Portable Woodworking

I bought this cheap Ryobi table saw a few weeks ago.  I've been thinking about some sort of power saw ever since I broke that little bandsaw I got last year.  A casted part simply snapped on me, and replacement parts don't exist for that model.  A real shame.  So I finally broke down and picked up this table saw, for now it will do what I need.  I am mostly using it for long rips, such as ripping stock to width.  I've also used it to cut the shoulders of a couple of cross grain rabbets on some wide boards (12") that I couldn't easily do with my handsaw.

The stock blade that came with it is far inferior to the Diablo blade I picked up for the saw.  The Diablo blade is thinner, which helps to make up for the less-than-monstrous motor, and it feels like the Diablo blade has less vibration and tendency to jam.  Overall an inexpensive upgrade that makes this saw cut noticeably better.

Here are a couple of pictures of my portable planing beam I've been toying with.  The first picture here is it on the floor, without any cleats to raise it.  It's not terribly comfortable to use, I think cleats will help some.  It would also help to have some sort of stick to brace it against a wall so that I don't have to hold it in place with my foot.

I'm also trying it on horses, this time with a stick keeping it off of the wall so I can just focus on planing.  The trouble with this setup for edge planing is that if the opposite edge isn't square, it's hard to make the top edge square.  I may try getting a couple of wood screw clamps to hold the two faces of the board, so it's held perpendicular to the workbench.

I tried attaching this cheap little vise, looks like it was originally designed for a kid's bench, and it worked okay but it doesn't have a ton of holding power.  Maybe some grippy cloth in the jaws would help.  For now I pulled it back off.

Just for fun, I moved my planing plank inside to the kitchen sink and glued up some legs.  

I'm having a bit of trouble getting my new Japanese plane to cut a straight line, it seems to like to make hollows.  I need to take a closer look at the sole, maybe it's not quite as relieved in the right places as I thought.  Anyways, I'm not giving up on my #8 jointer just yet. 

Garland Mill Video

This is a video I took at the Garland Mill at the TFG NE Gathering a couple weeks ago.

Salvaging Wood and New Saw

  

A house that I've been working on got a new boiler, which came in a nice simple crate made of White Oak, Cherry, and maybe some Maple.  I spent a few minutes at the end of the day pulling it apart and saving the nicer pieces.  The slats are 1/4"-1/2" thick, maybe 3" or 4" wide, with some other assorted size pieces.  I guess I can use the thin stuff for some cute little boxes or some other little project. 

Yesterday I whipped up a quick handle for that sawblade I mentioned in my last post.  I used some riven Maple from the back yard, axed and knifed to shape, cut a kerf in it, and secured the blade with a bolt and a small screw lower down to keep the blade from rotating around the bolt in use.  It's not pretty but it will do the job.  I'm pleased with the blade so far, a bit thicker and seems like much better quality than my old cheap Sharksaw (my first handsaw from a few years ago).  Now that I have my nice one, I can relegate my Sharksaw to construction work, not that I ever use it for nice cuts anymore.

It's Been A While

It's been a while since my last post.  Once Spring kicked in, work picked up, so I've been working a fair amount.  I've been goofing around with spoons a bit, but nothing worth posting.  I've also gone on a couple of camping trips, spending time with my friends, running and biking quite a bit more than in Winter.

This week I'm going to be heading up to Chester, New Hampshire to participate in the covered bridge project that the Timber Frame Guild is putting together.  It will be a 9 day project, during which an entire covered bridge will go up.  I'm really excited.  I've started to put together my packing list, which includes all of my tools and maybe an extra shirt or two.  I had the thought that it might be handy to take my Underhill-Roubo bench, but I don't think it would be that useful.  It would also be very difficult to get into my little car.

In the next couple of days I will probably be spending some time sharpening, oiling, and tuning up all of my tools, or I might wait until I get up there since I'll be a day early.

For this project, I just bought myself a nice new RazorSaw 10 1/2" dozuki blade and a 220/600 grit 2x6" DMT plate.  Looks like I might have bought a blade that's not compatible with the handle I have, though, so I might have to whip something up.

That's all that's happening for now, I'll try to stay on top of this blog more.  I'll definitely be taking some pictures at the bridge project, so keep an eye out for those in the next couple of weeks.

Oh, and the bandsaw I got broke right after I bought a nice new 80" resaw blade, didn't even get to put it on.  If anyone wants to buy the blade (or the saw for parts, for that matter) drop me an email.  The carriage that the top wheel rides on snapped in half, old cast iron...  Most of the other parts are in good shape though.

First Furniture Making Power Tool

It's true that I have a circular saw and a battery powered impact driver, but this is the first power tool that I can use for the kind of woodworking I do in my spare time, which tends toward more intricate stuff than framing walls.  

Last week I got my grimy mitts on a bandsaw.  It's a 1940's Craftsman bandsaw, with what appears to be the original 1/2 HP motor that was bought with the unit.  It comes with a custom made (cobbled together) wood base.  It works really well. 

