Well, now that the legs have all been attached it was time to start the shaping of the leg to seat joints. If you’ve been following along, you know that there was a good amount of material that at each joint location that needed to be removed and sculpted into the seat to be more graceful and aesthetically pleasing. Especially on the front legs, where the glued-up leg blanks offered a built-in clamping block for attaching the legs, there was quite a bit of material to take away.
Before diving in to the sculpting efforts I performed one more operation on the arms. This was to prepare the arm to rear-leg joint. To do this, I first cleaned up each of the rear legs at the arm joint location. These were still rough from the original band sawing. I just did this with a few swipes of a sharp block plane. Next, I clamped each arm at the front leg transition area and adjusted it so that it was fairly tight against the rear leg at the joint location. Because the angles were no perfectly matched, these joints needed to be trued to one-another. This was done with some strips of 100-grit sand paper between the two pieces at the joint. I pulled the sand paper through the joint, pulling away from the side that the grit was on so that I did not round over the edges of the pieces. This took a while with the grit alternating from the arm-side to the rear leg side. After a bit of work I had good tight joints. After I had done this and ripped several strips of sand paper in the process, I thought about putting some strapping/packing tape on the back side of the sand paper to strengthen it – I’ll file that idea away for the next time I have to do this which will be when I fit the rockers to the chair.
With all of the possibilities of stalling exhausted, I arrived at the point where I needed to again take the angle grinder to the chair. After all of the work so far, I was both excited to start the sculpting as well as a bit concerned over this step. This work was done with the angle grinder and a 36-grit disk so material was going to be removed very quickly.
I started with the relatively simple task of leveling the joints between the rear legs and the seat. This got me again used to the motions necessary to smoothly move the grinder and the aggressiveness of the stock removal. Next I moved to the front legs for the more complex of the sculpting tasks. The difficulty here was two-fold: first, sculpt the leg to reveal a smooth curve between the leg and the seat and leaving a continuous line of the front leg; second in doing so, work to move the transition of the joint between the leg and the seat away from the corner. The second point was necessary in order to achieve a smooth curve between the legs and seat without having an abrupt 90-degree corner. Surprisingly, this was accomplished by grinding further into the side of the leg – effectively moving the joint line away from the corner!
In the pictures you can see the progression of the sculpting on the front legs. The first picture shows the original joint. Each subsequent picture shows the steps of removing material to sculpt the leg into the seat. Note how the joint line moves from the corner outward. This was helped on the front side of the leg by relieving the front corner of the seat to allow better access for the grinder.
The last thing to do before putting the grinder on the shelf for a while was to form a round-over along the top and bottom of the seat sides in between the legs. To do this I first marked a line along the edge about ½” in from the corner. I then chamfered between these lines with the grinder trying to keep a smooth line. After that I made smaller chamfers along each edge to create the round-over.
Of course, all of this sculpting will still require more work with the rasp, files and sand paper to complete the job. But, for now the chair is starting to look more sculpted.
Tags: angle grinder, arm joint, Sculpted Rocking Chair, sculpting
Next in the series of reviews of DVD’s from the SmartFlix Woodworking University, I’d like to review the DVD: Wood Finishing Basics by Michael Dresdner. This DVD is one of many DVD’s produced by Taunton Press for Fine Woodworking.
Wood finishing is one of the areas of woodworking that seems to confound many woodworkers. It seems that there is always much trepidation after spending many hours in the woodshop making a beautiful piece of furniture that all of that work can be spoiled by a poor finishing job – and of course, it can! Well, I guess we all either have to live with unfinished furniture pieces or we have to learn the proper ways to prep and finish our projects so that we can obtain the results we are looking for.
Michael Dresdner is a woodworker and wood finishing expert that has worked in many professional finishing shops and written about wood finishing for many woodworking publications over the years. In this DVD, Michael aims to arm the viewer with the necessary information and techniques to: prepare a surface for finishing and to achieve professional results with one of several different types of finishes. Although this DVD is a bit older now, the information presented is just as relevant today as it was when the DVD was first released.
Dresdner starts with a thorough treatise on surface preparation and sanding. As Dresdner states – no finish will cover the sins of a poorly prepared surface – the steps to a flawless finish start with the proper and thorough surface prep. In the DVD, Dresdner takes the viewer through the techniques of both power and hand sanding and discusses the properties of many of the sandpaper products on the market today.
