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Phil, Logan, and John are again at the ShopNotes Podcast speaking about “What Grinds Your Chisels” and different updates on the newest factor of PopWood Mag and so a lot more!
In finding all the ShopNotes podcast episodes right here.
Product Suggestions
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Twas the eve ahead of Christmas, a chippie put down his gear, swept the store flooring, and positioned the gear away for a couple of days’ relaxation. His fingers, aching greater than standard, and his frame, gave the impression extra wearied than standard. The loneness of end, finalising issues, nobody else can do, rests on his shoulders. Questions glide in, out, from side to side and throughout with each and every brush stroke skimming the picket with silent liquid flowing out and the gentle displays his care.
It used to be Christmas eve when those panels got here in combination. Mesquite for the centre panel and the frieze on all sides of the oak and ebony stripes.
I keep in mind the years when beds and eating tables had been ‘wanted’ for Christmas supply as even though lifestyles relied on it and the paintings that took me repeatedly into overdue nights, early mornings after which via the night time too needed to be executed. How wearied I felt turning in on time after a four-hour commute each techniques. Such are the days of the lone makers.
Those are the credenzas in position a couple of years after supply. Nonetheless taking a look logo new, I can’t assume of a higher state of affairs for them to be in. I confess to a deep happiness and thankfulness for the present in designing those items. Few items can fit the alternative given to me in what we did right here. See how a lot darker they’re now than once we delivered them. Comparability under.
In 2008 the order for 2 mesquite credenzas got here in — no longer too many days ahead of the Christmas vacation. Then midway via the supply date used to be modified, introduced ahead from the twenty fourth of January to the nineteenth; at some point ahead of President Obama’s Inauguration. The credenzas needed to be in position the day ahead of. I recall an hour in line with day’s sleep for 3 days for me.
I finished the design above 3 weeks ahead of Christmas and began it two weeks ahead of. There are two of those, one all sides of the door resulting in the Oval Workplace in the Cupboard Room. It’s going to have truly taxed us to drag it in combination and ship by means of the nineteenth of January however we did it! We did paintings Christmas day too even though.
My enjoyment in making at all times overcomes the weariness I infrequently really feel in the positive processes of pulling and pushing, lifting, putting, shoving, stretching and compressing. Each time I make my thoughts focal point on the individual I’m making for. This turns out at all times to secure me. Such is the energy and dynamic of designing and making. In some ways I’m grateful to not have shoppers in line with see, and that the entirety I now make comes from my internal being the place the design formulates in a gentle succession of preplanned steps. To explain paintings as pleasure turns out to a few an ordinary factor. I believe few have the pleasure of 3-dimensional making in a subject matter this is so numerous. My granddaughter’s child crib got here in conjunction with all the wanted joints in a little while. I used to be happy for the joints after I noticed the three-year-old status with each toes inside of it despite the fact that it’s however a foot lengthy.
This used to be from a few years in the past. I made it for my granddaughter’s Christmas provide. Quarter-sawn offcuts principally. I used housing dadoes right through. It’s the best piece I ever made with hearts in it.
Those appear small and senseless issues, however I took inventory of my mom’s request for quite a lot of chopping forums via the years. She most popular small and skinny to clunky, chunky and heavy that turns out the extra prevalent in kitchens nowadays. I relied on what she mentioned in her ingenious talents and that comes with her kitchen talents past the dressmaking she labored at as a full-time year-round maker.
Produced from mesquite, those forums and spatulas won’t ever crack, warp in anyway and face up to any of the standard picket inclinations. I came upon that maple used to be perhaps to crack, twist and warp by means of comparability. Put six-inch huge mesquite in a bucket of water in a single day and it expands an insignificant 2mm, put every other picket in the similar bucket and so they all increase 10mm minimal.
That is one in every of my closing items this yr. It’s the best one in every of its type in the global. A hand-made, hand-cut dovetailed Zassenhaus espresso grinder made out of mesquite minimize down from a tree I took from Texas 30 years in the past in a wasteland tour close to the place I lived. I got rid of all of the steel parts to reinstall them in my handwork. I completely loved this actual paintings as it’s for one in every of my kids who I do know will treasure it for the years yet to come.
I’m really not at all times positive why I really like making easy items like this. Mainly, I replicated what already existed that used to be well-made sufficient however then I added a couple of options of my very own. One function used to be so as to add some inside of diverters in order that the grindings didn’t land on the rim of the drawer after grinding and thereby drop the powder in all places the countertop. I added a tensioned metal leaf spring to the facets of the drawer in order that the drawer self-centred in the opening. I believed the lateral openness all sides of the unique drawer about 4mm on each and every facet, used to be to permit both for enlargement if rainy or gravelly powder from the espresso grounds. After all, the dovetails right through the field back and front and to the drawer had been for sure an improve.