I had to replace the tires, so I went with Urethane because I've read that they're good.  Mine are bright orange.  They cost $45, bringing my total investment in this saw to $45.  Yes, that's correct.  I met someone, and a few hours later they gave me this saw.  He said he never used it, and I looked interested.  Did I mention that it came with several brand new, never used wood and metal cutting blades?  Oh yes, this is the jackpot.  The upper guide is broken on one side, but I ran the saw anyways and it seems to cut flawlessly. 

It only has a 1/2 HP motor, but it didn't seem to struggle at all resawing some semi-green Maple (on the right in the picture below) at full cut capacity.  I think I can thank the sharp blade for that.

There is one bummer, and that's that this saw doesn't appear to accept a riser block, because the top and bottom halves are attached via a big pipe.  No big deal, I guess, because a 6" cutting height is more than I had before!  Oh, and spare parts don't seem to exist for this saw anymore, but with the way it's running, I think I'll be long gone before it needs any major repairs.

Some test cuts above.  Making some Krenov style veneer (or parts for a small box) from Curly Maple on the left, a whimsical curvy cut in the middle, and some more serious resawing on the right.

Dovetail Transfer Trick

I learned this trick from one of Roy Underhill's books and I think it deserves to be spread around a bit.  This is the first time I've used it, because I usually forget until it's too late. 

You cut the tails first, then don't remove the waste.  Line up your boards and slip your saw into the kerfs, taking a couple of light strokes in each.  This is the most accurate (and foolproof) way that I know of to transfer dovetails.

In the photo I'm using a small modelmaker's saw, because the blade is thinner than my carcass saw, so there is no friction in the kerf (which can cause small movements in the top board).  You can just as easily do it with the saw you made the original cuts with, though, if you are careful to clamp the board down solidly. 

Antique Stores

  Yesterday the weather turned nice here in sunny Connecticut, so I decided to get some shopping done.  I needed more socks, and I wanted to see what the antique stores had for tools.  Not a huge haul, but not bad.  At the Junk Shop I found a simple hand drill that was in decent shape.  I almost missed the saw vise, it was clamped to one of the shelves.  It's an interesting one, with a large ball-in-socket that allows you to swing the saw around at any angle in all of the axes, without the need to unclamp.  This will work well for small saws, but for the my new little panel saw, it was a bit of a moot point because I could only clamp half the blade at a time anyways.  There was some rust and gunk in all the corners and screws of the vise, which I figured would take some elbow grease.  I was surprised when I got it home and had it working fine after five minutes with some 3-in-1 oil.  I need to replace the wing nut that locks the ball joint, the wings broke off.  At the antique mall over in Collinsville there was mostly junk and overpriced axes, but I did find this Disston saw in halfway decent shape.  A few minutes with a ball peen hammer and a screwdriver had the plate straightened out and the handle tight.  Another 15 or 20 minutes with a file and it was cutting decently.  I think it might be overset, so maybe I'll flatten out the teeth and reset them.  The problem could also be my less-than-perfect sharpening job. 

I've started building a new bench because the one I've been using has been feeling a little small.  I'm also tired of clamping everything to it instead of using a vise.  I'll be adding a leg vise to my new bench, which will be something like Roy Underhill's Roubo style bench.  The top will be two 6x6" pressure treated pieces 6 feet long, that I already had.  Above is the picture of cutting them to length, after another couple of days I will joint them and glue them up.  I was going to build the legs from the same, but decided it wasn't worth the effort, so I bought some 4x4 and a 2x12 that that I ripped down the middle, because it was clearer and in better shape than any of the 2x6 that they had.  The 2x6 will be for the stretchers and the tool well at the back.  You can see how small my shop is compared to the lumber.  There isn't a lot of space to work in there right now, I'll be glad to make the new bench and get the old one out.  As a side note, I'm planning on taking video of all the steps and showing how I build a bench without already having a bench. 

Goings On

Today one of the guys I work for sent me home with this pile of Yellow Pine flooring left over from a job.  After I plane the backs of the boards smooth they will probably be a heavy 1/2" or 5/8" thick.  Some of these will be 11" wide after I take off the tongue and groove.  Some are as narrow as 6", which is still plenty wide.

I don't know what I'm going to do with it yet, or where I'm going to keep it.  My tiny basement room is already plenty crowded, and a couple of these pieces are still 16 feet long, which wouldn't fit down there even if I could get them down the stairs and around the corner in the first place.  I might make a bookshelf or something, but I don't really need any furniture right now.


Below you can see a couple of new things.  In the middle is my new bowsaw.  I have been frustrated with my coping saw for a while now, and instead of spending $15 on a new one that probably wouldn't be much better, I decided to go ahead and get the Gramercy Tools bowsaw kit, which consists of the two brass pins and one of each of the three blades.  For $25 and three hours of work, I have a good small bowsaw that is miles ahead of  my crappy coping saw, even though I haven't added handles yet.  I made it from Oak, and left the frame a little hefty, so it's not quite as elegant as the Gramercy frame, but I don't have to worry about snapping the frame by over-tightening it.  I also left the frame quite rough, not even taking off all of the original finish from the Oak's previous life as a cabinet door.


