Sandal Woods - Fine Woodworking & Cabinetry

This might not seem like a big deal to many of you. But to me, it is huge! The following photos show the first hand-cut dovetails I have ever produced:

Recently I started working, and practicing, to be able to cut to a line. Although I have improved in this area, I still:

1. Must refine how close to the line I saw, and
2. Be careful not to overshoot the dovetail depth, or it shows immediately.

In this instance I cut the tails first, and used the Kerf Kadet marking knife to layout the pins from the tails. Although this worked nicely, I left too much material on the pins, which resulted in an exceedingly tight fit. At this point I had only one choice: Use sharp chisels, and do some paring to get a good fit of the pins to the tails.

I overdid the paring in the three pins, and it shows in the top photo: I did not hold the chisel perfectly flat, and the pin looks funny on the tip; for the middle pin I also overdid it, and created a gap that shows on the bottom edge of the pin. And the same goes for the top pin. Grrr!

In the profile shot I show that both pins and tails are a little proud of the surface, as it should be. I will be able to take this down with a block plane. But this photo also shows that the tails are resting perfectly square on the pins board, which was a concern I had while chopping the sockets on this board. However, using a nice, square block perfectly aligned with the layout mark helps keep the chisel square to the work piece.

End result: I need practice, then some more practice, followed by additional practice. As a result, I will be making little boxes, in preparation for small drawers for the Krenov-inspired cabinet. And *now* you know the rest of the story.

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It is hard to imagine an entire year has come and gone since I published my first entry in this blog. And what fun it has been!

On September 18, 2007, I wrote:

… I want to share my woodworking and cabinetmaking experience. I make stuff, from small boxes to chests, to cabinets, to entertainment centers. I will be sharing with my readers the steps in each of these, providing photos and video to convey the message and to make it a good experience for the blog readers…
Sandal Woods, September 18, 2007

Writing has been fun, and sharing some of what I know has been good. But what has been great is the response from you, the readers, to some of the things I love doing. Many of you have written to me about the things you have learned from my posts, and that alone is very gratifying.

Making boxes using dovetail joinery turned out to be very popular; and the use of the Leigh D4 dovetail jig was possibly the most popular individual “thing”. But I also received many questions about plans for, and the actual building, of the changing table.

During Woodworkers Safety Week I received many comments, both on the blog and via e-mail, on several of the topics I wrote. Overall, the response to Safety Week was overwhelming, both from reader interest, and the sheer number of pages read during the week.

Possibly one of the most enjoyable series to date has been my build of the Krenov-inspired cabinet. Questions ranged from veneering to matching, from substrates to glues, etc. As I set aside this project to get other things done, I started receiving questions about the state of the Krenov-style cabinet. I assure you, I will continue to publish about this wonderful project in due time. My priorities have been dictated by other happenings, and I responded accordingly. I promise I will get back to that project.

I was quite surprised by the interest in the design work using the eCabinet Systems software, and the apparent ease with which a specific design can be changed. I hope to follow up on your desires, and publish much more on design. More on this as I develop a plan.

As I close, I would like to thank my sponsors, Leigh Industries, Sommerfeld Tools, and Czeck Edge for their support of my work, and for believing in what I am trying to do with this blog - sharing with my readers some of the woodworking things I know.

And the biggest thank-you of all goes to my readers. After all, without you, these would be only electrons floating out there, somewhere. I suspect that would not be fun at all.

In my previous post I showed the beginning of my journey into hand-cut dovetails. Many of the comments I received addressed the heavy set on the teeth of the new dovetail saw:

Recommendations from experienced hand-tool users addressed one specific solution to reduce the saw set: Stone the saw. Doing this makes it easier to follow a line; and it will also clean up the kerf, and thus leave a much smoother cut.

I took everyone’s recommendations at heart, for I respect the advice of the people who commented and made the suggestion above. Once I got a little time in the shop I prepped some red oak cutoffs and made some test cuts. In between each numbered set of cuts I stoned the saw once on each side with a fine diamond stone, until the cuts were straighter and the kerf looked much cleaner - about dinner time:

Note: The earliest cuts, #1, is on the bottom left, and the most recent ones are at the top-right in the photo above.

For these practice cuts I switched from using dovetail-shaped lines, to straight lines following the grain direction. Based on my experience thus far, my admiration for the craftsmen who can do beautiful hand-cut dovetails has grown exponentially!

I think the dovetail saw needs a little more fine-tuning. As a result, I will have one more session of cut… stone the saw… cut…

In this context, I quote Kari, a.k.a The Village Carpenter, who in January 2008 wrote the following in her blog, addressing stoning the saw:

By stoning, I don’t mean that if your handsaw is misbehaving, you should go all biblical on it. Instead, I mean there is a way to gently persuade it back to the straight and narrow by using your sharpening stones.
– The Village Carpenter, Stoning your Saw, January, 2008

I chuckled about her opening statement… But at the time I did not realize the importance of this technique.

