I can’t believe I actually purchased these. It is completely useless crap. It functions neither as a proper chisel or a proper rasp. Please don’t ever purchase one of these. I’ll give you mine. No wait, I won’t even do that. I’m throwing them away. They have been sitting in a toolbox for a couple of years now just waiting for me to throw them away.
What is wrong with them? They can’t be used as a proper chisel (the rasp portion is in the way of close cuts). They can’t be used as a rasp (you need to hold both ends of a rasp, the second end on this one is the sharp end of the chisel). Maybe you can open cans of paint with them. But mainly they will sit in your toolbox until you get frustrated enough to throw them away.
I’m guessing whoever designed them had never worked with either tool before. And the idiot in marketing that thought they should sell them… The set is about $20 at Amazon. Don’t purchase them.
This weekend I’ll spend some time cleaning out the workshop and getting rid of other tools that I don’t need or that don’t work.
It felt good to get back into the workshop after over a week out of town for work. I took a little break from my workshop renovation to build a saw bench with Ben. He helped me mill the top from a piece of lumber (maybe wormy chestnut – I’m not 100% sure, could be wormy pine) before I left.
Last night he helped me get the legs cut from a piece of cypress I had below the barn. He helped me mark out and cut the dadoes for the legs, but then got a little bored with the project.
I did most of the remaining work. The stretchers are red oak (I had it laying around), and I didn’t make a bottom shelf. I milled the lumber using the power jointer and planer. However, I did nearly all the joinery by hand. I can tell I need practice with the hand tools.
Ben helped me assemble the bench (glue and wood screws). Tomorrow I’ll take the old workbench I made for the boys and put it on the second floor, leaving only the saw bench. I have a thick piece of ash set aside to make the top of Will’s saw bench (when we get around to it).
One more project completed this year. Now to the sharpening station (also spoken, “Kitchen table”) and sharpen some of my very dull tools.
Completed saw bench (I didn't have Ben cut a notch for ripping - I'm pretty sure it will be a while before he rips any lumber by hand).
I had a pretty good weekend in the workshop. Will and Ben accused me of being boring (spending too much time in the workshop – so I spend more time with them on Sunday). It feels like there is a lot more room now that I am cleaning up the shop. One more set of shelves and I will be done with the organization on the fist floor. As promised here are pictures.
The new stairs (from the first floor)Completed Stairs from the top. Missing hand rails (but if you look closely, you can see Tucker in front of the shop vac).
Last month I completed a set of pretty simple cutting boards with Will, Ben and Ben’s friend, Anthony. Making long grain cutting boards is simple, and was easy for the boys to complete.
I did all the milling before the boys arrived. I found a bunch of scrap lumber in the workshop and cut them to about 15″ in length. I then milled them all to the same thickness. The exact thickness doesn’t matter – I just made them all match the thinnest piece of scrap.
I marked then cut them into varying strips of 1/2″, 1″, and 2″ width. I marked arrows on each piece so the grain all lined up (so I could use the jointer/planet in the final boards to clean them up).
I then had the boys mix and match the strips into boards that were no wider than 7″ (so they would fit on the jointer). In hindsight I could have let them make the boards a little wider. The boys then glued up the strips into boards and let them sit overnight.
After the boards were dry, the boys helped scrape away the glue squeeze-out and I ran them over the jointer and through the planer to even them out. The boys can help at the planer, but have to stay away from the jointer.
I then cut the boards to size on the table saw, and the boys used the router table (with a lot of supervision) to round over the edges. They then hand sanded the boards and applied a coat of mineral oil/beeswax coating.
It was a quick project that required little prep and no cost by me (the scraps would have gone into the fire put if not used). The steps were short and simple enough for the boys to not get bored. And the boys had a chance to appreciate the beauty of different species of wood.
It feels good to have a day where you get a lot done. It has been busy enough that it is worth making a list of things completed. The morning was unexpectedly free when Will didn’t wake up feeling well enough to go to soccer practice (the bad night sleep on Thursday catching up with him):
Took fencing and an old barn sink to the Sawyer farm – returning tools I borrowed from them, and getting 4 dozen eggs.
Finished the new stairs to the second floor of the workshop. Pictures to follow when I feel like going out there and taking some
I got rid of some antique windows, random scrap lumber and some old tractor pieces using Craigslist – and all was picked up today.
I removed the original stairs to the second floor of the barn.
The boys and I made a bonfire, and burned most of the wood from the original stairs.
I moved the drill press and bandsaw to the corner where the old stairs had been.
Lots of cleaning and organizing the workshop(but I still have a ways to go).
Picked up Will’s friend, Tyler, for a sleepover – they are outside playing for now.
Moved the water tank to the second floor.
I still have a little ways to go on the workshop, but the end is in sight. I have to clean up the stairs, add a handrail and a railing in the loft. I still have some shelves to build to finish putting away all the tools – I also need to go through my tools and get rid of ones I don’t need (hello Craigslist). After I complete the work inside, I need to install the large window on the south facing wall, and add exterior trim to all the new windows (and replace the rotted trim on the south facing wall). But overall, the renovation has made the workshop much more usable. All of a sudden it feels like I have nothing but space…
Picture of 27 Harris Fuller Road Fire by CoreyWaterford (The Day)
Last night a house down the street went up in flames. It was one of the other old houses on the street. According to the the neighbors at the fire, the house was in foreclosure and there was rumors that someone (possibly the owner) was seen leaving the scene just before the fire.
No one was in the house, but apparently the rats that infested the house are now homeless. I’ll have to leave the dogs and cats outside to make sure the rats stay off of our property.
Will woke up for the fire (he tried to wake Ben up, but Ben can sleep through anything) – but was too nervous to walk down to the fire trucks and see the fire. But when the house was going, the flames were above the trees, so he got a good view from our back yard.
