2011 January — Sandal Woods

A heavy-duty quilting frame

January 31, 2011 By Al Navas

Some time ago my wife Sandy shared with readers of the blog the transformation to the sewing room. We both hope that the new location will last a while, or we will start running out of room altogether — does anyone remember the story told by George Carlin about filling a home with “stuff”, and then having to move to a new home so that they could get more “stuff” to put in it?

Wikipedia defines Quilting as follows:

Quilting is a sewing method done to join two or more layers of material together to make a thicker padded material. A quilter is the name given to someone who works at quilting. Quilting can be done by hand, by sewing machine, or by a specialist longarm quilting system.

Sewing is the key word. Sandy sewed together a pattern, and shared it with us in her Guest Author post. Here it is is, on the layout board hanging on the North wall — the small triangles in the top two rows are already sewn together:

Layout board.

Once all the rows are sewn together into what will become the show face of the quilt, it must be assembled together with a padding layer, and a backing layer. This assembly can be done on the quilter’s lap, or using a quilting frame to stretch all the materials and allow the quilter to do the work off her/his lap.

A bit of history about quilting

Once again, from Wikipedia, quilting comes from the Latin culcita, meaning a padded and tied mattress. Its origins date to around the first century B.C. Techniques moved into Europe around the 12th century, likely as a result of trade and the return of Crusaders from far away lands.

An interesting document from WKU (Western Kentucky University) is The History of Quilting, which begins with settlers arriving in North America. Quilting frames were used mostly by groups, although individuals may have also used them. Meeting in groups eventually (and inevitably?) led to the popular quilting bee; the group sat around a quilting frame that allowed as many as seven quilters, plus the hostess. The frames were hung from the ceiling when not in use, and were lowered for use by the group. From this document comes this wonderful image:

The quilting bee, image courtesy WKU.

The following image from Wikipedia, taken in 2005, shows that quilting bees are still quite popular – notice the huge frame in use:

Women from Gee's Bend work on a quilt during the 2005 ONB Magic City Art Connection in Birmingham, Alabama's Linn Park. Courtesy Wikipedia.

I built a sturdy 3-roller quilting frame

Forward to the present. I built an eight-foot long, sturdy 3-roller quilting frame for Sandy to use. She has at least eight quilts to make, in various sizes. I made the frame large enough to cover all the quilt sizes she will make. I must emphasize that while this frame is very sturdy, it is also portable. It is portable because it can be broken down into the main component pieces, and relocated to another room, or to a new city if need be.

A good quilting frame must be capable of applying tension to the various layers that make up the quilt. Rather than machining critical parts, I bought a kit that provided the 3 ratchet wheels, and the pawls and clamps to secure the poles. It is available with all the screws needed to make the frame. The following image is linked to the Sandal Woods Store — if you decide to purchase the kit, you will also support my work (I get a small commission):

The kit includes excellent plans, ratchet wheels, pawls, clamps, and all the screws; you provide the lumber.

You will find the kit as the second image of the store link above. If you would rather click only once, click here to go directly to the kit at Amazon.com (I still get a small commission).

It is possible to also buy the kit as a PLUS kit, meaning they will send all the lumber required; all you will need to buy is the 1-½” conduit to use as rollers, and the 8-inch wide trestle . As I mentioned earlier, I bought the basic kit, and provided all the lumber for the project. I used 2-inch thick walnut, planed to 1-7/8 thick for the feet, and 1-½ inch thick for the uprights.

During construction I chuckled a bit when I assembled the top piece to the upright. The assembly reminded me of Bullwinkle:

Right side, unfinished.

What do you think?

Bullwinkle.

I drawbored the feet to the uprights using ¼-inch dowels, but without glue. The tenon and mortise joint (made with the Leigh FMT!) is tightly secured with the dowels:

Used drawboring to attach the feet - unfinished.

I applied two layers of Waterlox varnish to the walnut and let it cure overnight. Then I assembled the frame in our living room, in front of the sliding doors:

Front view of finished frame.

Some additional details of this frame follow.

