2020-05-27T18-25-19

My current toolbox project has at least 108 dovetails; because I am doing a traditional spin on a toolbox that was originally built with power tools with finger joints, I would like my dovetails to look very regular and I thought I may need some help. I found inspiration in Toshio Odate’s Kigata-Joogi (Japanese Block Gauge) described in his Japanese Woodworking Tools book and made a few guide blocks out of a leftover piece of White Oak to help me cut pins and tails and pare 45° cuts for mitered dovetails and similar things. I tested a couple of them and found they are very accurate as long as I pay attention. #Toolbox #ToolChest #WorkbenchAppliance #HandToolsOnly #WhiteOak #Oak #MadeByHand #Woodworking

2020-05-14T17-31-37

I just could not resist the temptation and ended up making a second Suji Keshiki from the same scrap of White Oak! #SujiKeshiki #Keshiki #MarkingGauge #WhiteOak #Oak #HandToolsOnly #MadeByHand #Woodworking

2020-05-13T17-02-20

Another marking gauge in the making; it’s becoming an obsession! This one is a Suji-Keshiki (Japanese line gauge) in quarter-sawn White Oak. I am trying to figure out a way to widen the slit I cut in the beam so I can pressure-fit the cutting blade. #SujiKeshiki #Keshiki #MarkingGauge #WhiteOak #Oak #HandToolsOnly #MadeByHand #Woodworking

2020-05-06T15-34-51

A trio of useless marking gauges! I am still missing the pins :-) I have decided to use the one at the right as a simple marking gauge and only make the other two into mortise gauges; I’ll put two pairs of pins on each beam so I can cover my common mortise widths (3/16”, 1/4”, 5/16”, and 3/8”). Because the mortise gauges will have pins both on the top and bottom of their beam, I have decided to shape the body somewhat symmetrically, so the gauges are comfortable to hold either way. #MortiseGauge #MarkingGauge #QuebecCherry #BlackCherry #Cherry #SoftMaple #Maple #HandToolsOnly #MadeByHand #Woodworking

2020-05-04T16-28-04

I am off to making a trio of fixed-pins, French-style mortise gauges out of a piece of local Cherry that was gifted to me by Mr. Lacasse during a visit to his workshop and impressive wood stash at Meubles Galerie Berick. #MortiseGauge #MarkingGauge #QuebecCherry #BlackCherry #Cherry #HandToolsOnly #MadeByHand #Woodworking

2020-05-05T08-59-13

On to the tapered mortise (x 3) for the wedge that locks the beam in the head of the mortise gauge. I am drilling out some of the waste before chopping the rest; I find these small mortises pretty slow going because it is hard to remove the waste and that prevents the chisel from going deeper faster. #MortiseGauge #MarkingGauge #QuebecCherry #BlackCherry #Cherry #HandToolsOnly #MadeByHand #Woodworking

2020-06-03T11-50-16

Working on the pins on the bottom piece of the new toolbox. Chopping and fitting sets of 11 dovetails in White Oak is slow going for me, but so far I am super happy with the result: clean and gap-free. #Toolbox #ToolChest #HandToolsOnly #WhiteOak #Oak #MadeByHand #Woodworking

2020-06-03T11-48-54

Working on the pins on the bottom piece of the new toolbox. Chopping and fitting sets of 11 dovetails in White Oak is slow going for me, but so far I am super happy with the result: clean and gap-free. #Toolbox #ToolChest #HandToolsOnly #WhiteOak #Oak #MadeByHand #Woodworking

2020-05-29T15-56-15

Making progress; I am very happy with the quality I got out of my simple guide block. #Toolbox #ToolChest #HandToolsOnly #WhiteOak #Oak #MadeByHand #Woodworking

2020-05-28T15-26-49

Low-stress dovetails on crutches. (1) I marked the dovetail spacing walking a divider over green tape rather than directly on the end grain so I could see the marks more easily. (2) I used my new Japanese block gauge to guide the Dozuki saw at the right angles. (3) I clamped a block just below the dovetails baseline so I would be less likely to saw past the line on the back side of my piece; as it turns out, clamping the block onto the piece also reduces vibrations. Was it worth it? Yes; the toolbox uses sets of 11 dovetails in hardwood and my max so far is sets of 7 dovetails in White Pine, so I am stressing that fitting these dovetails may turn out to be pretty hard; we’ll see :-) #Toolbox #ToolChest #HandToolsOnly #WhiteOak #Oak #MadeByHand #Woodworking

