Lost Art Press

Author: meghanlostartpress

Carve the Seat

Posted on by meghanlostartpress

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This is an excerpt from “Chairmaker’s Notebook” written and illustrated by Peter Galbert. 

When I set out to make my first chair, there were parts of the process that I did not even know existed. But there was one part that I knew I wanted to do: carve the seat.

I got into woodworking for this kind of fun. Watching the shavings fly as the seat shape comes into focus is hypnotic and thrilling. Making a chair should begin with the various green wood parts so that they will be dry when the seat carving is done, but I suspect that most folks head right to the seat carving and build the rest of the chair around it. And when I started out, I was no exception. I couldn’t even wait to build an actual chair, so I glued up a bunch of 2x4s and used a gouge and a bent piece of steel to hog out a crude seat.

Beyond referring to a seat as oval-, D- or shield- shaped, it actually is an “un-nameable” shape. While it has hollows and humps that follow a distinct logic, there is no simple way to describe it. I think of it as a landscape, full of hills and valleys. To arrive at this complex shape in a consistent and timely way requires a set of steps, each one paving the way for the next. No single step is ambiguous; in the end, the overall shape, while tough to describe, is consistent and clear.

Carving the seat affects just about every surface of the workpiece, so being able to hold the seat in a number of positions is critical. I always leave the extra material adjoining the back of the seat in place until the last step of carving the underside at the back. This way, I can always clamp the waste area without dinging the soft pine, and when I clamp it to the corner of my bench, I can easily move around the seat to come in from the desired direction.

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Clamping the work to carve the seat.

Before I carve under the front edge of the seat, I can clamp the seat between the vise’s dog and a bench dog because the material being compressed gets carved away later. For the initial adze work, I clamp the seat to my shavehorse, which puts the blank at a comfortable height to use the small hand adze that I prefer.

I’ve also had great success using a podium-type support that sits on my bench. This is great when using the small hand adze because you can flip the seat in various orientations without having to move clamps, plus the force of the blows is countered by the lip at the bottom of the holding platform.

When Steel Meets Wood –Tips for Clean Cuts

Once you’ve begun to envision the wood as a bundle of fibers and understand how a tool is configured to cut them, it’s time to put these two bits of knowledge together to get proper results. Regardless of which type of tool you are using, it’s important to know there is always a technique that can deliver clean, controlled cuts.

Clean results when carving are usually achieved by moving or pointing the tool in a specific direction. Cutting in the wrong direction usually leads to rough and uncontrollable results as the tool slips between the fibers and causes the wood to split in advance of the cutter.

In the chapter Shaving & Shaping Parts, I introduced shaving, which is like controlled splitting, but for now, let’s focus on achieving clean cuts when cutting across the fibers.

Looking back to the structure of the wood, it’s important to note that any time you see a surface pattern other than long strips running perfectly from one end of the board to the other, you are looking at exposed end grain. This is the common “cathedral” patterning seen on the surface of most sawn boards. Because the surface has exposed end grain, a specific direction of cut will yield good results.

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Learn to read the bers of boards. Anywhere that the lines on the surface curve or angle in relation to the surfaces, there is exposed end grain. Cutting into exposed end grain can cause a split to run beneath the surface.
Most folks encounter this concept when deciding which direction to plane a board. I think of planing a board as a form of carving because the same rules of grain direction apply – you are simply “carving” a flat shape.

When planing a board, the direction that the fibers ascend from the lower face determines the best direction to plane the surface. This is usually referred to as cutting “downhill.”

When pushed “uphill,” the cutting edge slides between the fibers, follows them and causes a splitting action to occur ahead of the cutter. The damage is limited by the depth of cut, the sole and the chipbreaker, but the increased effort and diminished surface quality are not desirable.

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How to plane “downhill” (bottom image) by following the fibers in a board.