The next photo shows the frame ready to accept the cloths that will be used to stretch the quilt on the frame — the finish on the walnut is Waterlox varnish:

View of quilting frame from right side.

This next photo shows the center and rear ratchets and pawls; note the pipe clamps in the recess of the ratchets:

Ratchets and pawls installed on left side.

To dress up the pipe ends, the kit includes turned end caps:

The end caps are included in the kit.

At last, the frame is loaded with the first quilt — a present for someone very special to us:

First quilt loaded.

Sandy is happy with this frame; I think (hope!) it will last her a long time.

Please note: If you are unable to build one, I will be glad to build a quilting frame for you. Contact me by clicking on my signature below, or call me on 816-617-9236.

— Al Navas

Filed Under: Blog, FMT Pro, Jigs, Joinery, Mortise, Tenon Tagged With: frame, Joinery, quilt

Wooden hinges as art

January 19, 2011 By Al Navas

My recent focus has been on making boxes, and also wooden hinges. The hinges must always be functional; but as a side benefit, they are also decorative and, done right, they provide wonderful shadow lines and a welcome element of surprise.

My long-distance friend and fellow blogger, Julio Alonso Díaz, has elevated the task of making wooden hinges for boxes to a new level. Julio is the man behind the blog El Taller Dominical (Sunday Workshop, according to Google Translate – http://artisanflamingo.blogspot.com). In the most recent entry to his blog, Julio shares with us how he makes beautiful wooden hinges. I will not include any details of his process here; instead, I invite you to visit his blog to read the article, using Google Translate. This link will open up Julio’s blog in the English translation; you can decide whether you wish to view the original version in Spanish by clicking on the radio button at the top-right corner.

An aside: Julio calls me names in his article — but I like it!

Here is one example of a prototype hinge Julio made — click on the image to enlarge it:

A wooden hinge; photo courtesy Julio Alonso Díaz
(From his blog)

In his “…limited corner…” of a shop, Julio uses a mix of power tools and hand tools. With the power tools he does the bulk of the shaping of the joint; he also rounds the corners with a nifty jig, to allow easy rotation. Then he switches to hand tools, to create the details that make the hinges a distinct art form.

I hope you will read Julio’s article; but I also hope you will find a way to use his techniques, to incorporate details that will dress up your boxes. I know I will.

I look forward to hearing from you on the following:

Do you ever incorporate wooden hinges in your work and in your boxes?
How do you make your wooden hinges?
Do you create distinctive hinges in your shop?
Which tools do you find essential in making wonderful wooden hinges?

I invite you to read additional articles on this blog, on how I make wooden boxes using the F3 finger joint jig. Sometimes I use use only the D4R dovetail jig; other times I simply mount the F3 on the D4R and make special boxes.

— Al Navas

Filed Under: Blog, Box making, Finger joints, Joinery Tagged With: box, Joinery, Taller Dominical, wooden hinge

A sewing room transformation, by Guest Author Sandy — my wife

January 10, 2011 By Al Navas

Transforming a sewing room

Happy belated New Year to all my readers – I hope that 2011 brings wonderful things to everyone!

This time Sandy will tell a story of what we have been up to the last 11 days or so. It has been fun; the outcome is terrific.

This is Sandy’s story:

