Today I continued milling lumber for the nightstands. I cut out pieces for the top and aprons. All the pieces were milled down to 1″ thick – when I am ready to use the pieces, I will mill them the rest of the way.
The lumber for the nightstands. I will mill the lumber for the drawers after the tables are built.
Next I marked out the mortises on the four legs. I double checked the placement. I only have one spare leg if I mess these up. I am using the drill press to remove most of the material for the mortises. The mortises are 1/4″ wide, 1″ deep, and 3 1/2″ long.
The leg after the drill press. The remainder of the wood in the mortise will be removed by chisel.
I was able to complete half of the large mortises on the legs tonight (for one of the tables). After cutting out the mortises, I will taper the legs on the bandsaw (using a hand plane to smooth the cut).
Completed mortise. I will cut the tenons on the table saw and individually fit them to the mortises.
Also, this is my 300th post on this blog in just under 3 years of writing.
Tonight I was able to start milling the lumber for the nightstands. I marked out the rough lumber for the legs and cut them to rough length (about an inch longer than the finished size of the legs). I do the rough cuts with a hand saw on my saw bench. I think it is much easier (and more pleasant) to use the hand saw to cut them to length.
After cutting the boards to length I began the milling process on the legs. The first step to milling the boards is to take a face of the board and make it flat. The boards don’t dry perfectly flat, but these boards are pretty close.
After getting the first face flat, I will turn the boards on the side and get one edge square (90-degrees) to the flat face. Flattening a face and squaring an edge is done on the jointer. If the boards were wider than the jointer, I would have to flatten a face using a hand plane – but I’m not sure I’m ready for that (and luckily I didn’t pull out any lumber for this project that is wider than the jointer (8-inches).
The second step is to mill the boards to thickness. However, the rough boards are almost 3-inches square, and the final dimensions will be under 2-inches thick. I am concerned that the boards may cup slightly when I remove that much lumber. So, tonight I just milled the boards to 2-inches square. I will let the boards sit for a couple of days and then re-flatten and square them before planning them to the final thickness. I use the planer to get the boards to the desired thickness. If these boards were flat (instead of square for the legs), I would then rip them to width on the table saw. I just get these square using the planer.
Tomorrow I will start milling the boards for the top and aprons. It is nice to work with clear, dry lumber. The last couple of outside projects used wet oak and maple which is terrible to mill.
A group of the lets after the initial milling. I will mill up 9 legs (4 per table, plus one spare)My shop assistant.
Although the workshop reorganization isn’t totally complete – the workshop is looking pretty good. And since, I don’t want to only spend time cleaning and organizing the shop, I started the next woodworking project today. And yes, part of it is because it is more fun to start projects than finish them. But I plan on trying to keep putting away and sorting out the workshop as I build this project.
I am starting to build two nightstands for the boys (one each to start with). I started with a classic shaker side table plan from Fine Woodworking, and modified the design. The tables will be a little narrower than was in the magazine.
The fist step was to take the plan and make a story stick with the appropriate measurements. That way I don’t have to use a tape measure and risk cutting things to the wrong size. I just have to take the story stick and mark out each part. The story stick was a scrap piece of oak I had in the workshop.
Marking out the boards – making sure to remove an inch or two at the ends of each rough board. This is some 2″ square boards for the legs
The two tables will be made from red oak. If they turn out nice, I will make another pair out of cherry for our bedroom. After marking out the dimensions, I made an estimate of how much wood I would need and headed out to the barn to pick out wood. I am using a tree that I had cut into boards a couple of years ago. The lumber is beautiful. It is clear and the boards are thick (probably 1 1/4″ thick each for the thin boards) – so it should be no problem getting nice wood for the project. There is enough lumber from that tree to make several more matching pieces of furniture for the boys.
Of course the lumber was on the bottom of the stack in the garage. I had to unstack the pile, pull the lumber I needed out, and then re-stack the pile. I think Tucker was the only one that enjoyed that part of the project – I uncovered a mouse nest which is endless fun for a beagle to dig through.