A favorite comparison when contemplating planing is to think of petting a cat or dog. If you stroke the fur from head to tail, it lies down smoothly and your hand never slips down to the skin. If you pet from tail to head, your hand slides under the fur, causing the fibers to stand up and the animal to get annoyed. I’m pretty sure we’ve all had a cat and board glare back at us after such a transgression.

While you can determine the direction of cut based on the orientation of the growth rings and the pattern on the faces and edges of the board, this can lead to confusion because boards from twisted or bowed logs can have multiple direction changes on each surface. In such cases a few light cuts are best to help determine the best cutting direction for each area.

— MB

Chippendale Apple Secretary

Posted on by meghanlostartpress

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This is an excerpt from “Mouldings in Practice” by Matthew Sheldon Bickford. 

A Chippendale apple secretary desk and bookcase featuring triple-cusp scrolled returns. Colchester School, possibly Hebron or Lebanon, Conn., 1785-1805.

Dimensions: height: 76-5/8″, width of lower case: 42-1/8″, depth of lower case: 19-3/4″, width of upper case: 40″, depth of upper case: 10″, width of cornice: 42-7/8″, depth of cornice: 11-1/4″.

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Chippendale Secretary, Crown, Perspective
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Chippendale Secretary, Crown

This Chippendale apple secretary desk and bookcase features subtle decoration executed with fine quality and strong lines. The tall and stable straight bracket feet are adorned with triple scrolls, featuring a large lobe, a small pointed return and a second smaller lobe. The graduated asymmetrical returns are a simple but effective design showing awareness of more sophisticated New London County furniture made in the urban centers of Norwich and New London. However, this secretary was made in the Colchester area, likely in the successful farming community of either Hebron or Lebanon. Instead of complex serpentine forms or carved decoration, the cabinetmaker relied on the inherent beauty of native apple. He relied on his skill at creating quality lines and form to exploit the interesting patterns within the material. The irregular nature of the grain in apple makes it a challenge to use in furniture. The reward is the beautiful figuring and warm reddish-yellow tone. The large at panels used in the bookcase display apple at its nest. Two bookmatched sections of apple are used for the two door panels, each with the pattern of striped figuring is set at complementary angles. To accentuate the natural beauty of the panels, the cabinetmaker has created a bold projecting cornice moulding. The layering of narrow and wide sections meets in the front corners with flaring lines pointing back toward the panels. The original owner of this secretary may have lived in a rural farming community, but he was successful enough to own books. Displayed in an 18th-century home, the secretary was a statement that the owner could read and write. This was an important status symbol at the time and was a sign of education, knowledge and success.

— MB

Why the Haunch?

Posted on by meghanlostartpress
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FIG. 1. PURPOSE OF THE HAUNCH. This explains how the haunch strengthens the joint and fills in any groove that may be in the framework.

This is an excerpt from “The Woodworker: The Charles H. Hayward Years: Volume III” published by Lost Art Press. 

The probability is that the haunch came into being as a matter of necessity. You know how, when making a door with grooved-in panel, the plough has to run right through so that a haunch to fill in the groove at the end simply has to be cut. It was soon perceived, however, that it does strengthen the joint because it opposes any twisting tendency at the otherwise unsupported end of the rail. This is explained in Fig. 1, which shows at A how there is nothing to prevent the edge from twisting should the wood be liable to do so, whilst at B the haunch offers direct resistance.

Some applications of the haunch are given in Fig. 2. At A is the grooved frame-work in which the haunch is essential to fill in the end of the groove. B is a plain, square-edged framework, whilst C is the same, but has what is known as the secret haunch. In many ways this is the best type of haunch. It is entirely concealed, it offers full resistance to twisting, and it is stronger since the short grain to the outside of the mortise is not cut away unduly. It can be applied to all tenon joints except the grooved type at A in which the haunch must fill in the groove end. A rebated framework joint is given at D, whilst E gives the application for a moulded and rebated framework.

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FIG. 2. APPLICATIONS OF THE HAUNCH IN MORTISE AND TENON JOINTS. At A the haunch fills in the end of the groove. B is a square-edged framework. C is the secret or concealed haunch. D gives a rebated framework, and E is moulded and rebated.
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FIG. 3. HOW HAUNCH IS MARKED AT THE END.

The haunch should always be of the same thickness as the tenon, even when the groove (if any) is of different size. Take A, Fig. 2. It might easily happen that the groove was narrower than the tenon, and in this case it would merely be a case of enlarging the groove at the end to line up with the mortise.

When marking out the joint, always carry the mortise gauge along to the end of the wood as in Fig. 3, and continue down the end grain. The depth at the end can also be gauged in. The marks will not matter because they are removed when the waste allowance (shown shaded) is cut off. The haunch length should be squared across the outer edge of the tenoned part during the original marking out. A chisel should be used as this gives exact marking. In the case of the secret haunch at C, Fig. 2, allow it to stand in a trifle (see x) so that it is not revealed in subsequent trimming.

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FIG. 4. PROPORTIONS A AND B ARE BAD. C IS CORRECT.

The proportion of the joint has to be considered (see Fig. 4). At A the tenon is so wide that the short grain beneath the haunch has little strength. If the tenoned piece were wrenched round it would probably split open the mortise. B goes to the other extreme, the haunched portion being strengthened at the expense of the tenon. At C a good proportion is shown; each part compromising to give the required strength.

— MB

Clinching Nails

Posted on by meghanlostartpress
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When your nails are driven home, you’ll have a small forest of nail tips awaiting you on the inside of your bottom assembly. You’ll be turning these over and back into the bottom boards using the power of clinching.

This is an excerpt from “The Joiner and Cabinet Maker” by Anon, Christopher Schwarz and Joel Moskowitz. 

Clinching (sometimes spelled “clenching”) is when you drive a nail that passes through both thicknesses of wood you are fastening. The tip of this nail sticks out about 1/4″ and is bent over and driven into the wood.

Clinching adds remarkable strength to a joint. A 1948 study by the U.S. Forest Products Laboratory concluded that clinching can increase the holding power of a nail between 45 percent and 464 percent – depending on a variety of factors, including the species of wood and its moisture content.

Also interesting: The study concluded that bending the tip across the grain increased the holding power by 20 percent compared to a nail clinched along the grain.

But how do you best clinch a nail? There are several methods.

Four Ways and a Trick

Here’s how automated clinching machines do it: They fire a nail in at an angle, and there’s a steel plate waiting for the nail’s tip when it emerges. When the nail hits the steel it bends over into the wood – essentially it ricochets like a bullet or pool ball.

I’ve never tried this with a pneumatic nail gun, but it sounds like fun on a Friday afternoon.

For the hand clinchers, there are at least two common techniques. The first one is to first drive the nail through the work. Rest a steel plate, anvil or a second heavy hammerhead on the nail’s head. Then tap the tip of the nail with your hammer. It will curl over. Then you can drive the drooping tip back into the wood.

The second technique is similar to the machine process. You drive the nail through the work and against a waiting “bucking iron,” which curls the tip and forces it back into the wood.

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If you don’t have clinching confidence, try bending the tip a bit with needlenose pliers – then drive the nail home.

There’s one more technique I’ll sometimes use when I’m being really, ahem, retentive. I’ll drive the nail through. Then I’ll use needlenose pliers to bend the tip to the angle I want. Then I’ll drive it into the work. This results in a tidy appearance. I admit it’s a bit much.

When I have a lot of clinching to do, I’ve found that a cast iron table saw wing can be your best friend when clinching at work – doors, lids and the like. Lay the cast wing on your bench and you have a nice big area to support your work as you merrily clinch away. And no, the clinching does not really mar, crack or otherwise defile the cast iron wing.

— MB

The Technique of Glueing

Posted on by meghanlostartpress
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THE CORRECT PREPARATION AND USE OF GLUE ARE OF THE UTMOST IMPORTANCE IN WOODWORK

This is an excerpt from “The Woodworker: The Charles H. Hayward Years: Volume II” published by Lost Art Press. 