With the surface prepared on several projects, Dresdner then shows techniques for three different hand-applied finishes: a wax finish, hand rubbed polyurethane varnish finish and shellac and wax finish. Using everyday products and simple techniques the viewer is shown practical methods to obtain very acceptable finishes that will work well on many different types of woodworking projects.
Next, Dresdner visits Chris Minick, who shows how to brush on a flawless polyurethane varnish finish. This segment discusses thinning the finish for better flow, various types of brushes and proper brushing technique. The rapport between Dresdner and Minick in the segment is a bit corny however; the information that is relayed about brushing is both useful and complete. Watching Dresdner and Minick brush the finish on a couple of nightstands shows just how easy a good quality brushed-on finish can be to obtain.
Finally, Dresdner covers the principles of spray finishing showing a home-made spray booth and several types of spray-finishing tools. During this discussion he covers how to develop a methodology for spraying a complicated piece like a chair as well as adjusting tools for different spray patterns for optimal results. The spraying is followed by a thorough segment on how to clean spray equipment in order to keep it in top operating condition.
This DVD should provide any woodworker with the basic information necessary to understand surface preparation, the pros and cons of different finishes and different finishing methods. Whether wiping on, brushing or spraying the basics of the techniques are all covered in this DVD. With this info any woodworker will be armed with the skills and strategies to obtain professional quality finishes in a home workshop.
Don’t forget, if you are a new customer and interested in renting these DVD’s, SmartFlix has offered readers of The Craftsman’s Path a $2 discount coupon for your use. Simply use the coupon code: CRAFTPATH when you check out!
Next in the series of reviews of DVD’s from the SmartFlix Woodworking University, I’d like to review the DVD: Basic Box Making by Doug Stowe. This DVD is one of many DVD’s produced by Taunton Press for Fine Woodworking.
Doug Stowe is a woodworker from Eureka Springs, Arkansas and he has been known for his wooden box making for many years. This DVD is a companion to his book: Basic Box Making and it covers the design and construction of his boxes as well as many of the jigs and techniques that he uses to make them.
Box making is something that has always appealed to me. The scale and scope of the work are such that beautiful and functional objects can be made with minimal material and in a relatively short time. However, if you have ever made a wooden box, you quickly realize that a good deal of precision and detailed woodworking is required to execute one properly. This DVD aims to demonstrate the skills and techniques required for every woodworker to do just that.
It is evident from this DVD that Stowe is a very good teacher. He covers things carefully, and clearly, and in terms that a novice can understand. However, that is not to say that the material covered in the DVD is elementary. In fact, this is one of the better woodworking DVD’s that I’ve seen. During the presentation of his box making techniques, Stowe covers the basics of wood movement and the stock preparation steps necessary to take rough stock to the point where the joinery can be cut for each box. This info will benefit any woodworker in his or her quest toward any kind of woodworking project, not just wooden boxes.
Along the way, various jigs and techniques are covered as Stowe produces several elegant boxes made from domestic hardwoods. Stowe actually takes the viewer through the construction and use of most of the jigs that he uses in his work. Some of these are the: cross-cut, miter, box-joint and miter key sleds for the table saw and a spline cutting jig for the router table. This is a big plus for viewers that may think that lots of expensive equipment is necessary to do accurate and precise work. Stowe’s approach is decidedly low-tech but extremely effective. This is evidenced in his discussion on jig building, including his router-table which is as simple and elegant as it gets!
The DVD also includes the construction of several box designs as well as discussions on sanding and finishing and hardware installation. Stowe’s flipping story stick method for routing hinge mortises on the router table and attaching box hinges is worth the rental alone. Throughout the DVD there are many other bits of knowledge from a seasoned woodworker/designer that are vary valuable in their own right – and as an added bonus the viewer gets to see how several beautiful boxes are made! The designs that Stowe builds are a foundation for many other types of wooden boxes that can be made on the woodshop. If you’ve ever considered making a wooden box this DVD is one that you should see.
Don’t forget, if you are a new customer and interested in renting these DVD’s, SmartFlix has offered readers of The Craftsman’s Path a $2 discount coupon for your use. Simply use the coupon code: CRAFTPATH when you check out!
The moment of truth finally arrived and it was time to glue up some of the parts of the chair that have been worked on for some time now. I can tell you that with so much time put into creating these parts and knowing how fast a botched glue-up can occur, it was with some trepidation that I approached this task.
