Thursday, July 24, 2014

updating my newfangled bench & other tool thoughts.


Hi folks,
 up 'til now I've been writing about what I've done and/or experienced in the past.  My shop is an utter disaster right now, but I thought I'd better actually get out there and DO something today.



 There's my existing Newfangled bench. Up until now it has mostly been a dust and clutter collector. I've decided that needs to change. As designed it has the two main bar clamps that run width wise. I never made the two cross pieces that allow it to clamp items, so one of my tasks is to take the piece of 2x6 on the bench top and cut two slots allowing it to rest on top of the bars. Still working on that, as my bandsaw is clogged with cutting board strips on its table at the moment.

I picked up two vises long ago, I'm guessing off of a craigslist ad. Here's the one that I want to mount on the left end of the bench. That wasn't originally in the design, but hey, it's My bench after all. It is a Morgan model 106A, which has a quick release action. I just cleaned it up with some PB blaster and a bit of WD-40 to keep the rust off of it.



I plan on putting a 12" wide set of wooden jaws to line the face. If I need to I'll put some leather in there as well, but that's down the road.

I'm going to add on to the left end of the bench, putting about 12 to 14" of laminated hardwood (ash, maple?) with dog holes in line with the vise.  There will also be a birds mouth so that I can add a planing board to the lower section where the vertical pipe clamps are, this will allow me to hold larger workpieces on end, for planing or routing tasks. I want to add two dog holes on the moving face of the vise.


I also picked up a belt sander the other day, nothing fancy, but hey, it's a new tool. I used it to smooth down a couple of small cutting boards, and only on one of them did I leave it in one place too long, dishing out the board a bit. I'm going to use it to get boards 95% smooth, then put them through for one light pass through the planer to level things out, at least until I pick up a drum sander.














Thursday, July 17, 2014

My 2014 woodworking Bucket List

Hi folks,  been a busy week at the daily grind, several thousand miles under the wheels since I started this blog. That's good for the wallet, not so good for shop time. I have loads of time for thought though, and this week I've been thinking about where I want the shop to 'go' as it were.

I'm Horrible about finishing projects, so this list is more of a wish list than a must-do list. That being said, putting 'pen to paper' (fingers to blogging keyboard?)  helps get me moving in Some direction, so here goes (in no particular order) :



  • Solar Heat project for my shop.  see Builditsolar.com
  • router insert in my table saw extension wing
  • tune up table saw
  • set up Wolverine under my grinder
  • tune up bench planes
  • add front vice to bench (here's a pic when I first built it... back in 2008
  • rebuild the entrance to my shop (new door & re-fit steps to shop)
  • install window on north wall (finally)
  • turn 5 bowls (small steps...)
  • make and sell 50 cutting boards
  • install drop ceiling in shop (to keep the heat in over the winter months)
  • finish the upper section of the shop (planning on working on that this weekend)
That ought to keep me busy though christmas. 

Thanks for checking in. Work safe!

Monday, July 14, 2014

What a short strange trip it's been

To paraphrase the Grateful Dead...

I just had a very surreal couple of minutes. I was doing a bit of account maintenance on google+ adding friends to circles, following some of the woodworking stars when I noticed Christopher Schwarz' name in a suggestion.

I just had to take a moment and appreciate that uber-strange world we share. Here I am just your average joe, and thanks to reaching out and making a couple of connections, suddenly I'm getting connected with some big names in the woodworking sphere of things.

I listen to Marc Matt & Shannon and they relate just how approachable these teachers are, and I believe them. It is still just a tad unreal to me though, that thanks to the internet, I have even that peripheral connection with a published author and teacher.

I suppose it isn't all that strange though when I truly think about it. A few years back I attended one of Bill Grumbine's 5 Barns gatherings. While there I made dozens of friends, not the least of which was Bill himself, but I also met Doug Thompson from Thompson lathe tools, Ellis Wallentine who runs the WoodCentral forums, and Andy DiPietro who is a phenomenal turner just to name a few.
 I mention all of this not to name drop, or to puff up with self importance. I know, really KNOW just who I am, an average guy who has a woodshop in his backyard. The really cool thing is that because of that interest, I've managed to meet many great folks.  However famous they are in our shared hobby/avocation/profession (depending on their level of fame, not mine),  To a man (not to exclude the women) they've been gracious with their time and always willing to share their expertise.  If you're new to the craft, I want to encourage you to reach out and ask questions, or simply to make a connection, you never know where it may lead!



Friday, July 11, 2014

I 'made the show!'

As I've mentioned, I listen to the guys when I am traveling around central NY. Today I was pleasantly surprised to hear Marc mention a segment about oil finish inhalation hazards in the shop overview....

I had emailed them a few weeks ago:








I've been woodworking about 15 years now, and I've found that I have a problem whenever I apply Watco Danish Oil. The results are great, I love how it pops the grain etc... woodworking wise, but whenever I apply it, I get a headache and am very lethargic for a day or so after I use it. I use Nitrile gloves, and my shop is well ventilated. I generally apply finish with the main shop door wide open on a bench near the exit (for all intents & purposes outdoors). I've had a similar reaction when I used a wiping varnish I picked up from Rockler; their Sam Maloof wipe on poly blend. This lethargy is so immediate that I have to essentially put on the finish, put the rag somewhere safe to dry, strip off the gloves and immediately lock up my shop and leave it overnight while I go inside and crash. 

I'll let you listen to their replies, suffice to say I was extremely pleased that they replied and with excellent advice at that!

Check out Episode 189: Grandma's got Big Needles !

Thanks again guys!

Dealing with Issues and not having a shop

Hi folks, thanks for checking (back?) in.

At the risk of veering away from my prior two posts, I thought I'd share a bit about dealing with issues which have interfered with my hobby/avocation, hopefully it will help others who may be facing or have faced similar situations.

As I mentioned in my last post, I took a hiatus, putting my tools in storage for a couple of years. Our house doesn't have a garage anymore (my wife's ex turned it into a family room/bedroom), nor does it have a basement. That left me with backyard woodworking or renting space somewhere else once I pulled my tools out of the shared shop.

I didn't Want to give up the shared shop, but neither could I afford the upkeep. I suppose I could have found another space somewhere, but I had my heart set on building my own shop. I'll leave that whole process to another post, suffice to say I had to save up awhile.
I've had my shop for almost 6 years (counting from when it was dried in). During the 'between years', I kept busy online in a couple of different forums, soaking up information wherever I could get it. I also focused on what features I wanted in my shop when I finally could afford to build it.

I brought a few tools home from time to time, especially my scroll saw. I could set that up on the porch, or in the living room and make some sawdust from time to time.  The big thing I managed to do was to keep the goal in mind as I scrimped and saved up to afford the build.

Since my shop went up I've had yet another hiatus and 'recovery'. Three years ago I moved my family from central NY to the beautiful Shenandoah valley of VA to be near family. Eventually that proved to be a 'bridge too far', and we migrated back to NY less than a year later. Luckily we hadn't sold our house in NY, so we simply hauled all of our gear back up and put it back in the house and shop.

I'm still getting things in order out there... after all what shop is truly 'done'? One of my biggest challenges is organization, and that's never going away completely no matter how hard I try to keep on top of things. Look for future posts about how I'm going to tackle the current mess out there.



Thursday, July 10, 2014

Thanks John! -A personal shop history of sorts

Welcome back!

In my last post, I gave a broad image of where I've been on this woodworking journey.  I briefly touched on how I went from a backyard woodworker to sharing two shops with my mentor; John.

No discussion of my journey would be complete without discussing John's influence and help. He wasn't a huge name in woodworking circles, but he did me a huge favor by taking me under his wing and teaching me some of the essential skills.

When I started out I had never used many of the major tools that a typical shop has.  I knew how to make cuts with a bandsaw (but nothing about set-up or blade changing), how to chuck up a bit and poke holes in a board at the drill press (and I suppose a drill/driver) and how not to sand my fingertips off using a belt/disc sander.  Circular saws weren't quite terrifying, but it was a close thing. Of course the only circular saw I'd ever used was this extremely homeowner grade Black & Decker plastic encased tool.