After getting the lumber out I started marking out the boards. The next step is to cut the boards to rough size. This will allow me to easily mill the boards (it sucks to try to mill a 10-foot long board), and I can plan out the nicest looking pieces for the most visible parts.
A couple of things that will be a challenge for this project:
Each table will have a drawer. I haven’t built drawers before, and will plan on hand dovetailing the drawers.
I will attempt to resaw the sides of the drawers (they only need to be 1/2-inch thick). If I can’t do the cut on the bandsaw, I will try to resaw by hand. It is a waste to use the planer to take a 5/4 board down to 1/2-inch thick.
The legs will be tapered. I haven’t figured out how I will taper them yet. The magazine shows a jig for the tablesaw. I’m thinking I will either taper them on the jointer or use the bandsaw (followed by a hand plane).
A couple passes of a hand plane expose the nice straight grain in these boards.
Completed chicken coop made with red oak and maple.
It has been a busy two weeks. I don’t write as much when life is crazy. Susanna got her green card and a full time job last week. They wanted her to start training this week, and she hasn’t even finished her last job. The boys start school and soccer this week.
I had been working on building a chicken coop and run. I told myself that I should finish one project before starting another project. Of course I don’t always listen to myself. For a month or so, Susanna and I had been planning on refinishing the living room floor this weekend. Of course things change. A new job. The boys’ schedule. Maybe in hindsight we should have pushed off the floor for a bit. But we didn’t. So I took a break from the chicken coop and over the weekend we finished the floor. The final coat went on last night. But I will save that for a later post when I can get good pictures of the floor. And I’m pretty sure it was worth doing the floor.
The chicken coop was finished yesterday and we picked up chickens from Mark and Jessica Matkovich this afternoon. The coop is 3′ x 8′ and is made from maple and red oak. The wood I had picked up for building the floor in the garage for the wedding, so was free. The shingles are left over from when the previous owner sided the workshop. I had some wire fencing left. The only materials I purchased for the coop was the chicken wire.
The wood was pretty wet when I milled it, so I plan on letting the coop dry for a couple of months and then painting it to match the house. I have to build a new compost bin (so I can take down the compost bin to the left of the coop) and build a bigger run for the chickens. I hope to finish that next weekend. But for now, the space should be enough for the 4 chickens.
I will have to add some more trim to the coop, and maybe another hinge to support the top. Susanna and I plan on trying to keep track of expenses to see how long it takes to pay off the investment for the coop.
So far our investment in the chickens:
$30 for chicken wire
$36 for a feeder, feed and bedding (I didn’t want to use the wood chips from milling the coop for the birds – the lumber wasn’t clean enough).
$3 for golf balls to encourage the chickens to use the nesting box. Plus they will offer entertainment for me when I mow over them in the yard after the boys leave them around when playing with them.
The wood, screws, and roofing was free (existing materials).
The boys are very excited about the chickens. Susanna not so much. But we will get eggs (hopefully soon) and they should help compost table scraps.
My plans are to add a 4′ x 12′ covered run for the birds. This will give 24 square feet of coop space and 72 square feet of run. The compost bin will be at the far end of the run. I will move the feed and water into a protected part of the run – or at least the move the water out where it is easier to check and fill. I may replace the watering system with one that is easier to keep clean – hopefully thanks to the Sawyer farm.
Garden Trellis Completed – just waiting for netting to tie up plants
Yesterday was my day to take off and enjoy sailing. Today was a day to get work done around the house. Susanna spent the day rearranging the library, and I took time to finish building a trellis for the vegetable garden.
I had glued up most of the legs over the past week. Today I milled the remaining lumber and assembled the trellis.
The structure is made from 1″ thick maple. Not because maple is good for exterior projects – it is terrible. But I have a ton of maple under the workshop that I had purchased to make a floor for the wedding reception. It was pennies per board-foot and isn’t worth saving for furniture building. But it is perfect for outdoor projects (and burning in the fire-pit).
The legs are glued up from three pieces of 4-inch wide boards. I only milled the boards as thin as needed to clean them up. I didn’t bother jointing anything – it is a construction project to sit out in the garden. Anyway, trying to joint a 8-foot long board sucks, and wasn’t worth the effort. This wasn’t fine furniture.