At the front left corner you can see a crochet of sorts (one word that I have seen these called, and the only one that is coming to mind right now).  So far the only use it's been is a resting place for my brace.  Normally used to secure the end of a board for edge planing, with a dog in a hole on the front bench to support the board.  The rear end is supported by a dog or a clamp in my case.  It works okay, but I can't say I'm overwhelmed.  Peter Follansbee seems to like these, but he has a screw through his.  I might try that.  I've also seen one of these used to support a board for dovetailing on a portable bench, but the wood kept shifting on me.  Maybe the angle on mine is too open and doesn't pinch the wood enough.  

Thumbs Up Lee Valley

Last week I pulled out my Lee Valley carcass saw, and for whatever reason happened to look at the bottom of the handle where the brass nut belongs.  It wasn't there.  I assume it rattled loose due to the vibrations the travel through the saw during use.  Baffled, I looked around the floor and in the box that it had been residing.  I couldn't find it anywhere, and in all likelihood it ended up in my friend's fire the other night with the contents of my shavings bucket, or maybe it's cavorting in some dark hidden place with all of my missing socks.  The handle was very firm still, so I went ahead and used the saw (though a bit gingerly) and when I was done I sent an email to Lee Valley customer service.  That was Wednesday night, and I received the new saw nut Monday when the UPS guy drove by.  I was very pleased with the quick and friendly service.  If there was any doubt in my mind that Lee Valley would be getting more of my money in the future (there wasn't), it is gone now.  Now I have my eye on their plow plane. 

Lee Valley Carcass Saw Review

I recently bought the Lee Valley and Veritas Rip Carcass Saw and have been using it the last few days, so I thought I would write up my feelings on it so far.

First, how I came to the decision of buying the saw: I bought a Zona razor saw from Lee Valley, hoping that it would be a good budget dovetailing saw, and while it's halfway decent, I had a lot of trouble making it behave. The plate is so thin that I can't guide the saw, and it's hard to aim because it's so small. It also bottoms out at 1 1/8", which is fine for cutting dovetails in 3/4" stock like what I had in mind when I bought it. However, when I came up with both the framesaw project and the picture frame, I found I needed a deeper saw, and I had wanted a better quality joint cutting saw since I got the Zona. Unfortunately, I also had a budget to work within. I had read a couple of reports that said the Lee Valley saws came very sharp and ready to use out of the box (definitely a benefit, even for an expert saw sharpener, which I am not). It was also about half the price of the really nice saws that I had my eyes on, like the Wenzloff or Lie Nielson. So I decided to pull the trigger, and I don't regret it. I only wish I had bought one sooner!

Fit and Finish: The saw has a good level, but not great. And for this price, it is quite good. The seam from the mold used on the back is visible (a few swipes with some sandpaper would make this disappear), there are some sanding marks on the handle visible at some angles, but nothing that impacts function. And taking the time to make the saw perfect would likely raise it's price up to the premium makers, which would negate it's purpose. The saw did come sharp, and I used it straight out of the box with good results.

I've used the saw to cut 10 or 12 really nice finished joints, plus a pile of practice joints on scraps. I've also been using it to do some cross cutting, such as on the shoulders of tenons. It works great! The teeth are a bit aggressive for some of the cuts I'm using it on, but that just means I have to be a bit more careful about where I place it. After using the Zona, with practically no kerf, it took a minute to get used to. I find the saw very easy to aim and it tracks a line nicely.

The handle is the tiniest bit small for my hand, but I have large hands (size XXL glove), and I got used to it after the first few cuts. I think for most people it would be perfect or at least very comfortable.

Overall, I give this saw an A+ for being a very good saw for a very reasonable price. It's a great deal, especially if you are fairly new to cutting precise joints like myself and aren't quite sure what exactly you are looking for in a saw. I think that after I've cut a couple hundred joints with this saw I will know what I want in a saw, and will feel confident investing in something like the Wenzloff or Lie Nielson.

Framesaw

I decided on an open mortise and tenon for the corners of the frame, and ended up cutting two of them a tad on the loose side, so it was tricky holding the frame together and fitting the blade by myself. I took the saw for a test drive resawing a few feet of 2x4, and it worked okay. Better than anything I already had, but it wanted to wander in the cut even when I couldn't get the blade any tighter.

Tiny Bucksaw

This morning I made this tiny bucksaw out of some scrap pine from the barn. 15/16" thick or so, and then I ripped it down to suitable width. The blade is 12" long, held in place with copper wire from building site scraps I pulled over a year ago and set aside. It's really cute in person, and works surprisingly well.