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Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Woodworking How To For Beginners

Are you a beginner in woodworking? How to get great and workable woodworking plans is the common question among beginners. You may also wondering whether you should buy expensive working tools and equipment and what type of woodworking projects you should do first. To help you to make your decision and to get started, here are some tips for you to keep in mind:

1. You should start familiarize yourself with the woodworking basics. Study about various forms of woodworking, the types of woods and trees and how the woods and trees are used, various woodworking tools, etc.

2. When you have familiar yourself about the basics, then you should plan what kind of woodworking projects that interest you. And when you have determine the plan that interest you, then you should buy related books about woodworking or maybe take some classes that will teach you woodworking project.

3. Register for a few classes adjacent to your area, perhaps a class for beginners via any local college or some classes taught by a qualified and skilled woodworker. The most important thing is, the classes shall provide you with a clearer overview of various tools as well as woodworking safety to assist you in getting started.

If in the event you do not wish to take classes, and you happen to know a friend who is very skilled in woodworking, you could ask him to train you or ask him to let you help him with a project, or maybe show you how the project is done.

4. But, if you are still fresh to woodworking and you havent really used any tools before, another option is to consider beginning with a precut kit. Normally, most precut kits consist of woods which is pre-cut in the proper sizes and shapes. Then you simply follow the woodworking plans or instruction given and assemble all the pieces together. With the precut kits you only need to nail, screw, glue, sand and do some finishing.

I hope this “Woodworking How To For Beginners” article shall provide you with some useful information about woodworking. Lastly, you should also checkout the following 14,000 woodworking plans & projects.

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Tuesday, March 4, 2014

How To Prepare For A New Finish

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Kenneth_J_Ellis]Kenneth J Ellis
Before starting the work, make a thorough inspection of the piece after you have removed the old finish. You may find holes, dents, cracks and other damage that were not previously visible in the surface that will require repairs before preparing for the new finish.
Some of the procedures for preparing the surface are seldom used, but are included to give you full knowledge of them. They are bleaching, scraping, sanding, staining, and filling.The choice of those to be used for a single job are determined by the type and condition of the wood, after the old finish has been removed. Some are necessary according to conditions and some are a matter of choice.
BLEACHING
Bleaching is used today mostly to remove undesirable stains. After the old finish has been removed, any darkened or discolored spots that remain can be lightened or entirely removed by the proper use of bleach. When working with pine or maple, it is best to remove discoloration and freshen up the surface.
Types of Bleaches
There are four common bleaches used by home handymen to lighten wood or remove undesirable stains. They are: PREPARED BLEACH, The simplest method of getting a good bleach is to buy a prepared bleach, which usually comes in the form of two solutions that may be applied successively or mixed together, according to directions on the label.These bleaches are sold in some paint stores or through mail order outlets. HOUSEHOLD PRODUCTS, Sometimes a laundry bleach in which sodium hypo-chlorite is the bleaching agent is effective for such woods as walnut, maple, and gum. Household ammonia is a good bleaching for all but dark woods,however,it is best for spot work only. OXALIC ACID, This bleach works only when a mild bleach is needed. It can be used successfully for such open-grained woods as oak, chestnut, and ash.Some professional strippers use it routinely to remove slight discolorations during the stripping process. HYDROGEN PEROXIDE, Probably the most satisfactory but most expensive bleaches are these based on a strong solution of hydrogen peroxide 30 or 35 percent. This commercial-grade bleach should not be confused with the 3 percent solution used as an antiseptic.
Using Prepared Beach
This two-solution bleach must be intermixed or applied in successive steps. All contain strong chemicals so its important that you wear rubber gloves to protect your hands. An apron or old clothing should also be worn since these bleaches will attack most fabrics and follow the label directions carefully. These are best for overall work. They are difficult to control when spot bleaching. The bleach can be applied with a brush or sponge and should be allowed to dry on the surface until the desired effect is reached. The instructions will tell you whether neutralization or rinsing is required. After bleaching and rinsing is completed, the piece should be allowed to stand until completely dry. Then sand lightly with a very fine sandpaper to remove raised grain. Be careful not to sand more deeply than the bleach has penetrated.
Using Household Products
Most household products are better for spot work. This is how to use laundry bleach and ammonia as bleaching agents. First,apply the product full strength over the spot or surface of the wood. Next, wash the product off with clear water after it has been on the surface about 15 minutes. Check to see if the desired color has been attained. If not, repeat the treatment. When the right color has been achieved, rinse the entire surface with water. Let the furniture stand to dry for at least 48 hours.
Using Oxalic Acid
Oxalic acid can be purchased at a drugstore or in some paint stores. It comes in powder or crystal form. Start by dissolving 1 ounce of powder or 2 ounces of crystals in a pint of very hot water. Using a large brush, apply the solution hot to the entire surface from which the finish has been removed. Let the solution remain for 10 to 20 minutes and then wipe it off with a damp cloth. Repeat if necessary to reach the color you are after. When the proper result is reached, wash off with 1 part ammonia in 10 parts of water. This will neutralize the bleach and stop its further action.Then wash with clear water and let it dry for at least 24 hours.
SANDING AND SMOOTHING
The smoothing of a wood surface is done with sandpaper by first working with relatively coarse papers, followed by those of finer grit. Steel wool is often used for final smoothing.
Rules For Sanding
The sanding of a wood surface is the least difficult of all the procedures, yet it is one of the most important parts of refinishing and must always be done thoroughly and with great care. When sanding, remember these three rules. First always sand with the grain of the wood--never across the grain.Second, use straight strokes with an even pressure, avoiding a twisting or circular motion, and last, use a paper of as coarse a grit as the wood will stand without scratching, then finer ones until the surface is as smooth as the wood will become. After sanding with the finest grit paper, use a steel wool pad for the final smoothing. After using the steel wool, all dust must be removed by wiping with a tack rag. This is a cloth that is treated to attract and hold dust. It is usually available at pant dealers that handle wood finishes.
Many sources an be found at the public library for furniture refinishing.
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?How-To-Prepare-For-A-New-Finish&id=6713102] How To Prepare For A New Finish