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The cat’s out of the bag: I have started practicing hand-cut dovetails.

I started my practice sessions with this gent’s saw; in retrospect, I should have practiced starting the cuts with a much lighter touch than I used, as I could see a curve in some of the kerfs as the cut went deeper:

I am certain ignorance on my part played a big role, but I just could not get comfortable with the grip on the gent’s saw. As a result, I ordered an E.T. Roberts & Lee Dorchester 8-inch, 21 ppi rip dovetail saw. As soon as the saw arrived I started practice sessions, cutting parallel lines marked on the end grain of the board:

Problem: At first I was unable to remove the protective coating from the steel - Grr! It turned out that this company uses lacquer on their steel, to minimize the risk of corrosion between manufacture and delivery; a few drops of lacquer thinner removed the coating completely, and made a huge difference in performance! My bad, of course. Isn’t ignorance bliss? I understand that most (?) American manufacturers use a wax coating, which is easily removed with mineral spirits.

As I started using the new saw, it seemed somewhat difficult to get the cut started. My intent was to make practice cuts, targetting 1) a pre-set depth, and 2) perfectly parallel cuts. I noticed, as my practice session got longer and longer, it became much easier to start the cuts. And toward the end of the session I was able to start a cut and finish it in seconds. I have read somewhere that this is normal behavior for this type of saw.

However, I will have to practice a lot more, for I noticed two serious problems:

1. I have a tendency to overshoot the depth, and
2. I can cut better parallel lines when the saw is tilting to the left, as in the last photo.

Next step: Cutting to a line.

I hope I can get better when cutting with the saw tilting to the right. Practice should make perfect - I hope!

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I am proud to announce the Schummie Fund Raiser; it will run August 18 to September 1, 2008. Please read on.

For many of us, life is an easy trip. We are indeed fortunate.

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Henrie’s background:
Schummie (Henrie) lives in The Netherlands. He is married, has a wonderful wife, and three wonderful children, two boys and one girl. He was a policeman, until tragic events on the job forever changed his life. Henrie is physically handicapped, but is able to use tools while sitting in a special wheel chair. And he would love to be able to make things with wood once again!

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For many other people, life takes unplanned and, sometimes, tragic turns. We hear it on the news, maybe even watch a 2-minute episode on television about someone’s life forever changed.

And, when we sometimes read how a life was changed, it captures our attention, to the point of making us WANT to do something to reach out, to help, to try to make a difference. THIS is one time we CAN make a difference, by making a donation to Henrie, no matter how small, via PayPal.

Martin Sojka, the Chief Lumberjock, supports this fund raiser, and will also post on his personal blog, requesting your help. I have already sent a test donation of 1 Euro, so I know the PayPal system is working properly; Henrie has confirmed receipt of the 1 Euro I sent.

To donate to Schummie’s fund raiser, please send your contribution via PayPal to Henrie@schu.nl . Thanks!

Schummie’s case is one that has touched me in many ways. I want to share with you his story, and hope that you also be able to pitch in and help Henrie Schumacher. We CAN make it possible for him to realize his dream to do some woodworking once again. I have corresponded with Henrie over the last several weeks, and feel some of his pain. I don’t think for a minute that any of us could possibly understand what he has been through, for it is incomprehensible. But his strength of character, his desire to live and be there for his family, shows a determination that many of us only wish we had.

For two weeks in August we will hold this fund raiser, to help Henrie realize his dream of converting his garage into a woodworking shop, and to buy some tools. A little background, and then his story, in his own words.

Henrie’s story, in his own words (from his Lumberjocks Profile):

My name is Henrie Schumacher (schummie) I’m 45 years old, I’m married whit [sic, with] a lovely wife and I have 3 great kids ( 9, 13, 17) and 2 dogs.

I was a police officer for 25 years till 8 years ago, I hate [sic, had] a accident during my police work and after 8 operation and a lot off hospitals I’m now so far that they call my handicapped.

During the operations the [sic, they] saw that my right knee was a mace [sic, mess] and the [sic, they] can’t do anything about it and after the operation the doctors discover that I have also posttraumatic dystrophy, a pain syndrome in my nerve system.

Now I’m lying 85% off the day on my bed because off the pain. I have a lot off pain medication also a lot off morphine.

I hate to say it my [sic, but] there is less or nothing left off my life, I have my wife and my children but else . . . .

In the time before my accident i love to work whit [sic, with] wood, only the smell off wood brought me in higher atmosphere. I’m also a tool fanatic, i love tools.

Only is the Netherlands not really a woodworking country, if you now [sic, know] that we don’t have any woodworking magazine.

