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I inhereted a shop from my father when he died, and have a ton of tools that I really don't know what to do with. I would like to pick up and work wood the way he did, just to connect with him in some way. I have most of the basics: table saw (Rigid contractor saw), 13" planer, jointer (also both rigid). There's a drill press and a router table with a router mounted in it, and a pluge/fixed router (rigid again). I have a Rockler dovetail jig that I can't figure out to save my life. The only glaring omission to the arsenal is a band saw. I also have an assortment of hand tools. Some generic chisels, a block plane, a wide selection of clamps, try-square, etc. I'm familiar with squaring up rough lumber, and have made some simple boxes out of scraps that he left behind. I even made a wall-mounted jewelery case for my wife. (photos are available if anyone is interested). I guess my question is where to begin. How do I figure out the dovetail jig? Whats a good method to learn how to build furniture. My father made some gorgeous stuff after he retired, and I would love to be able to match it when I have a few years' experience under my belt. I am mostly of the Normster mindset. Eventually, I would love to be able to build new kitchen cabinets for the house, and I understand the theory behind making a raised panel door, etc. Is it just a matter of practice?
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May 21, 2008 17:48
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| # ¿ May 5, 2024 03:28 |
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PMan_ posted:Alright, first of all, I'd totally like to see that jewelry case for your wife. here you go:   It's really just another box, but mounted to the wall. I used cherry for the sides, cherry plywood for the panels, and walnut for the hook strips inside. Plenty of room for necklaces on the top row, bracelets on the bottom row, and though the photos don't show it, the walnut "shelves" are deep enough to hold rings, earrings, etc.
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May 28, 2008 13:52
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In my old house we had a cellar (I hesitate to call it a basement. It was cold, dark, dirty and had 5'10" ceilings). That's where my woodshop was. When we moved out I got rid of my big gear; my table saw and my jointer. I still have my routers, my thickness planer, my miter saw and my hand tools. Our new house has an actual basement. While I wouldn't call it finished, it very well could be finished easily. However, the laundry is in the basement, all of the usual house paraphernalia is in the basement (furnace, water tank, electrical panel, etc), and one part of the basement is going to be my son's mini man-cave. I'm sort of at a crossroads here. I haven't touched any of my woodworking tools for a few years, and given the layout of the house, it doesn't seem like I'll be setting up shop in my basement. Does anyone have any good recommendations for how to set things up in a really small space? I live in a pretty cold part of the country, so if I become a garage woodworker, I'd only be able to use my stuff 7 months out of the year or so, and I worry that the excessive cold would be hard on my tools. Thoughts?
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Jan 24, 2011 16:37
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I restored the brace that we used to tap maple trees when I was a kid. It was my grandfathers and as near as I can figure its about 100 years old. Its a Miller's Falls No. 732 10". The full gallery is here: http://imgur.com/a/MORyy
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Jan 2, 2015 22:04
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Geop posted:Noticing that some posters in here also frequent /r/woodworking, judging by a few project images as of late! I don't mind at all. Sorry I'm late to replying however. Here was my process: 1. Scrubbed with krud cutter and paper towels to remove gunk. This failed miserably due to the condition of the brace. 2. Soaked the pieces in krud cutter for a few hours and brushed with wire brush. This worked better, but still wasn't terribly effective 3. Soaked the pieces in CLR and brushed with wire brush. This worked well. I repeated this process 3 or 4 times on the parts I could disassemble. 4. Used CLR full strength and scrubbed the sweep with Scotch Brite pads. Tons of elbow grease involved, but this got rid of a ton of the rust. 5. Dried everything out 6. I sanded the sweep and the handles. I started at 80 grit, then 220 to remove the rest of what I could of the rust. There was a ton of pitting that I can't get rid of, but that's OK. I don't need 'like new'. 7. I did several coats of Danish Oil on the sweep handle and the knob. I didn't touch the metal during this process. After 6 coats of the oil, I did 3 coats of paste wax. 8. I clamped the brace to a bench (I dont have a vice, and my 'bench' is a kitchen counter that lives in my basement). I cut strips of sandpaper (starting at 400 grit) about 1/2" wide and 6" long. Using a 'shoeshine' motion, I sanded the sweep. 9. Repeat step 8 with 1000 grit 10. I applied a few drops of 3-in-1 oil to the metal and using the same process from step 8, I wet sanded with 2000 grit until I got things nice and shiny. 11. I oiled all the mechanisms and then did a very light coat of wax over the whole piece. Then I buffed everything out with a terry cloth.
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Jan 5, 2015 13:53
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It's a nice reference for cool stuff/ideas.
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After restoring the brace a few weeks ago, the woodworking bug bit me again. My old house had a full shop in it, but when we moved, I had to get rid of almost all my power tools. My new 'shop' consists of an old kitchen counter that I can't even clamp anything to due to a curved lip on the edge, and I have no vice. Regardless, I felt the need to do something, so I built a small box for my wife to keep her rings in at night. Everything is hand cut from red oak. Not a single power tool was harmed.  Slightly beveled edges on the lid  Mitered corners  Hand cut rabbets on the lid. Also to fit the bottom panel, not shown.  Finished with a few applications of Danish Oil and a coat of paste wax
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Jan 20, 2015 17:09
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Tora! Tora! Tora! posted:Pretty, I'm not an oak fan but it looks really nice in a small box. How'd you join the mitered corners? I assuming no biscuits? I just cut them and glued them. I figured with such a small box, that would be enough, combined with the glue on the bottom panel. In larger boxes (and when I had power tools) I would have done splines.
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Jan 20, 2015 17:45
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