Before doing any glue-ups I needed to create some transition blocks that will sit atop the front legs where they will join into the arms. These blocks started as 3″ by 5″ blocks at about 1 1/2″ thick and will get sculpted into the arms and legs after they are mounted with glue and screws. Because of the compound angles of the front legs the angles for the screw holes were marked by eye to align with both angles of the front legs. This was done on adjacent faces of the transition blocks with a white pencil. Then the blocks were put into a vise at the drill press so that both of the lines were set square to the table and the screw holes were drilled.
With the holes in the transition blocks drilled, the blocks were held in position on top of the legs and the holes were started into the tops of the front legs. These holes were drilled to depth after removing the blocks to allow the bit to reach full depth. Next, glue was applied to the tops of the legs and the underside of the transition blocks and the screws were put in aligning the inside faces of the blocks with the inside edge of the front leg joints.
After the glue on the transition blocks dried, curves were laid out on two faces of the blocks. These curves were done such that they can be sawed on the band saw and/or ground away to fair the legs into the arms. I cut two ends of the blocks on the band saw but kept the offcuts to help later with clamping to the arms. The remaining material will be ground away when shaping the legs into the arms.
I spent a good deal of time dry fitting both the front and rear legs into their respective joints and dry clamping the assemblies to check the fit of the joints. Because of time passing between the initial fitting of these joints the wood has dried out and a few small gaps appeared. As a result I needed a couple of tiny shims the close the gaps. Finally satisfied with the fit of the joints I moved on to the glue up.
I can tell you that the few words that I write here will not convey the amount of prep work and effort involved in the glue up of the legs. The rear legs were first and involved using a couple of 6 degree wedges to apply clamping pressure appropriately. The joints were glues with a liberal coating of Titebond III one legs at a time. Once the first leg was fully seated, then the other leg could be glued before clamps were applied. After the clamping the excess glue was wiped away with a dry towell and the joints were left to dry over night.
The next day, it was time for the glue up of the front legs. I rigged a temporary support to hold the chair up as the first legs was being glued. The other leg was left in place as a clamping point until the first joint had fully seated. Then the other leg could be glued and the clamps were applied. No clamping blocks were needed because the front legs have a “built-in” set of blocks in the excess material at the joint that will eventually be ground away to fair the legs into the the seat.
Tags: glue up, Sculpted Rocking Chair
Next in the series of reviews of DVD’s from the SmartFlix Woodworking University, this time I review the DVD: Router Joinery by Gary Rogowski. This DVD is one of many DVD’s produced by Taunton Press for Fine Woodworking.
This DVD highlights the use of what is arguably the most versatile power tool in a woodworking shop, for joinery tasks. Rogowski is a well-spoken teacher and in this DVD he clearly covers most all of the basic information necessary to get started using the router for various joinery tasks used to make furniture.
Included in the DVD are discussions on the various types of routers and their uses as well as descriptions of the cutting action of the tool and how it can be safely used in both free handed and router table orientations. Simple animations show the cutting action of the bit as material is cut using various techniques. Rogowski covers standard cutting and climb-cutting operations and when each should be used. This information is definitely valuable for the novice user of the router to understand in order to avoid possible accidents with the tool.
Rogowski illustrates various joinery techniques including: dados, groves, rebates, half-laps, mortise and tenon joints (with both traditional and loose tenons), and through and half-blind dovetails using simple commercial jigs. In this age where woodworking gizmo’s are available for nearly every possible job, Rogowski’s demonstration and use of a no frills router table made from a single piece of melamine and a single board fence is particularly refreshing. The techniques that he shows for making and adjusting joinery on this simple router table are well worth the rental fee of the DVD. Also shown are some other simple jigs used for mortising and dadoing operations with the router.
While no router DVD would be complete without showing the cutting of dovetails using a router and jig, it is notable that Rogowski uses probably the most simple of jigs available for his demonstrations of both through and half-blind dovetails. In doing so, he illustrates that perfect dovetails can be achieved with simple tools and a bit of attention to setups while testing in scrap wood.
For anyone new to the router and interested in exploring its potential for making furniture joints, this DVD would be a good starting point to become educated. The router is a versatile tool and with some basic knowledge and simple setups and jigs, a great deal of furniture joinery tasks can be accomplished both safely and extremely accurately.
Don’t forget, if you are a new customer and interested in renting these DVD’s, SmartFlix has offered readers of The Craftsman’s Path a $2 discount coupon for your use. Simply use the coupon code: CRAFTPATH when you check out!
Tags: dovetails, half lap, mortise, router joinery, tenon