2020-05-27T18-25-19

My current toolbox project has at least 108 dovetails; because I am doing a traditional spin on a toolbox that was originally built with power tools with finger joints, I would like my dovetails to look very regular and I thought I may need some help. I found inspiration in Toshio Odate’s Kigata-Joogi (Japanese Block Gauge) described in his Japanese Woodworking Tools book and made a few guide blocks out of a leftover piece of White Oak to help me cut pins and tails and pare 45° cuts for mitered dovetails and similar things. I tested a couple of them and found they are very accurate as long as I pay attention. #Toolbox #ToolChest #WorkbenchAppliance #HandToolsOnly #WhiteOak #Oak #MadeByHand #Woodworking

2020-05-26T15-27-21

I am really glad I have a shooting board with a track; I find it takes a lot less energy than the simpler shooting boards when working with hardwood and/or wider panels. #Toolbox #ToolChest #HandToolsOnly #WhiteOak #Oak #MadeByHand #Woodworking

2020-05-25T15-46-14

The tearing I am getting when planing these Oak planks is almost as fantastic as the figure of their medullary rays. I am having a hard time, but I am telling myself it will all be worth it. #ToolChest #HandToolsOnly #WhiteOak #Oak #MadeByHand #Woodworking

2020-05-21T13-00-57

This new Japanese Kataba works so well! It cuts so fast and straight; now I only wish I had a second pair of low horses to help support the boards. I have cross-cut the pieces for the toolbox carcass and am planing away the damages (from the reclaiming process) along the long edges trying to eke out as much width as I can; what is left will determine the depth and height of the toolbox and everything else will follow. #ToolChest #HandToolsOnly #WhiteOak #Oak #MadeByHand #Woodworking

2020-05-20T18-06-59

Gearing up for the next project; I dug out some 1/2”-thick reclaimed boards of quarter-sawn White Oak that have been sitting in my pile for a while. I added the leather handle as a clue in case you are curious to know what the new project is (hint in the keywords :-) #ToolChest #HandToolsOnly #WhiteOak #Oak #MadeByHand #Woodworking

2020-05-19T11-24-34

I am making the quarter-round strips that will hold the glass panes into the door frames of the Shaker wall clock; starting with a strip of Walnut, 4’ long and less than 1/4” thick, I am using the home-made scratch stock to shape the edge, then I am starting a kerf at less than 1/4” from the edge using the Keshiki (Japanese marking gauge), and sawing off the quarter-round strip by following the partial kerf with a dovetail saw (which happen to have a kerf of just the right size). #ShakerWallClock #ShakerClock #Shaker #WallClock #HandToolsOnly #BlackWalnut #Walnut #MadeByHand #Woodworking

2020-05-18T17-19-51

The bullet catches for the doors of the Shaker wall clock are in; they are very unobtrusive; I like that. I was pretty stressed about being precise at placing the parts so I made myself a template that I could clamp to the cabinet carcass and then to the door; I also used a dowel to mark the depth of the bullet catch parts. Using a traditional hand drill always gets me a slightly larger hole than I would like, because I wobble a little bit as I turn the crank, so I could not simply pressure-fit the parts and had to use epoxy to glue them in. Finally, I did not have enough space to drill a stopped hole into the front divider (for the upper door), so I drilled it through from below; the divider is only about 1/16” thicker than the bullet catch depth so I have not yet decided whether I am going to plug the bottom of the hole or just let it be. #ShakerWallClock #ShakerClock #Shaker #WallClock #HandToolsOnly #BlackWalnut #Walnut #MadeByHand #Woodworking

2020-05-15T16-26-31

After adjusting the reveal at the top and bottom of the doors, rounding their side edges, and planing their faces smooth, I felt the doors were ready for their first coat of Danish oil; and while at it, why not adding another coat to everything else? #ShakerWallClock #ShakerClock #Shaker #WallClock #HandToolsOnly #BlackWalnut #Walnut #MadeByHand #Woodworking

