Does this look like the work of someone held back by not having a massive shop or the latest and greatest collection of tools?  I would be remiss to not confess that I would happily move into a spacious shop equipped with the hottest new tools, but the fact remains…none of us should be limited by the accessibility of these things.  Many of the masters that we admire so much started at a very stark beginning, working with humble tools and materials for pleasure of the craft and with a hope to learn something new with each and every task…oh, and maybe to feed their families!

Pete

 

Krenov Comments - Part 1

I’ve had to make a fair bit of travel for the day job lately, so I found myself with lots of reading time…a.k.a. hours and hours spent in airports and on planes.  While not the most comfortable place to lounge with a good read, I have been using the time to finally take in James Krenov’s “A Cabinetmaker’s Notebook.”

I don’t believe that I’ve met another woodworker who isn’t inspired by Krenov’s pieces, moved by his words and challenged by his passion and methods of work.  It was a sad day on 9/9/09 when we all learned of his passing.  As I dug into “A Cabinetmaker’s Notebook” I became interested in tracking down some of his other works.  I remember seeing a copy of “With Wakened Hands” in a bookstore many years ago and now I kick myself for not purchasing it then.  The only copies I can find online are used and are fetching quite a price…over $200 in some places.

 

As difficult as it is to find copies of some of his books, it was incredibly easy to uncover a multitude of articles and quotes online.  While surfing for an affordable price on “With Wakened Hands” (still not found) I came across several interviews that really got me thinking about the man and his life of woodworking.  Today I’ll share this quote to consider for thought…

"...form is only a beginning.  It is the combination of feelings and a function; shapes and things that come to one in connection with the discoveries made as one goes into the wood, that pull it together and give meaning to form."

There are several accounts of how “Old Jim” would often set boards on end, leaning against the wall so that he could look at them for extended periods of time, sometimes days, weeks, even months…just waiting for the wood to reveal shapes in their grain and tone to inform him of what he should fashion them into.

I’ve only done something similar a few times over the years.  I’m now considering setting some space aside to display several of the more special pieces from my wood collection so that they are always on display…quick to come to mind, waiting to inspire.

How many of you have tried this before, or are moved to try it now, knowing that one of the greatest masters of our craft produced some of his most famous designs by observing and waiting…thinking and dreaming…and maybe even stubbing a toe on those boards he left laying around from time to time?  

Have you ever been struck by a piece with such a striking pattern or form that you knew exactly what it should be used for?  I have a pair of book-matched, Padauk boards that are screaming out to become the doors of a cabinet, consequently in the same design aesthetic as Old Jim himself.

 

So go on then…step into your shop and find that special slab of lumber that you bought and have been holding onto “just because.”  Set it on display, in full view.  Let your eye and your mind wander to that piece and really consider what it should become.

Pete

 

More Happy Mistakes

In the spirit of celebrating those little missteps that make us rethink, reevaluate and recover, I offer you three Padauk boxes that have been sitting on my unfinished projects shelf for some time now.

These boxes are made from a couple of very special Padauk boards with both heartwood (red) and sapwood (white.)  The intent was to have the transition line between heartwood and sapwood wrap around all four corners.  For any of my long-time readers, you may remember this…

http://secondwindworkshop.blogspot.com/2011/02/wrap-around.html

I’ve since learned a different way to achieve this effect with some creative resawing, however that doesn’t solve the issue with two of these three boxes.

 

The first step to my solution was to rip away a band of material, around all four sides of the boxes, that would capture the transition line all the way around.  A little clean up with a sharp chisel afterwards and my mismatched corners are nothing but a memory…a well documented memory, but still.

 
I then pressed the Thin Rip Jig into service (find this little gem at www.rockler.com ) to cut inlay strips from some quartersawn Wenge stock.

I decided to experiment with two different looks.  Some of the inlay features the face (tight grain lines) and some of it shows off the wilder edge grain surface.

 
I attempted to trim the inlay pieces, with mitered corners to match the box joinery, on the table saw.  The pieces are so small and the Wenge is so brittle that many of the cuts chipped out…very ugly!  If you’re looking to spend a little bit more of your woodworking allowance (You do get one, right?  J) you can pick up this great little Razor Saw and miter box from www.leevalley.com for about $30.

The Razor Saw gave me perfect, clean miter cuts.  I worked my way around the sides of the boxes, cutting each piece precisely to fit.

Every now and then a little tuning was required on the cordless sander.

Once all four pieces were cut I taped them up into a dry fit to test all of the mitered joints.

Then it was time to lock it all in with the glue and clamps.

I left the inlays just a little proud in thickness so that I could trim them flush once the glue had cured.  The box that does have a successful transition around all four corners was left alone.  I make mistakes, but I’m no dummy!