Thursday, February 20, 2014

Furniture Woodworking Plans What to Look For

In recent years, our world has changed dramatically. In fact, in many ways, we have come full circle. There was a time when good quality handmade furniture was valued for its craftsmanship and would withstand the use of several generations.

In the not so distant past, mass produced furniture became popular and would be used, discarded and replaced at an alarming rate. Today, many of us are looking to the simple and more frugal times of our parents and grandparents.

The financial crisis and the damage we seem to be doing to our planet has caused many of us to reconsider our notions of disposable and replaceable materials.

So, it is little wonder then that more of us are reverting to a self-sufficient lifestyle, growing our own vegetables and building our own furniture.

Constructing your own furniture has a number of advantages, not least of which is that by choosing the materials, you can ensure the quality and strength of the item.

But, of course, if you are going to build your own furniture, it is a good idea to start with some good furniture woodworking plans. So, how can you tell if the plans are any good?

There are a number of things that you should consider before purchasing any plans, including:

Have these plans been used by the provider, or are they just copied from another source?
Are you just getting blueprints and designs or is there expert advice, too?
Are there hints and tips on which materials to use?

You may have already noticed that there is a huge range of websites all offering woodwork plans. It is easy to assume that all of these sites are the same, but, on the contrary, they are quite different. So it is wise to do a little research before downloading the furniture plans that you want.

It is highly recommended that you select a site which offers advice from professional carpenters or craftsmen, as this will ensure that the result of your hard work is a functional, suitable and sturdy piece of furniture.

If a site is just offering plans for download, then you have no way of knowing whether the designs will turn out as advertised and, more importantly, there is no port of call for advice should you encounter difficulties.

Building your own furniture can be a relaxing hobby; a cheap alternative to buying shoddy mass produced furniture and can even turn into a business if you find that you have a flare for woodwork. In any of these cases, it is a good idea to obtain the right plans. If you are building furniture for a hobby, then you want your labor and money to produce something worthwhile.

On the other hand, if you wish to earn some money from your woodwork, then it is imperative to the success of your business that you produce high quality, long-lasting furniture. Of course, the key to this is having the best furniture woodworking plans. So, when looking through the various sites that offer downloadable plans, be sure to shop around.

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Dovetailing For The First Time Again

This morning I got a taste of a dream. Ive been working a string of PM shifts at my regular job the last two weeks. When Im on this shift it seems like I can never get into the shop, but this morning was a little different. I was up and woke the kids up for school, the oldest two get on a different bus to go to the middle school and have to be up an hour before the youngest. After I got the youngest up I decided not to go back to bed but to head out for the shop. So I waited around a little bit, drove her to elementary school, and then drove to the shop.

On my way to the shop I couldnt help but smile at how nice the morning had been. I so need to go pro at making sawdust so I can follow this routine most every morning. Get up, take the kids to school and be in the shop by 8:30 or so, work until Im satisfied and go home smiling. Ideal. Hopefully baby steps will get me there soon.

Today I conquered another challenge in my shop, one that has been strangely intimidating to me for a long, long time. The hand cut, half blind dovetail joint. I love cutting through dovetails, one of my favorite things in fact. Im good and fairly quick at it. but the half blind has always stood there looking over my shoulder, taunting me. I had read about it but it seemed out of reach. Then I found something cool.