This country is more if we need something we buy it, we don’t try it to make it our self.

Therefore I’m now on this GREAT website, I love it (Note: Henrie is referring to Lumberjocks.com).
I hope the [sic, to] learn a lot and maybe I get the chance to make something myself.

We want to try to make from our garage a woodworking shop, the [sic, then] I can make the little time i have, a little useful. I’m searching in all the American woodworking toolshops off [sic, if] there is something I can use (and can afford) and there is a lot.

Thank you for reading my little story. Sorry for my English, perhaps is there somebody how want to make a good translation.

Henrie Schumacher

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Friends: I have already donated to the Schummie Fund Raiser; I know that Chief Lumberjock Martin Sojka fully supports this. If Henrie’s story has touched you in even a small way, please find it in your heart to make a donation via Paypal, to Henrie@schu.nl . I know this is for a good cause, and I am convinced that, together, we can help a fellow woodworker realize his dream. Thanks!

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.

This episode shows the Leigh optional accessories for the dovetail jigs “…that make your woodworking projects even more satisfying…” These include the Universal Guide System (UGS), and the Vacuum & Router Support (VRS). I did not produce this video - I obtained permission from Leigh to publish it on my blog.The guide bushings are an essential part of the Leigh dovetail jigs, and just about all jigs that work on a similar principle to guide the router around guide fingers - I buy the Leigh guide bushes, as I have found them to be the most consistent in their roundness, and dimensional tolerances. And the VRS makes my dovetailing life simpler, by eliminating just about all the dust and chips from the jig when I cut dovetails.

I must share an anecdote with you: The very first time I cut dovetails on my D4 I was so excited, I ignored everything around me; I was concentrating very hard in following procedures (from the User Guide), and being careful to avoid tear-out. When I finished making the drawers I almost tripped on my own feet, as I had my legs buried in dust and chips to my knees! I shut down, came into the house, and placed an order for the older dust/chip collection system Leigh sold at the time.

Forward a few years:

I bought the VRS shortly after its release. And now that I have it, the greatest amount of chips I sweep is a fraction of a cup, even after cutting dovetails on a number of drawers, or a cabinet - anything, really. What a pleasure it is to use the new VRS!

Now I can share: Would I consider these “optional”? No. In my mind, they are something I need in my shop. They make my life simpler, and my woodworking more pleasurable.

Sliding dovetails are a great option when dealing with end grain joints, or with fixed shelves or dividers on a chest of drawers. I made a large sliding dovetail on the partition of the changing table I made some time ago (I used my old D4 jig, the predecessor to the D4R).

The D4R jig makes it simple and easy to create sliding dovetails:

1. Select the router bit and a suitable guide bushing
2. Route the dovetail slot - the board is clamped horizontally
3. Route the tail at the same bit depth, and with the same router bit - the board is clamped vertically

To fine-tune the fit, adjust the tail size by moving the finger assembly either forward or backward in small increments. It is possible to make adjustments as small as 0.001″ (one thousand of an inch!).

Disclaimer: This is a Leigh-produced video, not my own production. My thanks to Leigh Industries for allowing me to post the jig video series on my blog.

This episode shows the detailed instructions to cut half-blind dovetails on the Leigh D4R jig.On half-blind dovetail joints, only one side shows. The D4R has specific scales to create these in three steps:

1. Space the fingers to suit your taste - creating the joint design
2. Route the tails using a suitable router bit, and with the board arranged vertically
3. Route the pins with with the same router bit as was used to route the tails, and with the pin board clamped horizontally

Fine-tune the tail / pin fit by adjusting the bit height in the router, typically moving up just a few thousands of an inch. This will make the pins a little narrower, loosening the fit ever so slightly.

When I first started using my D4, this was the one adjustment that took me about an hour to master. The adjustment of the router bit is very small, to obtain the best fit!It IS truly this simple with the D4R!

I have used my old D4 for several years; by recording all the settings when I make a new box, I can return to the same setting(s) in just two minutes or less; in addition, I keep the old setup pieces I used when making the original adjustments for each router bit and wood thickness. I recommend you follow the same practice, and you will be quite happy with the results, no matter how much time passes between projects requiring half-blind dovetails.

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This episode shows in detail the procedures to make through dovetails on the Leigh D4R jig. The steps are very simple:

1. Arrange the guide pin spacing
2. Route the tails
3. Route the pins

The variable pin spacing makes the D4R a very versatile dovetail jig, allowing an almost infinite arrangement of dovetail spacing. In addition, this capability also allows setting half pins near the edge of the boards, which I find a neat feature.

As many of you know already, I love to make boxes - and the predecessor, the D4, is my go-to dovetail jig, exclusively.

The two episodes that follow will show the procedures to make half-blind dovetails and sliding dovetails.

 

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