2020-05-11T15-11-25

Just finished hanging the doors on the Shaker wall clock. I was stressing more than necessary and am really happy with the fit. I’ll take a few passes with a plane to make sure all the reveals are the same thickness and the doors will be ready for finishing. #ShakerWallClock #ShakerClock #Shaker #WallClock #HandToolsOnly #BlackWalnut #Walnut #MadeByHand #Woodworking

2020-05-07T11-09-30

After chopping so many mortises, it was time to cut some tenons! Back to work on the lower door of the Shaker Wall Clock after going off on a tangent on a couple of immediate gratification short projects. #ShakerWallClock #ShakerClock #Shaker #WallClock #HandToolsOnly #BlackWalnut #Walnut #MadeByHand #Woodworking

2020-05-08T10-37-35

Planing the stiles and rails of the Shaker wall clock door after the glue-up. I oriented the pieces so the grain follows continuously in a counter-clockwise direction; it makes a tricky job a bit easier. #ShakerWallClock #ShakerClock #Shaker #WallClock #HandToolsOnly #BlackWalnut #Walnut #MadeByHand #Woodworking

2020-05-01T14-30-37

The veneer hammer is ready! I love this kind of immediate-gratification short projects that leave you something that you will be able to use forever. #VeneerHammer #AmericanBeech #Beech #BlackCherry #Cherry #BlackWalnut #Walnut #HandToolsOnly #MadeByHand #Woodworking

2020-05-01T14-30-17

The veneer hammer is ready! I love this kind of immediate-gratification short projects that leave you something that you will be able to use forever. #VeneerHammer #AmericanBeech #Beech #BlackCherry #Cherry #BlackWalnut #Walnut #HandToolsOnly #MadeByHand #Woodworking

2020-05-01T14-29-35

The veneer hammer is ready! I love this kind of immediate-gratification short projects that leave you something that you will be able to use forever. #VeneerHammer #AmericanBeech #Beech #BlackCherry #Cherry #BlackWalnut #Walnut #HandToolsOnly #MadeByHand #Woodworking

2020-05-01T14-29-03

The veneer hammer is ready! I love this kind of immediate-gratification short projects that leave you something that you will be able to use forever. #VeneerHammer #AmericanBeech #Beech #BlackCherry #Cherry #BlackWalnut #Walnut #HandToolsOnly #MadeByHand #Woodworking

2020-05-01T14-28-12

The veneer hammer is ready! I love this kind of immediate-gratification short projects that leave you something that you will be able to use forever. #VeneerHammer #AmericanBeech #Beech #BlackCherry #Cherry #BlackWalnut #Walnut #HandToolsOnly #MadeByHand #Woodworking

2020-05-01T14-27-34

The veneer hammer is ready! I love this kind of immediate-gratification short projects that leave you something that you will be able to use forever. #VeneerHammer #AmericanBeech #Beech #BlackCherry #Cherry #BlackWalnut #Walnut #HandToolsOnly #MadeByHand #Woodworking

2020-04-30T13-41-23

Shaping the octagonal section of the tapered handle for the veneer hammer while holding the piece in my hands was not ideal, but then I thought of a 3-minute jig that changed the game completely. Now it is super easy, fast, and with full control. #VeneerHammer #BlackCherry #Cherry #HandToolsOnly #MadeByHand #Woodworking

2020-04-30T11-47-15

Working on the veneer hammer, I started with the joinery because it is easier to do while everything is nice and square. The mortise is just a hole; easy. The round tenon, however, is a bit more challenging when you only have a hand saw, a chisel, and a float. #VeneerHammer #BlackCherry #Cherry #HandToolsOnly #MadeByHand #Woodworking