The process of glueing up is one of the most important in woodwork, and requires the attention of all craftsmen who strive to endow their work with the vital qualities of endurance and stability. Often the best methods are the easiest to use; they save labour, and result in a cleaner finish to a job.

PREPARATION OF GLUE
Quality in glue depends upon its purity; therefore it is advisable to pay a good price. The best Scotch glue is pale in colour, and is usually in thin cakes. It is is prepared by soaking in water overnight so that it absorbs the correct amount of moisture to make it of the right consistency when hot.

It is, of course, heated in the glue pot with proper water container, and is ready for use when a skin forms on the top of the liquid. If a little powdered alum is stirred in during the heating the glue will be rendered waterproof, or, at any rate, resistant to damp. Never heat glue over a naked flame. It only burns it and causes it to deteriorate.

APPLICATION
The butt or rubbed joint is usually one of the first to be prepared and glued up in most jobs. For this joint the glue MUST be thin, that is, will run from the brush in an unbroken stream, but not thin enough to splash, or break up, as it falls. Certainly it must be hot, and be kept hot while being used, preferably in a warm atmosphere.

We all know how this joint is made; it has been described so many times, but many workers, both amateur and professional, find that it sometimes comes apart after a short time, the parting generally commencing and “running in” from the ends of tops, etc.
A butt joint that is completely and permanently successful is obtained by the writer in the following simple manner: The edges of the boards to be joined are first shot straight and true, as usual. Next, they are planed a trifle hollow, usually about 1∕32 of an inch, each edge, or sufficient to make the ends of the boards pinch together tightly when the joint is cramped up. These hollow edges are lightly toothed and are warmed before being glued and rubbed together.

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FIG. 1. GLUEING UP RUBBED JOINTS

When being assembled they are placed across two trestles or similar supports.They are quickly cramped together, the number of cramps varying according to the length of the joint.

The advantage of this method is that the greatest pinch or holding power occurs at the ends of the joints, where fracture generally begins.

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FIG. 2. APPLYING GLUE TO DOVETAILS

GLUEING DOVETAILS
Drawers and other dovetailed joints can be cleanly assembled by brushing the glue on the inside corner of the tails or drawer side, at the same time forcing glue into the small openings where the pins fit (Fig. 2). Glue is transferred to the base of the pins by quickly rubbing the glued end grain of the drawer side across the width, at the back of the drawer front, care being taken to avoid smearing glue below the gauge line. (Fig. 3).

The drawer side is lightly tapped into position with a light hammer, and a joint is obtained with the absolute minimum of surplus glue adhering to the inside corners of the drawer.

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FIG. 3. HOW PINS CAN BE GLUED WITHOUT MAKING MUCH MESS


VARIOUS JOINTS
With mortise and tenon joints the best procedure is to apply a little glue to all four sides inside the mortise, at the same time allowing a little to adhere to the edge to join up to the shoulders of the tenon, thus effecting a clean joint.

To ensure a permanent dowelled joint, it is best to countersink the holes, and tooth or roughen the dowels before they are cut into short lengths from the whole stick. After cutting to length, a saw cut is made along the length of each to allow surplus glue to escape. After inserting a little glue into the holes on one side of the joint, using for the purpose a foot of dowel rod sharpened at the end, the dowel pegs are driven in.

Mitres and similar small butted faces should be warmed before glueing, and are then rubbed together. If pins are to be used these can be driven in after the glue has set. Glue-blocks should always be rubbed on, and if previously warmed so much the better.

With all joints the aim should be to use sufficient glue to make the joint, with only a very small surplus to be afterwards cleaned off: there is no need to smother it with the glue. Remember that only the glue in the joint is used, the surplus is wasted.

As a final word, always wipe off surplus glue before it sets. Keep a clean swab and can of clean hot water for the purpose. Do not use the water in the glue pot. It is usually dirty and will probably discolour the wood.

— MB