The latest post from my nipper Porkish Chop!
Last Time we were cutting the wood on this work buddy!
Source: Step 2: Staining the wood
The Funeral Chair Part Two – Finish and Glue Up
With all the parts now essentially completed it was time to sand them down ready for pre-finishing. On a project like this it is far easier to finish the components before final assembly. The finish I used for this project was a homemade oil/varnish concoction. Taking advice from various online sources I mixed boiled linseed oil, polyurethane varnish and white spirit (mineral spirits in the US) in equal parts. Continue reading “The Funeral Chair Part Two – Finish and Glue Up”
The Funeral Chair Part One – Dimensioning and Joinery
A few weeks ago I found myself in need of a project that might take my woodworking to the next level. Up until now I have tackled very simple projects while I find my feet in the world of hand tool woodworking. I didn’t want to run before I could walk, but I wanted something that was a little more complicated than the small dovetailed boxes I have been pottering about with recently. Tom Fidgen’s book An Unplugged Life provided an ideal suggestion in the form of The Funeral Chair. As I mentioned in my last post, I am sure that seasoned woodworkers would find this project to be quite simple, but bear in mind that I am a noob. Continue reading “The Funeral Chair Part One – Dimensioning and Joinery”
Palm tree wood
I haven’t posted for a long old time, but I’m still around, beavering away in the workshop. I’m working on a project at the moment, which is nearing completion. No doubt to seasoned woodworkers out there, this project will appear to be fairly elementary. But for me it is the most complicated ‘hand tool only’ project I’ve attempted so far. I’ll probably post about it soon but, for now, I need some more advice.
A while ago I posted about my brother’s exploits with my chainsaw and the fact that he gave me some willow logs, which are still drying in the rafters of my workshop. Well, this weekend he borrowed the chainsaw again and I ended up with a log from a palm tree. 
It is about 3′ long and 6″ in diameter. I’m not sure what I can do with it, if anything. The end grain seems to be very furry, but I’m not sure if this is because of the chainsaw or not. I haven’t tried cutting it with a hand saw yet, to see if that makes a difference, and maybe things will be different when it has dried out a bit. I’ve asked my brother for another smaller piece to experiment on while still green, if he has any left that is. Failing that I’ll probably leave it for a few months before doing anything.
The reason I’m posting about this is that I’ve had a quick look online for information on this species of wood, but everything I turn up looks different to the log in my shop. I was wondering if any of you know anything about this that might help. Perhaps someone out there has some experience with this type of timber, and could let me know in the comments if it is good for anything.
Cheers.
gb
goatboys woodshop 