2020-04-30T08-36-06

Lately I have been thinking it is time to try my hand at veneering; the old-fashion way was done with a veneer hammer, so that is what I am trying to design here. I am following the general shape of a veneer hammer I recently saw on The Woodwright’s Shop and dimensioning it to fit a scrap of Beech wood I want to use. I tried drawing it all out of circles, but in the end I liked it better with a few circles connected by French curves; then I used tracing paper to pick up the final outline out of the mess and mirror it to get the full shape. #VeneerHammer #HandToolsOnly #MadeByHand #Woodworking

2020-04-30T10-50-51

Working on the veneer hammer, I started with the joinery because it is easier to do while everything is nice and square. The mortise is just a hole; easy. The round tenon, however, is a bit more challenging when you only have a hand saw, a chisel, and a float. #VeneerHammer #BlackCherry #Cherry #HandToolsOnly #MadeByHand #Woodworking

2020-04-22T16-16-23

I finally took the time to make two really essential accessories for my skew block plane. (1) A thick fence to replace the thin one that comes with the plane; the original fence does not reach enough to use the plane for very narrow rabbets and I really want to use it for that. (2) A protrusion jig to make it easy to set up my honing guide with the iron of the skew block plane (and for the iron of the skew rabbet plane as a bonus on the other side); now I will be a lot more likely to sharpen those skewed irons when they needed it rather than feel intimidated by the task. #WorkbenchAppliance #HandToolsOnly #Rosewood #BlackCherry #Cherry #Woodworking

2020-04-23T15-57-34

I just had a lot of fun learning how to make my own scratch stocks and holders following an article by Garrett Hack. I made a simple quarter round profile with a rattail file, followed by a needle file and a couple of slip stones. Then I made two simple holders from a scrap piece of Ambrosia Maple - slightly different sizes to see which one feels more comfortable. I tried scratching the profile on a piece of Walnut; nice shavings started rolling and after a few seconds I had a nice, super smooth profile. I am really glad I added this technique to my arsenal. #WorkbenchAppliance #HandToolsOnly #Rosewood #BlackCherry #Cherry #Woodworking

2019-05-16T13-46-00

I have a few specialty chisels, but they do not fit in my regular honing guide; I tried sharpening them free-hand a couple of times, but I was not too successful; so, I found myself not really using my fishtail and skew chisels and waiting too long to re-sharpen my mortise chisels. All these chisels are held really solidly by the Veritas honing guide, but I find the angle jig that comes with it too fiddly to my taste. Then, today I made a couple of simple jigs to correctly set the protrusion for these neglected chisels, and feel like it is going to be a game changer; one jig has one side for the mortise chisels and one for the fishtail chisel; the other jig takes care of the skew chisel pair, one side for each. I have used it to reset the bevels and sharpen all these chisels and am sure they are going to get used a lot more from now on! #WorkbenchAppliance #HandToolsOnly #Anigre #Woodworking

2019-12-03T14-51-05

A fantastic gift from my fantastic Linda! Some of my handsaws are really ready for a good sharpening, so here is a Gramercy Tools Saw Vise ready for the task; but am I? I have never sharpened a handsaw before and I have to admit I feel a bit intimidated ;-) #WorkbenchAppliance #HandToolsOnly #Woodworking

2020-04-27T16-02-35

Time to put the new auxiliary fence for the skew block plane into service. Cutting the rabbets for the lower door frame of the Shaker Wall Clock was such a pleasure with this block plane! The problem is, I like it so much that now I am going to have to buy the left-handed version too! #ShakerWallClock #ShakerClock #Shaker #WallClock #HandToolsOnly #BlackWalnut #Walnut #MadeByHand #Woodworking

2020-04-24T12-34-51

Chopping the shallow mortices for the door hinges of the Shaker Wall Clock; everything is going well… #ShakerWallClock #ShakerClock #Shaker #WallClock #HandToolsOnly #BlackWalnut #Walnut #MadeByHand #Woodworking

2020-04-21T15-25-14

Yes, I know it is overkill; but I just cannot help it! The upper door for the Shaker wall clock is almost there. #ShakerWallClock #ShakerClock #Shaker #WallClock #HandToolsOnly #BlackWalnut #Walnut #MadeByHand #Woodworking