Trellis detail.
The top stretcher is connected to the legs by a bridle joint. I simply cut the center of the three pieces for the leg shorter than the two outside pieces – leaving room for the long stretchers to slide into when the legs were glued up. The connectors between the sides are attached with pocket-hole screws. The three top pieces were assembled with a slot cut in them so they just slide onto the long stretchers and can be moved.
Overall this is a quick weekend project if the lumber doesn’t need to be milled. Actually, with dimensional lumber, this is a morning project. The only trick would be cutting the bridle joints at the tops of the legs.
I have ordered netting to hang from the three cross beams. Hopefully the netting will arrive tomorrow so I can finish tying up the plants in the garden before the summer squash take over the tomatoes.
There wasn’t a lot of design thought that went into this project. The dimensions were based on what I had for lumber. I think the top stretchers could be longer, but I couldn’t rip a board that is longer than 8-feet long on the table saw without moving the saw. The wood is still a little green, so I’ll let it dry out in the sun for a week or two before I put a finish on it. The question is, should it be painted to match the house, or just put a clear coat on the wood?
It is nice to finish projects. Of course, it is still easier to start them than finish them. But I am thankful to have a partner that encourages me to finish things. It is amazing how much Susanna and I have been able to get done with the house over the past two years.
And of course, I had Tucker to keep me company outside all day:
Over the weekend, the boys and I decided to move the futon from the downstairs library to the upstairs guest room. Well, I decided, and the boys helped. Well, I decided.
When I disassembled the futon frame, I noticed that the sides were a bit loose. The tenons had broken free of the glue joints in the mortises. A quick and easy repair in the workshop. Over the weekend, I disassembled one of the ends and re-glued all the mortises.
Monday, I took the one that had been re-glued, and set it down by the workshop door. Across from the remaining piece that needed to be repaired. I then noticed that the workshop door had been blown shut by the breeze. I walked over and propped open the workshop door and back to the pieces. I wasn’t paying attention, and grabbed the piece that I had just glued up (not the one still needing repair). I took it over to the workbench and had knocked it mostly apart before I noticed that it wasn’t the right piece. I now have two pieces to reassemble. Plus fix the cosmetic damage from breaking apart a properly glued joint.
Sometimes ADHD will bite you. I don’t have any pictures of the project, nor will I share the language I used when I realized what I had done. But it is a good story, and maybe in a couple of days I’ll even find it funny.
I have been working on a kitchen island for quite a while now. I finished it the week before the wedding. It replaces a table in the kitchen – and it is nice to have a proper-height work surface in the kitchen. It is also narrower than the old table, which fits the size of the kitchen better.
The base is made from white oak, with pegged mortise and tenon joints. The top is made from hickory.
I’m pretty pleased with the project. The top is maybe 2-inches narrower than I think would look the best. Another project may be to make a new top, or add a strip of cherry or sapele in the middle to widen the top.
The joinery isn’t perfect, but it is better than some of the work I’ve done in the past. I think a shelf on the bottom would look nice (and be useful), but I forgot to build in a shelf when I constructed the base.
Completed 7-inch square trivets (two from walnut and one from possible maple)
I decided to do a quick project in the workshop with the boys today (and Will’s friend who was over for the afternoon). I had worked with Will yesterday to mill some (what I think is) maple to make trivets. And today, after I figured how easy they were to make, I pulled a scrap piece of walnut out of the wood pile for an additional three trivets.
I get the idea from one of the many woodworking books I have. The plans called for stopped groves made on a router table. I had a 1/2″ straight bit for the router and I tried to make one following the plans yesterday. The router bit is terrible, and it left the wood in terrible shape (so that one will go to the fire pit).
That of course made me head inside and look for a better router bit online. For $70 I could get a nice solid carbide spiral bit. But then I would have to wait to finish the project. And I would have to spend $70 on a bit to make a handful of simple trivets. Which would change the cost per trivet from nearly free (scrap lumber) to something more than nearly free. Though a nice spiral bit would be good to have in the shop… but I sat on my hands and didn’t get the bit.