I’m retired. I’m a wife. I’m a mother. I’m a grandmother. I am a Jack-of-all-Trades. I grew up under the guidance of a man who made his living building homes, grain storage buildings, churches, grocery stores, and even HOT DOG stands. I was taught, from a very young age, that working brought you not only material things you needed for survival, but happiness.
I am a cook, a plumber, a laundress, a homemaker, a gardener, an electrician, a lover, a woodworker, and I sew – I am a quilter – an embroiderer – and a crafty person. I am a reader, a student of the arts, a person who needs to constantly learn. I am one of those people who must stay busy to be happy. I cannot sit still unless my fingers, my mind, or my eyes are moving.
When Al and I discussed our retirement years we both agreed that we needed to stay busy. Since we shared a love of wood – all it’s aspects – we decided that we’d spend our time caressing the substance that made us smile. We’d saw, we’d build, we’d apply finish, together we would create. Fate had different plans. As predicted, my knees gave out on me and I needed to have first the left, and then the right knee replaced. The recuperation took a lot out of me and I found it difficult to get back and forth to our shop. And, after recovery, I found that standing on the concrete floor – even with ¾ inch padding and a rubberized base – was difficult. Though my heart is still there, I sneak in once in a while just to smell the saw dust, I found I needed another creative outlet.
So I started sewing. I learned to sew at a very young age, being taught by my mother. With six beautiful granddaughters I found there were many things I could make . . . with cotton rather than wood. My craft grew, and grew. As I added to my ‘stash’ of fabric I also added to my ‘machines’. The other night Al asked me how long it would take for me to use all the fabric I have. I answered with a question: “How long will it take you to use up your wood stash?” And we agreed we wouldn’t complain about the other.
We have found that there are many correlations between woodworking and sewing. There is the demand of precision, the tactile satisfaction – the smell, the feel, the vision. There are special tools built for different applications. There are tools for measurement, tools for cutting, tools for finishing; and, there is always that satisfaction that comes when a job is completed. And even more satisfaction when that job is admired by others.
I was asked to do a guest column for the Sandal Woods blog. I resisted as long as I could because I felt Al’s readers would find my thoughts boring. Then I realized that he had been preoccupied recently and maybe, just maybe someone missed him. So this column is his excuse for not writing on his blog recently. I had a dream. I dreamt that I needed more room for my sewing if I were to really be creative. And I told this dream – before breakfast – and Al listened. Together we decided that we had the space available in our family room; and that room was underutilized. The past 10 days or so Al has been busy helping me move furniture and rearranging shelving, cabinets, tables, chairs, storage units, toys, and loads of machinery. He has been my prodding partner, encouraging me along the way, supplying the muscle power, the suggestions, the maintenance help, installation of new lighting, and all the comfort required after a muscle-aching task.
He wants to share pictures. I’ll let him. I’m sure this is boring to his blog followers, but I am most pleased with the outcome and I am even more pleased that I have a mate who supports me and understands all my passions. If my plans work out, I’ll be back in the woodworking shop sometime soon. Maybe then I’ll be asked to do another column and share some of my band saw boxes or lathe work.
— Sandy Navas

Thanks, Sandy!

A bit of background is a must; even if you read the blog, you might have missed on some of the details of the earlier sewing rooms. I will share the start of Sandy’s sewing room, followed by the large upgrade to what was our computer room of old. I will then show the transformation that took place in the last few days.

Several years ago we converted an old storage room into Sandy’s sewing room. She was busy in it, making projects for our granddaughters, for our daughter, and for many others. The following photo shows how crowded this first room was — I took this photograph shortly after building the large table on the right, using walnut for the legs and the top, and quarter-sawn white oak for the aprons:

The sewing room, Phase I.

The first upgrade — we decided that the living room was grossly under-utilized. So we moved the computers upstairs, and the old computer room became Sandy’s new sewing room. This next photograph shows a bit of the expansion (for all the details, I invite you to read a previous article):

Sewing room, Phase II (the old computer room).

The following gallery of photos will show the old family room now transformed into the new sewing room.The photo sequence starts as we head North in the basement, along the aisle toward the sewing room. It continues along the West Wall, with some details in the Northwest corner; then we turn East, along the North wall, and continue clockwise,showing various internal shots of the room along the way.

In case you wonder why Sandy has so many vintage machines in the sewing room, here’s the secret: they work great! And she wants each of our granddaughters to have her own sewing station in the room. How cool is that? One of the machines is the very rare 1892 Singer with pheasant decals; and the one with…I have no idea what else is there; just gorgeous vintage sewing machines – many of them.

I hope you will enjoy this special post, by LOML — that is Internet-speak for “Love-of-my-Life”.

Please click on any of the images to enlarge them; the navigation buttons on the bottom of the image, and also the left and right arrows on the keyboard, will allow you to go from one image to the next, in sequence: