I started work on my Sawyer’s Bench this week. Last time I posted about this, all I had done was to rough cut the components from my stock of cherry (1″ by 6″ and 1½” by 2¾”). Well, now I have worked all of the components to their final dimensions as much as I can at this stage. There will be some final adjustments to make to the aprons and cleats once the subassemblies are complete. Continue reading “Sawyer’s Bench #1”
Three coats of shellac, sanded with 320-grit in between, followed by a coat of beeswax, and the winding sticks are done. Continue reading “Winding Sticks #4 – Done”
With the two winding sticks planed to their final dimensions, it’s time for the inlay. Continue reading “Winding Sticks #3 – Inlay”
I have made a couple of marking gauges recently, both out of walnut offcuts. The one on the left is a centre gauge, for marking the centre line down the length of narrow stock of varying widths. One simply twists the gauge until both pins are in contact with the side of the work piece, and then by dragging the tool down the length of the wood, the marking pin scribes a centre line. Continue reading “Marking Gauges”
Many moons ago, my wife and I bought the house we live in now, from the estate of my great-aunt. It is a house that I have known all my life, although the old girl probably wouldn’t recognise it now.
Winding sticks consist of two straight edges that can be placed on a plank or board to assess if, or how, it is twisted. Continue reading “Winding Sticks #1”
This box began as merely an exercise in practising dovetails. I had no idea of my first efforts at dovetailing would be good enough for this project to be anything other than scrap. Now I’m not saying that my maiden dovetails are 
perfect, or even that they are good. All I know is that they are not bad, and so I thought that they would be good enough for something.
Then, it came to me. I have a number of small tools that I use for marking out – dividers, compasses, square, knife, and my dovetail template among them. This box would be perfect to store them in. It could sit on my bench, keeping dust and moisture off these tools until they are needed. Continue reading “Lid inlay – Dovetail box #3”
In the end I decided to work on the base first. Using a piece of walnut of approximately the right size, I planed one face flat, using winding sticks to check for twist. I then planed one long edge square to this registration face to create a registration edge.
Then using a marking gauge I scribed a line from the registration edge for the final width on both faces, and planed down to create the opposite edge. Continue reading “Making and glueing up the base – Dovetail box #2”
I’ve already mentioned, in previous posts, my wish to build a traditional woodworking bench. That, as I have said, will have to wait because my workshop is not really set up for one yet. Another future project that I’ve talked about is a bow saw – a larger companion for the turning saw – but that too will have to wait until I can source the hardware. I’ve also hinted at another mallet or too, just because I enjoy making them.
Other projects, that I haven’t mentioned, include the Tom Fidgen sawyers bench from his book The Unplugged Woodshop. I’d also like to make a proper shooting board and bench hook, and perhaps another project involving dovetails.
Well, we are up to date. The joiners mallet is my most recent completed project. From now on I’ll be posting on projects as they are progressing, so posting might slow down a bit.
The project that I am working on at the moment is a small storage box which features my first hand cut dovetails. In fact they are my first dovetails of any kind.
goatboys woodshop 