This stand is for a dangling crystal gentle catcher in the type of a around prism. Flip the strings a couple of instances and it rotates at pace and slows to a gentle reciprocating spin to spin rainbows in refracted gentle round the room.
Cellular gentle catcher stands on the window sill the place the prisms cut up the gentle into brilliant colors that spin off the partitions and ceilings. It’s a easy present made out of strips of scrap picket from my newest venture.
I made this one from 1/8″ mesquite and 1/16″ beech. The stem I tenoned via the foot with two shoulders left and proper. Easy to make most commonly with a spokeshave for shaping after which scraping with a skinny scraper that bends to the contour.
Smartly, this has after all been and nonetheless is my way of life. Not anything of the previous 58 years full-time day by day making would I modify. I made possible choices for this long term planing at age 15 in 1965 and right here on the cusp of 2023 I’m nonetheless making. Who’d have concept that conceivable?
I am hoping that you’ve a phenomenal Christmas. Thanks for spurring me on in the supply of my craft into your fingers, for perpetuating the lifetime of an insignificant chippie following in the steps of his Maker
We’re ultimate out our reprint of the “Stanley Tools Catalogue No. 34,” and are promoting last copies for $10 every, merely to disencumber area at the warehouse cabinets. Each and every acquire comes with a loose PDF replica – as soon as the 450 (or so) print copies are offered out, we’ll proceed to supply a loose PDF of the 1914 catalogue right here at the weblog.
This catalog presentations just about each and every software wanted in a hand-tool store 100 years in the past, from the chisels to the butt gauges to each and every kind of aircraft within the corporate’s line. The textual content explains what every one is used for and the way it purposes in a different way from different equivalent gear.
The catalog additionally has implausible exploded perspectives of most of the advanced gear, corresponding to Stanley’s miter bins, the multi-planes and handplanes. It’s an excellent useful resource to have available at a device meet or vintage marketplace – now not simplest to spot antique gear, however to peer if all of the portions are intact.
If you’re simply entering hand gear, we predict you’ll to find this catalog a pleasure to learn, hang and be informed from. The tips in it’s factual and easy – now not the puffery you get from many trendy catalogs. And should you gather or admire antique hand gear, we predict you’ll love this catalog, which reproduces the antique drawings with outstanding readability.
As soon as those are long past, we don’t seem to be reprinting. So get it now or endlessly hang your (Harvey) peace.
Thank you everybody for taking the time to hope us all a Merry and Glad Christmas! It was once a satisfying time of leisure and sport for me and catching up on issues we save and savour for this distinctive destroy. I’m thankful that a minimum of two individuals of my circle of relatives like to prepare dinner so we had some delicious foods flanked by way of periods of storybook studying, kitten taking part in, and paying attention to track all over the times. We experimented with espresso and chocolate, making an attempt on new garments and socks however the most productive bit was once the heat I felt from all that we labored via to make lifestyles occur remaining yr.
Those palms have provided all of my wishes and the wishes of my friends and family and now they succeed in around the globe to coach hundreds of others.
And it isn’t over. The bit between Christmas and New Yr reinforces the desire and advantage of leisure and restoration. Rigidity unencumber is vital to us all. Taking the foot off the pedal and the arms off the mallet isn’t at all times simple for us all however I would possibly counsel that strolling will do you excellent whether or not you’re in New York Town or the rurals of France. My making within the bodily is over till the New Yr now. The mattress is all however completed and begins the brand new yr collection. I didn’t plan that however it was once highest to complete 2022 with the eating room and get started 2023 with the bedrooms upstairs. Neat, unscheduled and unplanned for.
It nonetheless amazes me that the similar palms I first picked a aircraft up with proceed to improve my lifestyles as a complete time maker.
Thank you all in your very encouraging phrases. A few of you’ve gotten informed me how your bodily hearts are such a lot more potent from doing woodworking. I’m no scientific skilled so I can’t say greater than workout is most often excellent for us. What I do love is phrases. Inspire is a superb phrase. Inspire comes from an outdated French phrase, ‘encoragier‘. What a good looking idea that we’d make our hearts sturdy sufficient within the face of an enemy to our wellbeing by way of merely operating persistently with our palms, minds and hearts. Way of life woodworking works for me and has completed so for as regards to six successive many years with out fail. Wouldn’t have modified a factor!
Bean – newly launched from his “don’t lick your nether areas collar” – is worked up in an effort to get this as regards to the rest, a lot much less a recent batch of the wax that is helping to shop for him treats.
Katherine (aka the Wax Princess) has a recent batch of Soft Wax 2.0 in her retailer – simply in time for this week’s chair magnificence.
That is the end Chris makes use of on his chairs, and that I take advantage of on the whole thing that isn’t painted. I particuarly like it on walnut and cherry – it warms up the grain and brings out its good looks (in addition to providing simply sufficient simply renewable coverage), plus it softens my hand and scents excellent.
Katherine chefs up this wax within the Lost Art Press device room the use of a waterless procedure. She then applications it in a tricky glass jar with a steel screw-top lid. She applies her hand-designed label to every lid, containers up the jars and ships them in a sturdy cardboard mailer. The cash she makes from wax is helping her make ends meet in school. Directions for the wax are under. You’ll be able to watch a video of how you can use the wax right here.
Directions for Soft Wax 2.0 Soft Wax 2.0 is a protected end for naked wooden this is extremely simple to use and imparts a gorgeous low luster to the wooden.
The end is made by means of cooking uncooked, natural linseed oil (from the flax plant) and mixing it with cosmetics-grade beeswax and a small quantity of a citrus-based solvent. The result’s that this end may also be implemented with out particular protection apparatus, reminiscent of a respirator. The one protection warning is to dry the rags out flat you used to use ahead of throwing them away. (All linseed oil generates warmth because it remedies, and there’s a small however actual likelihood of the rags catching fireplace if they’re bunched up whilst rainy.)
Soft Wax 2.0 is a perfect end for items that shall be touched so much, reminiscent of chairs, became gadgets and spoons. The end does now not construct a movie, so the wooden seems like wooden – now not plastic. As a result of of this, the wax does now not supply a robust barrier in opposition to water or alcohol. In the event you apply it to counter tops or a kitchen desk, it is very important contact it up each every now and then. Merely upload just a little extra Soft Wax to a deteriorated end and the restore is finished – no stripping or further chemical substances wanted.
Soft Wax 2.0 isn’t supposed for use over a movie end (reminiscent of lacquer, shellac or varnish). It’s best used on naked wooden. Then again, you’ll be able to practice it over a porous end, reminiscent of milk paint.
APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS (VERY IMPORTANT): Making use of Soft Wax 2.0 is very easy for those who observe the straightforward directions. On naked wooden, practice a skinny coat of comfortable wax the use of a rag, applicator pad, 3M grey pad or metal wool. Permit the end to soak in about quarter-hour. Then, with a blank rag or towel, wipe all of the floor till it feels dry. Don’t go away any extra end at the floor. In the event you do go away some in the back of, the wooden gets gummy and sticky.
The end shall be dry sufficient to make use of in a pair hours. After a pair weeks, the oil shall be absolutely cured. After that, you’ll be able to upload a 2nd coat (or now not). A 2nd coat will upload extra sheen and just a little extra coverage to the wooden.
Soft Wax 2.0 is made in small batches in Kentucky. Every glass jar comprises 8 oz.. of comfortable wax, sufficient for roughly 5 chairs.
From Mark Harrell, founding father of Unhealthy Awl Device Works:
I’ve offered Unhealthy Awl to my workers and will now segue into my mid-60’s nonetheless concerned with the corporate Yvonne and I based—instructing seminars and restoring antique saws—however now I’ll have extra time for my circle of relatives, writing my noticed e book, and finishing some woodworking tasks of my very own.
On November 15th, I passed the reins over to Cassandra Dahlen and Sam Rupprecht, the dynamic duo I educated run Unhealthy Awl, and to whom I’ve now offered the corporate—in partnership with our neighbor and co-owner, Steve, who has more and more absorbed our production requirement over the last two years.
Nonetheless part of the Unhealthy Awl group, Harrell now holds the placement of Leader Marketing consultant for the emblem whilst additionally that specialize in servicing antique saws in his store subsequent door, proceeding to behavior quarterly weekend and complicated seminars below his new banner at sawsharp.com.
Lee Valley Gear makes a different announcement
Copying any person else’s design and assuming it as your personal–particularly for benefit–isn’t ok. Learn what Robin C. Lee, CEO of Lee Valley Gear, has to mention about it right here.
From Heartwood Gear:
Made via Jon Joffe Device Works, this wooden deal with is made to suit the Accu-Burr™ Burnisher rod and bronze ferrules. It is important to bring together the rod, ferrules, and deal with(s) into a whole instrument. Epoxy is the beneficial adhesive to connect the rod and ferrule to the wooden deal with. Completed with Danish oil. To be had in American Pear, Beech, Cherry, Madrone, and Walnut.
From Woodpeckers:
From Blue Spruce Toolworks:
The brand new Deluxe Mortising Gauge via Blue Spruce Toolworks highlights vintage design with fashionable fabrics. The four-knife design way you’ll be able to mark unmarried traces, in addition to double for all kinds of programs from dovetail baselines to mortise-and-tenon joinery to dadoes, grooves, and inlays.