I know I have said here how I am not much for videos and podcasts on the internet. Most of the time I just dont get that much out of them. I would like to temper that statement now by saying that I have learned some very cool things from videos that do seem to translate best that way. The Logan Cabinet Shoppe gave me the confidence to try sharpening my own hand saws. Videos of Peter Follansbee carving really taught me how effortless it could be. Then there was the Frank Klause video where he cuts a dovetail joint in under three minutes, that was amazing, but that was followed by Rob Cosman cutting a through dovetail joint in three and a half minutes using a more traditional approach.

On the heels of his through dovetail video Rob Cosman raised the bar high, cutting a half blind dovetail joint in six and a half minutes. I watched this video on youtube for the first time several months ago, and since them I have been coming back to it, Id say at least a half a dozen times. (If you havent see it you can watch it HERE.)

I really appreciated Robs video, all by itself it gave me the tools and mind set to get the job done. When I was designing the saw till Ive been building for the shop I knew I wanted to add a drawer to hold the files and other accoutrement of sharpening. As soon as it hit the paper I knew this was going to be my shot at a half blind dovetail. Still it was intimidating, building drawer themselves are, I think, a tough thing to get perfect. So in my usual fashion I put it off and put it off until last. This morning there was no more excuses. It was time to tackle the beast.

Starting stock after its been ripped to width on the table saw

Re-sawing the sides and back down to 1/2" thick on the bandsaw. The face board was left at a full 3/4" thickness

Marking for the groove for the bottom insert

Cutting the groove with the router plane, this went easier than I thought it would, except for one area

This big knot in the back section of the drawer wouldnt cut with the router plane. I chipped the hell out of it trying to fix the groove with a chisel,

So I just cut it out. Its in the back and the cut is below the bottom panel, Im the only one who will know its there.

I marked things up with the marking gauge.

I then marked out to cut the tails in the sides. This went pretty standard. Except I think I was so focused on the work to do to cut the half blinds, when I first started laying out things it was like I had my head on backwards. Thank god Ive done this enough that I knew things werent looking right, so I stopped and took a step back and actually walked away from the work for a minute or two to clear my head. When I could visualize the steps I was going to take again I stepped back in and remarked for the tails. Now things looked right, but you can still see the faint pencil lines of my mistakes in the photos.

Then I balanced the side piece along the corresponding side of the face board and marked out there the pins would fall.

The working with the saw at an angle I sawed as much of the pins out as possible. Yes I did extend past my marking gauge line but in reading Glen Hueys book "Building 18th Century American Furniture" he explains that this actually was a pretty common practice, and since it was good enough for them. . .

Now its on to chiseling out the waste. Very sharp chisels are really vital to this as there is a lot of paring

All finished being cut out.

And the dry fit, some gaps but not bad for a first take on a new skill. For the saw till this is more than acceptable to me.

I cut some through tails for the back board, dry fit the four corners together and tah dah. . . we have a drawer sans bottom. (re-sawing some for the bottom is the last step before final finish and hanging.)

I couldnt help myself I gave it a test fit in the till. It looks a bit out of place but without having a finish on it I guess I would expect it would. Im playing with the idea of cutting a bead around the outside edge of the drawer. I have a pair of wooden knobs to go on and well call it done.

So the next post should be the finale of the saw till. From there well move on to some other interesting things, what to know what? Stay Tuned.

Cheers

Oldwolf

Monday, February 17, 2014

Wood Working Excellent Tools To Be Used For WoodWorking Plans

Wood Working: Excellent Tools To Be Used For WoodWorking Plans: "Woodworking is an exceptional art with the help of which we can create a lot of different things like furniture and various other accessori..."

Thursday, February 13, 2014

Build a Case for your Books with your Friends

Its Wood Whisperer Guild Build time again. Because Marc is currently dealing with a limited shop as his new one is built, the current build is a one or two sheet plywood bookcase. Its a useful project that makes great use of one of my favorite materials: man made sheet goods. Unlike my projects that often leave the sheet goods exposed, Marc will show you how to hide it and make a damn fine bookcase.

The One & Two Sheet Bookcase

Previously Ive talked about The Wood Whisperer Guild and why I feel its a must for any online woodworker. Now, you can watch me go on about the Guild, and why its such a great experience to build a project with fellow guild members. As you watch, Im the one who looks like a zombie.

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Ontario furniture makers co operate for mutual benefit

Its great to see Ontario furniture companies co-operating for mutual benefit. By contrast, BC furniture makers seem to operate in isolation, putting the industry in a very disadvantaged position. This seems to be the case at all levels, from one man shops up. Maybe we can learn from the Ontario experience and realize we have nothing to loose and everything to gain by working together.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/economy/canadas-wood-firms-cluster-for-survival-and-growth/article2387655/

Habitat for Humanity Restore Finds

Over the weekend while we were driving I spotted a Habitat for Humanity Restore and I that it sounded like the perfect store for me ... a home improvement thrift store, perfect! Am I the only one who is just discovering this?

so I thought I would share a few of my favorite recent finds

From Habitat for Humanity Restore a solid wood cabinet door (almost as tall as me) $5. Im not sure how I will use it ... maybe shelves, maybe a table top, maybe to build something to store my printers and paper. But I do know that I LOVE it and the wood to build that would easily coast three times what I paid.