2020-04-20T13-48-07

Stress-free mortices! The rabbet for the glass panel makes it really easy to line up the chisel to chop the mortises in the stiles of the upper door of the Shaker wall clock. The tall fence further helps keep the chisel vertical and because the mortice is open, I was able to chop it in a single pass. #ShakerWallClock #ShakerClock #Shaker #WallClock #HandToolsOnly #BlackWalnut #Walnut #MadeByHand #Woodworking

2020-04-17T13-54-10

As I went to cut a rabbet on the stiles and rails of the upper door of the clock, I found the fence on my skew block plane could not reach, so I wondered if I could use my plow plane to do the job. The trick is to make sure the skate still runs on the wood; the margin is very narrow and it is a risky game; I also realized, just in time, that the depth stop is hanging in empty space and will not work! In the end, the plow plane is not the best tool for the job and for the second rail I went for my shoulder plane, simply using my fingers as a fence; it worked much better! #ShakerWallClock #ShakerClock #Shaker #WallClock #HandToolsOnly #BlackWalnut #Walnut #MadeByHand #Woodworking

2020-04-16T14-39-36

One more distraction before jumping onto the doors for the Shaker Wall Clock. Now that the clock is up on the wall, I found that the window curtains next to it tended to crowd it a bit too much, so I built a set of simple stop blocks that I can clamp onto the rod from which the curtains hang. #ShakerWallClock #ShakerClock #Shaker #WallClock #HandToolsOnly #BlackWalnut #Walnut #WhitePine #Pine #BlackCherry #Cherry #MadeByHand #Woodworking

2020-04-16T10-55-39

Now that the Shaker Peg Board is ready, I was just too excited to wait for the doors and ended up putting the Shaker Wall Clock into service right away! #ShakerWallClock #ShakerClock #Shaker #WallClock #HandToolsOnly #BlackWalnut #Walnut #WhitePine #Pine #BlackCherry #Cherry #MadeByHand #Woodworking

2020-04-16T10-54-52

Now that the Shaker Peg Board is ready, I was just too excited to wait for the doors and ended up putting the Shaker Wall Clock into service right away! #ShakerWallClock #ShakerClock #Shaker #WallClock #HandToolsOnly #BlackWalnut #Walnut #WhitePine #Pine #BlackCherry #Cherry #MadeByHand #Woodworking

2020-04-14T15-28-17

Here is the completed mini Shaker peg board with a first coat of Danish oil; I used the plow plane to put a 1/4” bead on the top and bottom edge. The small block in the lower corner is a spacer block that I will screw to the back of the Shaker wall clock to prevent it from leaning forward when hung on the peg board. #ShakerWallClock #ShakerClock #Shaker #WallClock #HandToolsOnly #BlackCherry #Cherry #MadeByHand #Woodworking

2020-04-14T09-35-20

When a board is too thick, but not worth the effort of resawing, the scrub plane is definitely my go-to tool of choice. It can remove a lot of material really quickly and it is easy to then finish off the surface with a regular plane. BTW, this is going to become a Shaker peg board, so I can hang my Shaker wall clock ;-) #ShakerWallClock #ShakerClock #Shaker #WallClock #HandToolsOnly #BlackCherry #Cherry #MadeByHand #Woodworking

2020-04-13T15-58-02

It’s starting to look like a real clock ;-) #ShakerWallClock #ShakerClock #Shaker #WallClock #HandToolsOnly #BlackWalnut #Walnut #WhitePine #Pine #MadeByHand #Woodworking

2020-04-10T12-30-05

In interior of the 1840 Shaker wall clock I am sort of reproducing was bright yellow; so, yellow it is! Three thin coats of milk paint; I like the way the figure of the wood is showing through the paint. #ShakerWallClock #ShakerClock #Shaker #WallClock #HandToolsOnly #WhitePine #Pine #MadeByHand #Woodworking

2020-04-09T14-09-01

This is the contraption I came up with to hold the clock movements inside the cabinet. I wanted it to be simple, to be self-aligning (the spacers at the top and sides center it exactly where it must be), and easy to remove (only two screws through the back of the cabinet). #ShakerWallClock #ShakerClock #Shaker #WallClock #HandToolsOnly #WhitePine #Pine #MadeByHand #Woodworking