From Woodcraft:
From Harbor Freight:
This visor-mounted magnifying set supplies six ranges of hands-free magnification with a large perspective view plus a integrated eye loupe. Two ranges of LED mild for transparent, detailed viewing.
New instrument listings from Taylor Toolworks
In case you have a device unlock or information merchandise you’d like thought to be for our new, weekly roundup of woodworking information, ship it to [email protected].
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John Wintry weather educating his 1 day elegance in November
I do know that is brief realize however I believed that any one no longer too a ways away would experience this advent to woodworking. Following the good fortune of John (my former apprentice)’s first fingers-on workshop in November, we discovered a slot for him to show a 2nd one on Friday the thirteenth of January 2023. John is the use of my curriculum as a foundation to show his elegance. I advanced this workshop 30 years in the past after I too started to show the ones eager about hand-instrument strategies of operating picket. I wrote and advanced my very own curriculum in mild of the truth that none existed with the substance and intensity it had to go at the talents from a craftsman’s viewpoint. Many 1000’s have handed thru this advent to put a company basis, get started out realizing what sharp is and what gear did what, find out how to sharpen and set them up after which which joints are crucial to these operating with hand gear by myself. I imagine that this one-day workshop is very important for the ones beginning out or certainly who paintings picket however have by no means in fact labored with hand gear.
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It’s a small and compact elegance of 5, join once conceivable to be sure to identify your bench house. It will simply be the most efficient store instrument you ever purchase.
This seven-stick comb-back chair is constructed from a 2,000-year-old oak tree that was once preserved in a Polish lavatory and lately harvested. The wooden, which is exceptional and tough to {photograph}, varies from charcoal black to an exquisite olive to a heat chestnut brown.
This chair is considered one of my more recent designs; it makes use of a four-piece arm (for balance) and a skinny shoe, which streamlines the glance by means of getting rid of visible bulk from the arm. It additionally is among the maximum at ease chairs I make.
This chair is ready up for common use. The again leans 12° off the seat, and the seat is tilted 3°, so the again leans 15° off the ground. The seat is 16-3/4″ above the ground, which is a great top for many sitters. Total, the chair is 38-1/2″ tall and there may be 19″ between the hands.
Like several my chairs, the joints are assembled with cover glue and oak wedges, so the joints are sturdy however may also be simply repaired by means of long run generations. The lavatory oak is completed with a home-cooked linseed oil/wax end that has no toxic solvents. The end gives low coverage, however it’s simple to reapply as wanted (with out a particular abilities or gear) by means of the landlord.
Buying the Chair
This chair is being bought by means of silent public sale. (I’m sorry however the chair can’t be shipped out of doors the U.S.) If you want to purchase the chair, ship an electronic mail to [email protected] sooner than 3 p.m. (Jap) on Tuesday, Jan. 17. Within the electronic mail please use the topic line “Chair Sale” and come with your:
First identify and ultimate identify
U.S. delivery deal with
Daylight telephone quantity (that is for the trucking quote best)
Your bid (don’t overlook this…)
Delivery choices: You’re welcome to pick out up the chair right here in Covington, Ky., and in addition get a unfastened yardstick and pencil. I’m glad to ship the chair in my opinion totally free inside of 100 miles of Cincinnati, Ohio. Or we will be able to send it to you by means of LTL. The associated fee varies (particularly in this day and age), however it’s most often between $200 and $500.
One ultimate observe: I purchased about part of this lavatory oak boule with a pal (hello, Andy!). I estimate I’ve sufficient wooden for roughly 5 – 6 extra lavatory oak stick chairs. So there might be extra at some point. Alternatively, I will not say precisely when. The wooden is moderately tricky to paintings, so I’ve to house those chairs out a little bit to offer myself a ruin.
Alternatively, I will be able to say that the additional effort is worthwhile. I want I may find the money for to stay this type of chairs for myself. The wooden is surprising.
I believe there may be attractiveness in fast, easy-to-make, one-time-use jigs, however I’ll admit it, I’m a sucker for over-complicated jigs. In truth, I’ll argue that in the event you’re going for versatility, there’s no such factor as too advanced of a jig. Through the appearance of his box-joint and tenon jig, I’m beautiful positive Carmonius Finsnickeri of Sweden concurs with me. For some, part of the joys of woodworking is making jigs. If I minimize extra box-joints, I may simply see including this one to my venture checklist.
Phase one above, phase one underneath!
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As is custom at this level, we’ve hijacked Paul’s weblog lately to pray him a more than happy birthday! Do ship your highest needs to Paul within the feedback! We stay up for any other 12 months of constructing, educating and ruminating at the artwork and craft of woodworking.
As excellent as he’s at woodworking, Paul additionally excels at striking you comfy and elevating a grin!
Happy Birthday, Paul! You might be one in one million!
