Sandal Woods - Fine Woodworking & Cabinetry

The folks at FineWoodworking.com have created a brand-new blogs page, intended to make it easy for a reader to follow what is happening in at least a dozen different blogs. They have made it easy to stay up-to-date, for “…if one of those blogs is updated with a new post, our site will update as well. Think of it as a TV Guide for woodworking blogs.”

Pretty cool!

You can read this latest news at today’s post in FWW’s The Editor’s Mailbox. Enjoy!

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Thanks, Robert, in Riverside, CA!

During an update of my blog, the page formatting for The Sandal Woods Store went haywire. But Robert alerted me to the now-narrower display, which made it difficult to navigate the window. I did some troubleshooting, and found I had overwritten a file with an older version; restoring the file solved the problem.

Now everyone can enjoy shopping the SW Store with proper navigation. My apologies to everyone who experienced difficulty while shopping; and my thanks again to Robert, for alerting me of this problem.

And always, thanks for supporting my efforts by using The Sandal Woods Store - every purchase made contributes a small amount to my work.

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Download Quicktime (*.mov)

The PS-10 drill-driver quickly becomes the reach-for tool in my shop when I need to drive screws. Following Christopher Schwarz’s glowing review in the Woodworking magazine blog entry of June 25, 2008, I started considering buying and using this tool.

Dang.

Funny - he said the same thing.

That pretty much explains how I feel about the Bosch PS-10. I am a total convert. NOW this is my primary drill-driver in the shop, and the (very) old and reliable workhorse B&D cordless drill has become the back-up drill, including its three batteries.

In this episode I share my enthusiasm for this little jewel of a drill-driver. I also reveal how Sierra’s first little (prototype) stool failed. I made it quickly, using pocket screws, with aprons but not stretchers. I am sure that racking due to the lack of stretchers is what caused failure of one of the legs, after one year in service; Sierra uses a little stool to sit on while taking guitar lessons, and while practicing at home.

If you agree or disagree with my diagnosis of the cause or failure, please let me know. I am very interested in following up, and learning what you believe might be the cause of failure after you see the failed leg.

Bosch PS-10 at Amazon.com:

Download Quicktime (*.mov)

In this episode I answer a question from Michael, on WoodNet - clicking on the link will take you to the thread:

Is there a difference in suntanning before or after applying the Waterlox? I noticed that you only applied one coat on 1/2 of the board but never showed the end result of the suntan.

And my reply was:

I currently have the test underway, and will post a follow-up, with photographs, as the test board makes progress. I will take the photos under identical conditions, to avoid differences due to environmental lighting conditions. And, by showing the changes with the same board, I will eliminate any differences due to differences in boards, and how they behave.

My thanks to all who asked great questions, and also requested a follow-up!

Now, four photos of the progression of the suntan. I have not retouched the photos in any way, as I wanted to keep conditions identical, hoping the lighting would provide the progression I observed on a daily basis. Some of the differences are subtle, but at 14 days it IS obvious just how much the color of the cherry has changed:

A woodworker at Lumberjocks, Martin, aka Woodhacker, documented in a wonderful photographic procedure how to make inlaid dovetails using hand tools. This is the first time I have ever seen inlaid dovetails done exclusively with hand tools; and Martin’s results are terrific!

The following is the outcome of Martin’s effort - you can read the entire process at Woodhacker’s blog at Lumberjocks (the images are linked back to his photos, on Photobucket):

Thanks for sharing this with us, Martin! I provide the “Bookmark” link below, to allow easy sharing of Martin’s efforts with others.

Two years ago our daughter mentioned she bought some tiles, and “…sure would love to see them put into some kind of woodworking project…”, or something like that. I show this on the blog now, to prove that something simple can be made into something striking (at least, in my mind…)

I found an article in a very old issue of ShopNotes magazine (# 19) for a nice, plain serving tray. That particular article was really an exercise in hand-cut dovetails; of course, I wanted to use my Leigh D4 dovetail jig, as I just don’t do the hand-cut variety. And the project languished for a couple of weeks.

Side note: ShopNotes magazine is an AugustHome publication; AugustHome also sponsors the WoodNet woodworking forum, which I frequent.

Eventually I decided to make the tray, and also made a subconscious decision to somehow attach the tiles to the flat surface after I made the tray. Well, that turned into a nightmarish experience; I selected a high-temperature silicone smeared into a somewhat even layer on the backs of the tiles, using spacers I removed as I placed the tiles on the bottom of the tray. Then I filled in the space between the tiles, to give it a finished look. What a mess! Can anyone suggest a good way to do this without smearing the silicone into thinner and thinner layers? I seem to remember using two full rolls of shop towels to make the tiles shiny again.

It turns out that the high-temperature silicone takes a long time to cure. But it does cure, eventually. Of course, at the time I did not know this; but it was a good experience, from which I learned to just leave well alone, and to be very patient. It worked!