John didn't have big fancy tools, or a big fancy shop, but he had a big heart and welcomed this complete novice into his shop. He had mostly 60's vintage craftsman... drill press, jointer, sander and an 8" belt drive tablesaw:

That saw was vastly underpowered, but you know, it Was a belt drive tablesaw. It had a fence (barely) that Might stay at 90°, and absolutely one safety feature... the little yellow pull out thingamajig on the switch.

Every single time I used that saw I cringed... but I learned an incredibly valuable lesson from it: The blade is to be respected and you MUST  pay strict attention to where it is and where your fingers are in relation to it.









John had a pretty well set up shop all things considered, and I loved going over to putter around there. Here's his chopsaw stand. Nothing fancy saw wise... I think it came from Harbor Freight... but it was a sliding compound miter saw.

You can see his drill press, the lumber rack over the chopsaw station and ample supply of clamps.
















About a year or so into our partnership Rigid tools moved their manufacturing overseas to Taiwan, and Home depot cleared out all of the Emerson built saws. I splurged and picked up one of the 'last' 3612 table saws which soon replaced old reliable in our shop.
brand new 3612

New saw with tenoning jig
In those two photos you have a pretty complete view of most of the shop... it had concrete floor through most of it... zero insulation. Certainly not fancy, but definitely a Shop. 

We eventually 'outgrew' that space and wound up in local business incubator space. We became 'Madison Woodsmith'... we were there for two years before I split up the partnership. One of the biggest mistakes I've ever made, but far from the last I'm sure.










We had about a 30'x40' bay with high sloped ceilings:
The first pic was as you entered the space... acres of room! the loft was where we stored our lumber. there was a small utility room through that one door... I forget what we kept in there though.

the image on the right was looking down from the loft to my corner of the shop. We had a 4x7' outfeed/work table where my ridgid was the centerpiece of the shop.




Here was my messy workbench:
Eventually because of the rent steadily increasing, we split up the partnership and my tools went into storage for a couple of years.  In the long run I could have put up a shop with the rent I paid, but I didn't have it all in one pile until the 'right' tax check came in. 

Somehow in the between time I acquired a couple of new toyls: a  highly modified Harbor Freight bandsaw and a complete Delta Midi lathe. You'll see those in a future post... 


Not that I have anything approaching an outline for this post, but that pretty well wraps up where I did my woodworking back in the day. Again, I truly owe for what John taught me. I learned a lot of basic tool usage, drank way too much coffee and/or vanilla flavored coffee-ish drinks over the years with him. He didn't set out to be a mentor for me,  we were just two friends sharing a hobby together. In the end I suppose he was a very important teacher just the same. Thanks John!


Wednesday, July 9, 2014

Woodworking as a journey

Greetings, thank you for stopping by.  This is my brand new Blog in which I hope to share some interesting content about my journey as a woodworker.

 I suppose I started out as a woodworker in a small town in southern Lancaster County, PA.  As a young teenager I used to visit my cousins Lew, Alex, John-T & Marci for a couple of weeks during the summer months.  Lew had the most wonderful shop in the basement where he had a full compliment of tools. He taught me how to use a few of them, and I would tinker away in there using the bandsaw, drill press and belt/disc sander plus a few hand tools. I don't recall ever building anything of importance, but to this day I remember being extremely happy in the shop. Lew would always have Big Band music playing when he was in the shop,  I still think of him whenever I hear Glenn Miller et al.


Years later they moved to Florence SC, and at the time I was on the road doing portraiture.  I had weekends off, but whenever I could, I would give them a call, and then descend upon their house for a visit. Lew's shop had shrank a bit, he had a small shed out in the back yard as his man cave. I didn't make as much in those days, but it was still a haven I loved to visit.

