Sandal Woods - Fine Woodworking & Cabinetry

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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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

Watch this amazing sculpture develop on the lathe - welcome back, David! A huge THANKS for putting your videos on YouTube, for us to enjoy.

I have received several questions over the last four weeks (via e-mail), asking: “How do you capture the computer screen, to generate the videos you make to illustrate the designs/modifications, using your 3-D modeling program?”

My answer: I use Camtasia Studio 5, a product from TechSmith. I let TechSmith tell the story of what this nifty program is, as follows (from their web site):

So, what IS Camtasia Studio?

The smart, friendly screen recorder and more.

Imagine being able to show exactly what’s on your screen to anyone, anywhere. Imagine that it’s easy. Now you’ve imagined Camtasia Studio.

With the smartest screen recording tools on the planet, Camtasia Studio makes everything from training videos to PowerPoint presentations to lectures look better, reach more people, and pack more punch. Which makes you look even smarter, too.

I especially like the last sentence above…

I purchased this screen recorder to develop some tutorials in Corrosion Engineering, my specialty, from 25+ years in this field. I am glad I got this tool, as I can now produce videos that document, inform, and teach woodworking techniques and procedures. Woodworking has been my passion for many years, and now I get to enjoy it more than I ever have at any time in the past.

As many of you have seen, I use this product to document procedures and techniques, and modifications in the design of my woodworking pieces. I have called the 3-D program my “visualization tool”; Camtasia allows me to share the results with you. I use it this way, the simplest way to get results; but it can also create fully interactive tutorial sessions, with quiz sections, Q&A, etc.

If you are interested in pursuing it further, please contact TechSmith. I am not associated with the company - I am simply a happy customer!

Edit to add: I learned just a few minutes ago that the TechSmith people will be in San Francisco at MacWorld, January 14-18. It looks at if some of you will have a chance to meet the Camtasia people in person.

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Duration: 8 min. 58 sec.

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In an earlier post I showed a cabinet I “built” using eCabinet Systems software, to match the design of an existing Krenov cabinet.

In this episode I show the changes I have made to the same cabinet, to adapt the design to something my client has in mind. Other than editing the video to remove long pauses, I show the modifications to the cabinet to:

1. Add shelves and partitions

2. Change the size of the boards I imported - I show the “cuts” made to fit the space available

3. Additional changes to achieve a more balanced design

On purpose, I left in the video mistakes I made while using the software. Let me know if you catch them . I left these in to show how easy it is to recover from a mistake - it is easy to forget specific steps if one has not used the software for some time.

To keep things moving and to keep you from getting (too) bored, I sped up the video by a factor of 3. I also did not narrate the video, to prevent additional boredom. Instead, I used sub-titles to describe what was happening.

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As I get ready to make prototypes of various components of the Krenov cabinet I shared with you a short while back, I realized my mortise chisels needed some care. As I prepared the 1/4-inch chisel, it occurred to me that it was an opportunity to share with you how I tune my chisels, to make it more pleasurable to use them on the mortising machine. On the left is the cabinet I used to determine if I could develop a working model of a Krenov-style cabinet in eCabinet Systems software - I am modifying this model into a design I will build.

The procedure I use to tune the chisels is not new, and it is very simple if the “proper” tools are used to create a sharp edge. This is how I do it:

1. I use the Rockler 3-piece mortise sharpening set - it comes with two diamond-covered abrasive cones that put a nice bevel on the inside surface of the tip of the chisel - for the smaller 1/4 inch chisel I prefer to use the cones on the drill press. It is essential to use speeds lower than 300 RPM, to prevent glazing of the abrasive surfaces on the cones:

   3-Piece Mortise Chisel Sharpening Set

2. Remove the machine marks on the outer surfaces of the chisel. This will give a better finish on the face of the mortise. It also helps the chisel to slide smoothly as it makes the cut. I do it using 150-grit sandpaper on a smooth and flat surface, such as the cast iron on the table saw. Always use the same number of strokes: 20 to 30 strokes should be sufficient.
3. Finally, remove the burrs that form on the very tip of the chisel, using a diamond stone. I like to use 10 strokes to remove the burr.

That is all - you should have a nice, sharp chisel to allow you to make the mortices without overheating the chisel tips. If you keep them sharp, you will prevent overheating and burning; overheating is likely to make your mortise-making experience miserable.

You can read a good article by Bob Lang of Popular Woodworking here. I have not used a file to notch the inside corners of the chisels, as Bob does. I will try this if I run into chip-clearing issues in the future.

