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A balancing act

August 18, 2011 By

 

Joe in Colorado wrote, asking whether the cradle I built might tip toward one end or the other as it was picked up by the handles. I replied that the cradle is perfectly balanced, as I used the following balancing technique prior to cutting the handles on the sides:

Getting perfect balance on the cradle

The tool: a 1-inch dowel placed across the bottom of the cradle, and perpendicular to the sides. I was careful to measure the distances with a tape measure prior to balancing. Once perfectly balanced, I marked the pivot point with chalk, and used a square to transfer the balance point to the top side edges. Then I marked the handle openings, cut with a jig saw, and smoothed the handle openings with rasps and files.

Balancing this way requires that the cradle be ready, or close to ready for the finish. At this point the cradle was already glued up; I had cleaned up the joinery with hand planes to ensure the corners were nice and flat, and that all the surfaces were sanded.

Here are the handles, already shaped:

Shaped handles - handles at balance point

Why wait to this point?

The answer: Removing material from large surfaces such as the sides may throw the balance slightly toward one end or the other. Given precious cargo such as a newborn baby, improper balance is a risk not worth taking.

How would YOU do it?

  • Is there a better way to properly balance the cradle to mark the handles?
  • How would YOU have done it?

I would like to learn how you would have done it. Please leave a Comment below, or contact me via the Contact Form by clicking on my signature below.

— Al Navas

Filed Under: Blog, Box making, D4R Pro, Design, Dovetails, Joinery

Summary of techniques to mark boards

August 9, 2011 By

 

Yesterday’s article resulted in several suggestions on how to mark work pieces, to keep proper board orientation. I received replies from a post at Google+, and also as a Comment to the article here on the blog. For the benefit of everyone reading this, I summarize the replies below.

Marking work pieces

Steve said (Comment on the blog):

I’ll add a couple of tips:

1) You can use masking tape (blue painter’s tape) to write on if you are worried about marking up the wood or your pencil lead rubbing off.

2) I also like to number my corners, writing a number on both boards that meet. That way, if you’ve numbered them all, they only go together properly if you match the numbers.

And on Google+:

(requires a Google+ account)

  • From Stephen: …I use a numerical numbering system; even numbers on the left side and odd numbers on the right side, works for boxes and frames too.
  • From Shannon: I use triangles on the tops of boards. I break a triangle apart on each board. When I see it I can immediately tell I’m looking at the top of the board and the left, right, front, or back.

Why not just use pencil marks?

Pencil marks are hard to remove completely, and are likely to leave an impression of the tip even after using alcohol to remove them. Peter Follansbee takes his aversion to pencil marks to an extreme — until recently, he had not used a pencil in the shop in five years. He recently used a pencil was to mark the position of spindles and legs on the seat of a chair. He uses either a marking knife for joinery, or gouges to mate the matching pieces for joinery. This is brilliant; but Peter makes 17th C pieces. I suspect people might object to seeing such marks on more modern pieces.

As you noticed in my post of yesterday, I use chalk on black walnut. This makes it easy to see all markings I make; the chalk can be removed easily by wiping, followed by thorough sanding prior to applying the finish on a work piece. Chalk also stands out on much lighter woods; that is another thing I like about using chalk.

Removing chalk from a work piece

I am selling

  • I suppose I am selling insurance when I suggest you use of chalk when marking work pieces.
  • I am simply stating that it is my preference — and, hopefully, making your experience with marking joinery just a bit better.
  • Do YOU have other choices, or are they covered in the results of the informal survey I shared above?
  • If you use hand planes to get the surfaces ready for the finish, do you use a pencil to layout and mark the joinery?

 

— Al Navas

Filed Under: Blog, Joinery

Keeping things straight when cutting joinery

August 8, 2011 By

 

Joinery. Dovetails. Finger joints. Mortise and tenon.

George asked a question

How do I keep the board orientation throughout a project, to make sure the project comes out right without redoing any part of the joinery?

It is extremely helpful to know which side of a board will be oriented to the inside of a box, once the box is assembled. When finger joints are the joinery, it is not critical, as the boards will fit no matter how the boards are assembled; the only requirement is that the finger board match the socket board. On the other hand, the craftsman must be vigilant when dovetails are the joinery. This is why properly marking the surfaces is critical.

For example, I clearly mark the outer surface of the pins boards, to ensure I place the board on the jig properly:

Marked side of board when cutting dovetails

See the little square with the funny little triangle “below” the square? That is the way I learned to mark the boards — it is the icon recommended by Leigh in their User Guide. I learned to use this little icon on the first day I used the old D4 dovetail jig, close to ten years ago. And I still use it today, as I respond to it immediately when reading the side of the board. But about 5 years ago I also started writing the board orientation. If you thought I miscut that a board, you are correct; I started writing the orientation, because I had erased the little icon almost completely, and inserted the board wrong-side-out. Fortunately, I was able to cut off the pins off that board, and the result was a slightly narrower box (a blanket chest).

The following image will give a more complete picture (pardon the pun…) of the complete markings I use on a project — and how I re-mark the boards as I handle them, to ensure I execute the joinery properly:

Marking sides of boards when cutting dovetails

I hope this helps other woodworkers as they use their jigs. And I thank George in South Carolina for asking how I do it.

Now, YOU

What precautions do YOU take to make sure the boards stay oriented properly?

 

— Al Navas

 

 

Filed Under: Blog, D4R Pro, Design, Dovetails, Education, Jigs, Joinery Tagged With: , ,

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