Fast forward to the very end of the '90s. I moved back to NY after several years on the road. I set down roots back in central NY.  I lived for a time with my best friend Stu and his lovely wife Brenda, plus our good friend Helen.  Eventually though I re-connected with the love of my life Lori and moved in with her and our three handsome boys.  Part time at first, but eventually I was here full time.

As the boys got older, I wound up making things starting with a very basic set of tools which Lori's ex left her.  Nothing fancy, just a circular saw, jigsaw and a Workmate. I added a compound miter saw  to the mix when I built my first bed for our eldest son. In the beginning I worked in the side yard of our home, strictly a fair weather woodworker. If it rained, or simply when the sun went down I would have to put all the tools back in the garden shed.

I started hanging out on various woodworking forums, Woodnet,  the WWA, Sawmill Creek & Woodcentral just to name a few.  I think it was Woodnet where I met my mentor John. He and I got together for a cup of coffee in a local diner, chatted about woodworking awhile and he invited me to visit his shop. That visit led to another, and another, and suddenly I had a key to the shop and was over there all the time. It wasn't fancy, dirt and concrete floor, no insulation (not a good situation in central NY...) and hot and cold running chipmunks.

John and I toughed it out in the carriage house shop for a couple of years, then we got the itch to move up in the world. We rented space in a local business incubator, pooling our tools and resources and we spent a couple of years in the shop mahal. It was 30x40' of light industrial space, we had a lot of good shop time in there and I learned a lot. Eventually however it was too much rent for my budget and I pulled my tools out ending our partnership.

My tools went into a storage unit for a couple of years until I decided to invest in my shop. By this time I was a regular on the Family Woodworking forums. I've been taking a breather... mostly because of pressures off-line, but I firmly believe that FWW is one of the finest forums on the internet.
 I strongly suggest you visit and sign up if you're looking for a forum to participate in.

I had done my research and settled on a plan for a minibarn from Barnplans.com. I modified mine a bit, putting up 10' sidewalls instead of 8'. Here is a partially completed photo... I'll get an updated shot eventually. Don't hold your breath however. I've been known to take my time... building the shop took a couple of years, and it still has some rough edges. Keeps the rain off the tools though.


Along the way I've made loads of friends around the world wide woodworking web, far too many to list. You know who you are however, and though I may not say it often, you've all made an impact in my life. Thank you.

Recently I've 'discovered' podcasts, both traditional ones I listen to on my iPhone and those who publish on youtube and their own sites. My  Current favorite is Woodtalk Online,  Hosted by Marc Spagnolo of the Wood Whisperer, Matt Vanderlist of Matt's Basement Woodshop and Shannon Rogers of the Renaissance Woodworker.  I'm working my way through their archives, but I have a blast listening to them.  In one of those interesting twists, an old friend from way back when I first got online at the WWA is also a frequent contributor on woodtalk; Tom Iovino aka TampaTom whose site is Tomsworkbench.com.  It's cool to see his success, and I can say with pride "I knew him way back when...".  I wonder if I ever 'bumped into' Marc when he was on the WWA back in the day as well.  Judging by some of the history he's shared on woodtalk we were both on that forum, as well as others such as woodnet at the same time. Things that make you go hmm...

I drive for work... Most nights I'm behind the wheel at Least 4 to 5 hours (I deliver meds to nursing homes).  As a result I have a Bunch of time where I want and/or need something to keep my mind active. I've gone through about 3/4 of the Woodtalk archives in the past month and a half.  I suppose that listening to the guys each night has inspired me to start this blog. I don't know where I'll take it yet, after all my journey to this point has been a long circuitous route.  I realized last night that I'm also an internet age woodworker and there is room enough for one more woodworking blog.

For those who are so inclined, look for the email link somewhere on the right column as well. I can be reached at artisanboards@gmail.com. I'm also on twitter as @artisanboards. Hope to hear from you soon!

Ned


edit:
 Did a little poking around on the WWA, unless Marc hung around through the mid 2000's we weren't 'there' at the same time. Beach Boy... TampaTom and I were both 'class of 2003' though.