Sandal Woods - Fine Woodworking & Cabinetry

The winner of the July 2008 Giveaway is Steve Clardy, of Edwards, MO. Enjoy your new Easy Set Router Bit Setup Jig, and let us know how you like it. Congratulations, Steve!

For the rest who have not won, remember you are still registered for all monthly drawings.

To everyone, thank you for your continued support, and a special thanks to our sponsor, Sommerfeld’s Tools for Wood, for providing the monthly giveaway prizes.

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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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The winner of the June Giveaway is Craig Stueve, of Ceresco, Nebraska. Enjoy the new Easy Mark hardware drilling jig, and let us know how you like it. Congratulations, Craig!

For the rest who have not won, remember you are still registered for all monthly drawings. I will announce the July Giveaway from Sommerfeld’s Tools later this month.

To everyone, thank you for your continued support, and a special thanks to our sponsor, Sommerfeld’s Tools for Wood, for providing the monthly giveaway prizes.

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Entry deadline for the Sommerfeld Tools drawing is midnight Monday, June 30, 2008. Remember to send your full name and mailing address. I know you like free stuff (just like I do!), so get your e-mail messages to me with the required information; and make sure to send e-mail to sandal-woods@bbwi.net. My thanks to all!

Edit on Monday, June 23 2008, to add: At this time we can ship only to North America -the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

It’s time for the Sommerfeld Tools giveaway for June. This month we are giving away the Easy Mark hardware drilling jig:

This jig is super handy to align and drill the hardware mounting holes for knobs, handles and hinges quickly, precisely and with absolute repeatability. I have been using it for almost two years, and cannot do without it - handy for ALL cabinets! You can read all the details on the Sommerfeld Catalog page.

To enter this month’s drawing, all you need to do is send me an e-mail message to sandal_woods@bbwi.net; Edit to add: 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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Available in six joint patterns, Isoloc joints and templates are unique to Leigh. The styles are: The Wave, The Ellipse, the Key, The Mirror Key, Clover, and Bears Ears. Their large glue surface area and the mechanical interlock of dovetails combine to make a unique joint, available nowhere else.The three easy steps to make these unique joints are:

1. Install variable guide bush and router bit
2. Route the pins
3. Route the tails

The Isoloc templates are not available for the Super 12 jig. However, they are for all the other Leigh dovetail jigs! Using the templates and two different router bit sizes, even inlaid Isoloc joints are possible - how cool is that?

A must-have for me, as I love to make boxes; this must be one of the coolest templates I have ever seen. I must get the finger joint template for my D4 jig, as it will really enhance the variety of the boxes I make - from small to large, square half-blind joints, and round-to-square finger joints! The three simple steps are:

1. Install the guide bushing and straight router bit
2. Route the pins
3. Route the sockets

This episode shows in detail the feature of the super-cool finger joint templates available for the Leigh dovetail jigs. These make the jigs THE most versatile accessory to make finger joints.

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.

The winners of the Sommerfeld Tools router bit sets are:

1. Michael Lingenfelter, Bothell, Washington - wins the miniature router bit set
2. Jolene Verlanic, of Colstrip, MT, wins the Starter router bit set

Congratulations to both Michael and Jolene. And thanks to everyone for entering! Let me know how you like the bits.