Enjoy!

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I am interested in your experience designing and building furniture, cabinets, etc. You might wonder, WHY? I would love to learn your experiences on HOW you visualize a project prior to start building it.

The WHY, for me: I have to be able visualize a piece before I start building a project. I must visualize first, before determining if the project is something I want to do. This was the main reason for modeling the Krenov cabinet a short while back - before proceeding with my own design.Computer models make this visualization process much simpler than a simple sketch, as I can try several variations, until a model results in something I want to build, not something I build simply because I have to. And, if the project is for a client, the computer model and rendition also helps the client “see” the finished piece ahead of time; many cabinetmakers state that it is the rendered image that sold the design and, ultimately, a particular job.

The short video above demonstrates several points, using glazed upper cabinets:

1. Are glazed doors suitable?

2. Is cabinet lighting something that will enhance the cabinet, and show off the contents?

3. Would multiple lights be better, or a single light source in each cabinet?

4. Are glazed doors with one or two mullions better for the job at hand?

5. If the client (or if my wife) wants glazed cabinets, should I make them in-house, or order them online?

6. Is it possible to not only look at the model, but also look at the door details?

7. So on, and so on…

Hopefully, this model demonstrates that it IS possible to use computer-generated models to illustrate details, to help us make decisions in final design, or to make our spouse (Ultimate Client!) happy before the project is ever built.

One advantage of a good computer-based cabinet design program is its ability to provide cut lists, which provide dimensions for each piece of wood, and from which individual cabinets and components are built to size. For example, for an entertainment center I designed, I wanted to learn the requirements of building glazed doors in-house, vs. buying them pre-made, ready to finish. From the design “sketch” I built the following door prototype, using poplar. This prototype is similar to the doors illustrated in the video above.

This exercise proved to me that I should build the doors in-house; an added benefit derived was last-minute “adjustments”, to allow for variations from the original design:

I find computer models invaluable to design cabinets, entertainment centers, and just about anything I make. I would love to hear how YOU go about your concepts, designs, etc.

—— Al

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I wish all my friends, readers, and visitors, a wonderful Holiday Season. And may the New Year be full of wonder, excitement, and enjoyment.I look forward to 2008, to share woodworking adventures. My hope is that, together, we can develop our skills, keep productive and safe, and that we can accomplish our goals, no matter how ambitious.Thanks for your support!—— Al

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I have been pondering whether to tackle something beyond what I would normally do, and work on something more artistic than anything I have ever tried before. I made a decision: This time I will try a Krenov-inspired cabinet.But, before I could design my own Krenov-inspired cabinet, I had to visualize what it might look like. So I tackled the visual part by putting together a 3D model of an existing cabinet, to make sure I would be able to get a feel for how I would proceed. I know this part is quite easy for others, but it is something I must do before I proceed with a final design. And, many times, even with a “final design” on hand, I still will make changes to the project as I make it.In this case, Step 1 was to try to replicate one of the original Krenov cabinets. Here is my rendition of the one I selected, using eCabinet Systems software. This particular model has the spalted maple texture for the lumber I have on hand - this cabinet model is not as spindly on the legs as the original cabinet crafted by James Krenov:
Below is the original Krenov cabinet that many of you might already know. Edit to add: The original photo of Maple Cabinet On Stand, by James Krenov, Fort Bragg, California, was taken by Amanda F. Williams, and is courtesy of FineWoodworking.com . I am thankful to Matt Berger / Fine Woodworking, for bringing to my attention that I forgot to give the source of this photo. The original photo I include below is from the FineWoodworking Gallery | Styles and Forms | Asian-Inspired; I refer the readers to this link to the original article.
Photo: Amanda F. Williams; courtesy of FineWoodworking.comNow I feel much more comfortable and will proceed to designing my own. I will share with you the build for the next several days or weeks.—— Al

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This episode shows how to build what I believe is one of the best feather board designs you will find in woodworking.

The original design is by Gord Graff (Thanks, Gord, for this wonderful gift!), which he posted at Lumberjocks two months ago. You can find the full text of his post by clicking on this link. In the original post he describes two methods of making featherboards: 1) Using the table saw, and 2) Using the band saw. I prefer to use the band saw, as it results in fingers with no undercut; undercut is inevitable when using the table saw.

I would love to hear what your favorite jigs and safety accessories are for use in the shop. Please leave me your comments using the link below.

—— Al