Some details about this little tray project:

1. Wood: Sycamore; some is quarter-sawn, some is plain-sawn
2. Sanding: 150 grit on the drum sander, then 220 to 320 grit with the random orbital sander
3. Finish: Sprayed 2 coats shellac, followed by 6 coats of Target’s satin USL lacquer (edit to change); sanded to 400 grit after the shellac, and to 600 after the fifth USL coat
4. Handles: Cut using a 30-year old jigsaw (edit to change this…); I used the oscillating spindle sander to refine the shape of the handles
5. All other curves cut on the 17-inch band saw with a 1/8-inch blade in place

Here is the outcome of that project, in full, living color - just click on the first image, and navigate within the window that opens:

Relevant links:
My entry into the Lumberjocks’ Serve It Up With Class, Summer 2008 Woodworking Awards

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Continuing with the cabinet-building theme, it’s time for the Sommerfeld Tools Giveaway for July. This month we are giving away the Easy Set Router Bit Setup Jig:

Note: At this time we can ship only to North America -the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

I know many of you wish you could set up your router bits perfectly every time. Well, this little jig does it perfectly every time, and I don’t even have to remember the setting for each cabinetmaking bit! Each leg is labeled with the router bit(s) that you use most frequently! But if you wish to have a custom setup, you can do that, too - I recommend you record somewhere what setting you selected, and you will repeatably be able to do it again any time in the future. Pretty cool!

To read all the details about the Easy Set, go to the Sommerfeld Catalog, Page 51.

I have been using this jig for quite a while now; I bought mine at the Kansas City Woodworking Show 3 years ago, and have been using it since. I have worn the edges a little with the carbide cutters, but it is still perfectly functional.

To enter this month’s drawing, all you need to do is send me an e-mail message to sandal_woods@bbwi.net; please include your full name and full address. If you have registered for previous drawings there is NO need to re-register.

Good luck to everyone!

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In our front yard we have a wonderful 20-foot tall flag pole, the second one in the yard. The following is the replacement flag pole, installed last year - make a mental note of the golden ball at the very top of the pole:

The old flag pole failed during a storm last year; strong winds brought it down. But Sandy kept it, knowing what she wanted to do with it. Her instructions to me were something like this: “Get some 2 X 4s, cut them so each half is about 4 feet long, and make me something with four corners, preferably overlapping in the middle. And please drill a hole in the middle, to accept a 1/2-inch dowel. Oh - NO finish on this piece!”

At this point I had NO idea what she was up to; I headed for the shop, cut the 2 X 4s into two separate pieces 45 inches long, marked the center line for each length, measured the average width at the center of each piece, and took them to the table saw. After 10 minutes on the table saw I had perfectly-fitting cross laps in each half to accept the other; added a little glue, and clamped for about 2 hours.

I removed the clamps, marked the center point accurately, and drilled the hole with a 1/2-inch Forstner bit. At this point I realized that the assembly was to be mounted on top of the old flag pole, where the ball on the tip above the flag was. It was a little bit of a job to remove the aluminum ball from the 1/2-inch shaft, but I managed, by banging away with a mallet while holding the ball in a metal vise.

With the ball now removed, I tested the fit of the shaft in the wooden cross pieces. Perfect! A little snug, but a nice fit. A design note: To minimize the possibility of water getting in the glue line, I placed the wood assembly such that all the glued edges pointed downward. I have only one regret: There is no finish on this first unit; it is bare 2 x 4 pine - a real test of the suitability of bare pine outdoors in NW Missouri.

I took the whole thing back to the house, and Sandy proceeded to attach four purpose-purchased pizza pans lined on the top surfaces with some kind of mesh. She used rivets hammered through the pans into the wood, and pretty soon we were ready to install the new item, Patent Pending:

Sandy even dug the 3-foot deep hole to accept the old flag pole with the new bird feeder system, I mixed two bags of concrete, and poured. After a few hours we tried to raise the pole and lock it in place - a ball bearing is supposed to pop, to lock the inner tubes. In this manner the pole can be raised to its full 20-foot height. But, after sitting on the ground in one of the flower beds for several months, the ball bearing does not want to pop, even after applications of WD-40. We are still trying to figure out what to do.

I keep telling her she should apply for a patent, since we have a working prototype in place (even if we cannot raise the pole to its full height). Unfortunately, applying for a patent would require a few thousand dollars…

This year’s celebration of Independence Day was a blast, in more ways than one.

Sierra has been studying about Independence Day, and she knew the reasons for July 4. Of course, some of the information permeated onto her sisters in more or less accurate ways. And then, towards dusk, with more frequent calls for something to do other than play with their stuff in their living room, or outdoors in the Jungle Gym, it was time for the fun stuff: A weiner and marshmallow roast!

Here is the fun stuff:

First, the hot dogs and the marshmallows:

And now for the fireworks:

What a great day it was, surrounded by our daughter and her wonderful family! We are truly blessed!!!

In this episode I show:

• Why you should give cherry a good suntan, followed by a gorgeous and easy finish (I prefer to use Waterlox, either wiped on or brushed on),

and

• How to make your own buttons, to attach a stool top or a table top to the base

Why suntan cherry?
I love working with cherry, because it machines beautifully, and it is plentiful here in the Mid-West. But it also takes on a gorgeous color as it ages -even if it takes a long time to develop the deep color we normally associate with antique pieces. However, we can help Nature do its thing on cherry, by simply exposing our work piece to the sun for a several hours over the span of several days. Follow that with a nice protective finish, and you have a wonderful piece to show!

Make your own buttons
I did not have figure 8s to attach the top to the base of the little stool I made for Sierra. But I was anxious to let her use it as soon as I completed it, so her instructor could assess whether the 16-inch height was suitable. If it was, it would allow her to spend 30 minutes during her lesson as comfortable as possible. What to do to attach the stool top to the base, while allowing for the cross-grain expansion of the top without problems? Make my own buttons! In this episode I show the machining of the buttons with tongue & groove router bits, and discuss the advantages of using height-matched bits to do the job easily, and quickly.

I wish everyone a wonderful 4th of July. And may everyone have a safe Independence day with your families and loved ones!

Relevant links:
A-beading I will go, in which I show how I made the bead on the stool aprons