It didn’t make the paper today (but did make the internet). I forgot to take my camera, so had to take pictures from the local newspaper.
I have been making good progress on the workshop. The biggest part of the renovation is a new set of stairs to the second floor. The current stairs are in the front corner and are too steep, too little headroom, and no landing at the top. Originally there was no handrail, but I put one in last year. One of the other problems is there is no way to close off the second floor so I can heat the first floor.
After much thought and planning (if I haven’t mentioned it, I like to discuss projects endlessly before I actually decide what I’m going to do), I decided to put a new staircase in the back corner. To make the stairs a normal angle, I needed to have the stairs turn a corner. Over the past couple of weeks I have built the wall that will hide the stairs, and have started constructing the stairs themselves.
Saw Till and Hand Plane Storage
I am using the new wall as my hand tool storage (and display) area. It is a work in progress – I have to use the workshop as I am building in it, so I have been adding storage as I go. I had been storing my planes on a shelf, but that is a pretty inefficient way to store them. So for this new wall, I built a storage rack for them. the planes are held in place with a clip and magnet. I used laminated pine shelving that I had laying around (it had in a previous life been part of a stereo cabinet). I also built a saw till. Okay, I built two saw tills. The first one didn’t work so well. I took a 10″ wide piece of lumber I had laying around and cut slots in it to store the saws. Unfortunately, I wasn’t thinking and the slots were across the grain. So the fingers between the saws were pretty weak. On try two, I used one of the laminated pine boards and cut the slots going with the grain. This version is much stronger. It holds three back saws and four hand saws. Now I have to get around to sharpening more of the saws.
Cutting the hole for the stairs from above
Over the past couple of weeks I constructed the landing where the stairs will go around the corner. It is framed 2x6s supported by 2x4s. It is mostly level (as well as I could do with the current unlevelness of the barn). The stairs going from the landing up to the second floor will be 46″ wide (it was a good width based on the overhead joists), but the three stairs from the landing down will only be 36″ wide (I had to fit the stairs to end at the support beam, so couldn’t widen the bottom).
After completing the landing, I built the stringers and stairs down to the first floor. It was pretty simple, only 3 stairs down. The top stringers were a little more work, 9 stairs up.
Tonight (with some assistance from Will and Ben) I started cutting the hole in the floor for the stairway. Of course, once I opened up the floor it meant no more kids on the second floor until the stairs are finished – if anyone falls through the hole, hopefully it is one of the cats, and if not a cat, then a dog, and if not a dog then me.
This week I’ll finish cutting the two joists out, and install the stairs. The treads are made from two 2x6s cut to length (and ripped to width). I haven’t decided where to put the light switch for the second floor – either leave it where it is or put it over by the bottom of the stairs. I’ll also need to add a light on the stairs – they are much darker now that they are enclosed.
After the new stairs are built, I’ll tear down the old stairs and cover up the hole from them. Under the stairs will be storage, and a sink (and maybe a urinal – I have a beer/soda machine, power tools, so all I need is a urinal to make it complete). I picked up a 60 gallon water tank on Craigslist that I will use as a water supply. I’ll put the tank on the second floor and let it gravity feed (it would already be on the second floor, but it couldn’t fit up the current stairs).
I also make a good score at a garage sale this weekend. I picked up a new set of chisels (though I may turn them over to Mark at cost – otherwise they are my loaner chisels), a Stanley 4 1/2 smoothing plane in good shape and a Stanley #120 block plane (okay, not the nicest block plane, but it is in pretty good shape compared to my other block planes).
One of the quickest ways to fasten two pieces of wood is to use screws. But not all screws are the same. Years ago I started by using drywall screws from the big box store. They are good for drywall, but that is it. They have very little strength. Currently, I get my screws from McFeely’s. Their square drive screws are much easier to use than normal philips head screws (there is a much more positive connection between the driver and the screw).
I would recommend starting with a #8 flathead screw assortment of whatever finish you like. And currently McFeely’s is having a $1 shipping and handling special (for the continental US only).
Cam Out Torque table for different types of screws (from the McFeely’s FAQ section of their website)
Cutting boards made by the Curtis boys (all three of us).
It has been a while since I’ve written. I would love to pretend it was because I have a crazy exciting life, and I’ve been too busy living it. But sadly, that isn’t the case. I have been busy, but not that exciting.
I spent this month making cutting board after cutting board. My cousin got married two weekends ago, so as a wedding gift, I made him a set of drunken cutting boards, inspired by projects on lumberjocks. They turned out pretty nice (for my first try). Unfortunately I forgot to take pictures of them (I didn’t want to post before the wedding, in the odd chance that he actually reads this blog).
I decided that cutting boards would be a good way to use up the wood cut-offs I have laying around the shop, and a good project to do with the boys. I took all the interesting short pieces of lumber laying around, cut the boards to 18″ long, milled them to the same thickness, and cut them into strips of varying width (1/2″, 1″ and 2″). I then let the boys pick out the strips they wanted to use and they glued up the boards. I made sure that the boards were narrower than 8″ when glued up so we could flatten them quickly on the jointer.
I had enough strips for Will, Ben and Ben’s friend, Anthony, to make boards. I also made two myself (with the remaining wood). One is a little bigger (pictured above), and the second I gave to a friend at work.
I’ll have to write more later about the wedding trip to Bowling Green, KY, visit to Mammoth cave with dad and Barbara, and a stop over in Louisville to see a friend I hadn’t seen in 20 years. I would love to share all the pictures I took on my trip, but the camera stayed on the counter where I forgot it.
It is nice to be home and back working on the workshop. It is making progress. I’ll take more pictures tomorrow night (maybe).