I picked up this cute little dresser from Goodwill for $8 ... it has a really bad paint job, once refinished I might use it in the guest room ... or sell it

and this little lamp is also from Goodwill $3.25, I actually saw someone walking around the store and thought, I want that ... I later found the same one at another Goodwill, weird... I am thinking of painting it off white, but didnt want to paint the milk glass, thoughts?

No afters yet ... but hopefully you see the same potential I did!

Tuesday, February 4, 2014

Tips for Applying Nailtrim and what Im nailheading!

As I finish the cane chair, I thought I would share another project that Ive been working on ...

Yesterday I decided to put nailhead trim on our sofa. The other week I mentioned it to David and he was unsure, because of what was underneath ... so I forgot about it. Today as I was looking at it and I decided to try it, whats the worst that could happen a few little holes?

After applying nailhead to the Tufted Headboard and the Ottoman Ive learned what works best for me, so here are my tips!

First, one of the most important things is to buy better quality nailheads (i.e. not from wal-mart). It will help keep the nails straighter as they go in, mine are from DIY Upholstery Supply

Also, I like to use a tack hammer rather than a rubber mallet because I have more control (I havent had an issue with damaging the nail ... as long as I dont hit it too hard :)

Heres how I do it:

1. Align the nailhead as close to the edge as possible to keep a straight line - this was pretty easy on the headboard since the wings didnt have a lot of padding, the sofa was a little more difficult.

When aligning the next nail, hold it above and center it, aligning it with the edge of the previous nail

2. Hold the edge of the nail with your pointer and thumb and lightly tap the other edge with your hammer until it grabs the wood

3. Hammer harder (once your thumb is out of the way!) till it is almost all the way down

4. Then tap back and forth until the nail is straight

5. and then hammer all the way!

It takes a little practice, but eventually you get in a rhythm and goes by pretty fast!

Its almost done - finished pictures soon!

Making Handles for New Tools

Wow, the holidays sure are crazy! Ive been so busy that I havent done a post in almost two weeks. Ironically, Ive actually been in the shop quite a bit working on several projects. In the beginning I was taking pictures to use for a couple of posts, but by the end, I was so crazed trying to finish up two Christmas presents that I didnt slow down enough to even think about taking pictures. Maybe Ill do a short "final product" post on those gifts...

But today I could relax in the shop, and I used my time to make handles for three new tools my wonderful wife gave me for Christmas: two Japanese milled-tooth files and a Nicholson #49 pattern makers rasp. Yes!

I dug up some birch for the handles...

...and split it into rough blanks with a hatched and maul.

I cleaned up the blanks with a scrub plane and spokeshave. Then I found some copper fittings to use for the ferrules, and transferred the diameter to the handle stock using pencil graphite.

I carefully (sort of) sawed around the shoulder and then pared the tenon with a chisel. I did the final rounding with the rasp itself - it would have been much easier to use (safer too) if it had only had a handle - hmm...

I dont really have a "design" for my handles. I just make them feel comfortable in my hand. I tend to end up with some variation on a general theme of tapered octagonal prisms.

Heres a shot of the finished handle, with ferrule and final shaping complete. The chamfering of the end was done with a chisel, while the tiny chamfers on the shoulder (not visible in this shot) I did with a knife.

After making the first handle (for the #49 rasp) with the copper left bright, I decided to experiment with giving the next ferrule some patina. My attempt at using heated mineral oil created a mottled look that I actually like very much. Its different than the uniform black I created on the bolts for the turning saw project. Im not sure if its a result of using mineral oil instead of linseed oil, or if it has something to do with the copper.

Here are two final group shots:

Oh, and how do they work? Fantastic! Especially the rasp - what a revelation! Thank you for the wonderful gifts Sweetie!

Saturday, February 1, 2014

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Thursday, January 30, 2014

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Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Yet Another Use For Handscrews

Heres another frequent task in my shop that a handscrew accomplishes with ease. Whenever I brand a creation, I use a propane torch to heat my branding iron. My torch is rather tippy and a handscrew gently tightened at an angle around the base, trapping the cylinder between the two jaws and the front screw, much like a bit in a three jawed chuck, holds it nicely. This setup gives it the hands-free stability I need to safely ignore it and focus on not messing up the branding process.

I guess you could do something similar with another type of clamp, but the round gas tank would make getting a firm hold, without squeezing too hard, a challenge. Also, the handscrew, with its large flat faces, makes for a more stable footprint than other clamps.

PS - The fire extinguisher is just out of photo to the left - in my shop, when the torch comes out to play, so does the extinguisher.