I thought about it for a while, and realized, that if I changed the design, that I could easily cut 1/2-inch dadoes using the table saw (they would be through dadoes vice stopped). It took longer to switch blades than to cut all the trivets. The boys and I then sanded them. A 3/8″ piece of wood with adhesive sandpaper clamped in the face vice made quick work of cleaning up the inside of the dadoes. After sanding, the trivets were finished with butcher block finish (wax/oil mixture), and are all set for use. We made a total of six trivets in all. I think the entire project took less than 2 hours (including the first screw-up with the router bit). Susanna even used one with dinner tonight.
Overall, I am pretty happy with the project. Next time, I will have to be careful measuring the spacing between the dadoes – on a couple it is obvious that the spacing isn’t even. But for very little effort, and a chance to get the boys in the workshop – it was perfect. Maybe we will make some more sometime – anyone want to buy trivets?
Not a bad quick project for a Saturday afternoon. Of course I had to spend some more time in the shop making wood guns for the boys. Luckily, a couple of months ago I milled up a dozen boards that are the perfect thickness/width for making play swords/guns.
I almost didn’t make it to the workshop tonight. Although it is Tuesday night, it feels like a Monday night. Maybe that is because Susanna and I went out to dinner with some friends last night. Maybe it is because Susanna is feeling sick tonight and went to bed early. Hopefully she will feel better tomorrow. But back to the workshop – I get distracted and if I’m not careful I won’t finish writing about the topic I had intended to write about when I started.
I finally found the energy to head out to the workshop after I had suggested that Susanna put on “Sex and the City” which I didn’t want to watch. Nothing like a bad TV show to motivate one to find something better to do.
I cut the last tenons on the kitchen island tonight and dry fit the base. It is turning out okay. Not perfect. I can see where the joints aren’t as tight as I would like them to be, but I need to finish this project and move on. I also could have done a better job picking out a couple of the pieces of wood for the project. I have enough lumber sitting around, I shouldn’t ever compromise and use a less than perfect piece for a visible part of a project.
I have already glued up one side of the base. Now I have to drill the holes for the drawbore pins.Drilling out the white oak was overheating the “cheap”” drill bits I have and not leaving a clean hole. So, I am waiting for a new 1/4″ drill bit from Lee Valley. I ordered a carbide tipped brad point drill bit. The bit is not cheap for drill bits (it is nearly $20 for a single bit), but reviews said that they are well worth the price.
Next furniture project will have to be out of something more forgiving than white oak. How about cherry?
I was finally able to get time in the workshop today. I have been a bit sidetracked with renovations to Will’s room over the past two weeks. One thing that has helped is trying to do two hours of work a day on the room. On the week nights, that gets progress done on the room. On the weekend, that allows me to find time to do other things without feeling guilty.
I was able to complete my two hours on the room by lunch today and take some time in the afternoon to head out to the shop. The weather has been crazy – it is mid-January and 50 degrees out.
I am making progress on the kitchen island. I have all the mortises done, and half of the tenons cut. Today I decided to build a planing stop. One of the frustrations with the workbench I have is holding the work while I hand plane. In the past I have put a board across the bench and clamped it on. That works fine if I am planing only in the direction of the grain. If I try to plane cross-grain, I need to fully clamp the work in the bench. It is a pain in the butt to always clamp and unclamp the work.
That leads me to the planning stop/bench hook I built today. I’m not sure if it is traditional, and time will tell how well it works. I took a 48-inch long 1×12 piece of pine and attached a board to the front (so it will register on the front of the workbench). I then took some thin stock (or rather made thin stock – about 1/2-inch thick) and attached it to the back and left side of the top of the board.
So far it seems to be working as planned. It makes cleaning up the long pieces of wood for the kitchen island much easier. It also gives me a nice board to chisel on and not worry about chopping up the top of the workbench. I suppose if I need to work on any pieces longer than about 44-inches I’ll need to build a new stop.