 
Dad’s old Lie-Nielsen chisel plane did a great job paring down the Wenge strips.

Then it was back to the cordless sander to clean up all of the surfaces.

 
I find myself using this piece of plate glass with sandpaper on most of my smaller projects now.  It’s a great way to turn a piece of sandpaper into a fine tuning tool, and it doesn’t make any noise…perfect for those late night, gotta-get-some-shop-time sessions that occur when the rest of the family is asleep.

Tune in next time to see how we’ll put a lid on these boxes and move them from the unfinished project shelf for good!

Pete

 

Filling the Gap

After the unfortunate “Bit Slipping Incident of 2013” I was inspired to a solution by some time away from the problem, and found great confirmation in my online, woodworking brothers and sisters.  This gap can be patched and the box side saved!

I marked the corner of the groove with a Sharpie to emphasize the grave nature of the dilemma.

 

To size the patch correctly I used blue tape to form a pattern of the side wall of the groove so that the shape needed could be transferred to the replacement stock.

I then applied the pattern to an extra piece of the salvaged Oak.

Using a gel pen, I traced the pattern onto the side of the piece and marked out the length and width needed on the face.

After ripping the part to width on the table saw I made the final cuts to add the mitered angles and bring the piece to the final length.

A little fine tuning on my “cordless” sander…

…and the patch slips right into place.

A little glue and the deed was done.  After curing overnight, the piece was ready to be re-cut at the router table.

Given the sour reputation of the Hitachi M12V and it’s 1/4 inch collet insert sleeve, I opted to install the DeWalt DW621 in the router table.  The 621 is actually my favorite router (not sure why they stopped producing it) however, I’ve had the Hitachi in my router table for so long that I didn’t think to switch it out.  I was reminded of one of the features that make the 621 so special.  While re-cutting the grooves in all of the box sides I ran a vacuum line to the dust port on the router and the cuts were virtually dust free.  With the exception of running larger profile bits, the Hitachi may not see much duty in the router table for a long time to come. 

Sorry Big Green…

…but Ole Yeller gets the nod.

 

Pete

A Slip of the Bit

This past weekend I experienced one of those days when I was really excited to be out in the shop.  I was anxious to try a new technique of making fitted lids for some boxes that are in the works.  I had watched a video online several times, making sure that I had accounted for all of the steps.

 

Then it was time…

Bit selected…check!

 

Router set up…check!

Test piece selected and marked…check!

I even traveled to the Fourth Dimension to set the max bit height on my test piece.

http://secondwindworkshop.blogspot.com/2013/02/the-fourth-dimension.html

The first step of this process is to route a groove in all of the inside surfaces of the box, before assembly and glue-up.  In this case I’m routing a 3/8 inch wide groove to a depth of half the thickness of the box walls…5/16 of an inch for these boxes.

My plan was to route these grooves in three passes to reach the final depth.  My test piece and the first box part were successful on the first pass.  Upon routing the second part (one of the longer sides of the box) I noticed a little different sound and feeling as I came to the end of the cut.

I shut down the router and examined the piece…oh man!  As I pushed this part over the router bit it had gradually slipped up and cut my groove deeper and deeper along the length of the piece.  It would not have been too drastic had it not gone beyond the final depth I was shooting for, however…

Start of the cut…

 

End of the cut…

 

At this point all excitement became frustration.  I was sure that this piece was ruined and that all my planning was for naught.  I decided it was time to step away before I tried to fix it and make it worse. J

The time away has been very fruitful though.  By stepping away and giving the problem some good thought I believe I have a very workable solution that will allow me to salvage this piece and complete the box.  Stay tuned for a post on that process!

The time away (surfing the internet) also revealed that a common cause of a slipping router bit is the presence of any debris or rust on the bit shank or collet.  Sure enough I did find a little bit of dust and rust on the collets of my M12V router.  A little WD-40 bath and a good wiping have them cleaned up nicely.  I also learned that the M12V has a reputation for slippage when using 1/4 inch shank bits because you’re using a 1/4 inch collet insert inside of the 1/2 inch collet.  My DeWalt DW621 has dedicated collets for both 1/4 and 1/2 inch shanks, so I believe I'll swap routers when I’m ready to finish routing these grooves.

It’s always frustrating to see a plan fall apart or experience an error where you weren’t expecting it.  The key is to take a step back, stay calm and give it some thought.  Solutions will come to those who look for them and ask the right questions.  I’ll confess to getting a little angry and sulking for a few minutes, but if you’re passionate about something you’ll come back to it quickly, renewing your focus and digging in to repair or even reinvent.  Don’t give up!

Pete