In “The Anarchist’s Tool Chest,” I profess a love – actually it’s more of an uncomfortable lust, the kind so weird that you can’t look the other person in the eye the next morning – for Eastern white pine.
But Eastern white pine can be difficult to find outside of its range on the Eastern seaboard and the Great Lakes area.
I’ve had several readers ask me for alternative choices for woods for the shell of a tool chest. I do have a few ideas to share, but before I do that, here’s the “how to fish” portion of the blog entry: Look for a cheap, lightweight wood that is indigenous to your area. Buy it in 4/4 or 5/4 in the rough and dress it to 7/8” or 1” thickness and you will be fine.
Don’t buy 3/4” surfaced material — that’s too thin.
So if you are in the deep South, look for cypress. Out West? Sitka spruce. Europe? Scots pine. In the Middle West, look hard for Eastern white pine, it’s out there.
If none of these options pan out for you, use poplar, which is widely available in most parts of the United States.
If you have other suggestions, post them in the comments below.
The second printing of “The Anarchist’s Tool Chest” has arrived at our capacious climate-controlled warehouse shed. This delivery went much smoother than first delivery, which involved rain, an angry teamster and a throbbing groin muscle.
Still, this delivery was 6,000 pounds of books that I had to move box-by-box into our storage shed before the inevitable afternoon rain. But I am happy to report that no groins were injured during the loading procedure.
Of course, the only reason you have read this far – past two mentions of my “groin” nonetheless – is because you are wondering when the second printing will start shipping out to customers.
The answer: soon. We have about 100 copies of the first printing left. Once those are exhausted, we’ll start shipping the second printing. When that occurs, I’ll post a short note here on the blog.
Also, some news on the leather-bound editions: We have some customers who have been a little slow to pay on the leather-bound editions of the first printing, so we are also a little slow in sorting out the waiting list for that book. We will get it figured out in short order. If you are on the waiting list, you will hear from us – one way or another.
And more leather-bound news: The second printing is now at Ohio Book for binding. We chose a pebbled black leather with silver lettering – just like the second leather edition of “The Joiner and Cabinet Maker.”
During the last month I have been asked how I am enjoying “retirement,” or if I’ve picked out a nice spacious refrigerator box for my new hobo-inspired lifestyle.
These people do not know me well.
Since June 15 I have taught four classes, taped two episodes of “The Woodwright’s Shop,” negotiated four book contracts, edited two books and built two projects in my shop at home. One’s a cabinet on commission – yay money – the other project is another one of those pesky A-squares that I put on the cover of “The Anarchist’s Tool Chest.”
This square is built from some sweet quartersawn walnut that carpenter Carl Bilderback unloaded on me (thanks Carl!). I don’t think it has been steamed. The above photo does not capture the color; the stuff is incredibly warm.
My daughter Katy and I cleaned up the beads on the square this morning, and I shot two coats of lacquer on it during lunch. Yes, I know I am going to hand-tool hell for using an HVLP sprayer. I’m OK with that.
Now I’ve got to prepare the rest of the wood for two side tables that I’m building for an upcoming DVD at Lie-Nielsen Toolworks. Saturday I leave to teach a class.
When I return, I hope to have some news on two new titles for Lost Art Press for 2011. And one of them is definitely not “Feng Shui in Your Lean-to.”
WARNING: The following blog post has been rated PG by the Society for Reverence and Decency in Woodworking Writing for its use of the expression “man nipples” and an inappropriate use of a tongue depressor.
People like to think that everything has a purpose. Woodworkers are no different. We’ve spent lots of brainpower inventing uses for the “nib” on a handsaw and the “rabbeting ledge” on a powered jointer. Given enough time, we might even come up with a use for man nipples.
So it is with great and turgid excitement that I announce that I have come up with a use for the lower horn on a handsaw or backsaw.
Let’s back up a second. Horns? Yes, good saws have horns. They are the two little bits of wood that flare out from the grip. Until recently I suspected they were there only to get broken off, forcing the anal retentive woodworker into ordering a replacement tote.
But no, the lower horn can have an important function.
Whenever I teach someone to saw, I plead with them to apply no downward pressure as they begin the kerf. I ask them to pretend that their saw is a hovercraft and to allow it to float gently for a couple stokes as the teeth slip gently into the work, parting the wood fibers with care.
Jamming the teeth into the work will get you nowhere. In fact, usually you will get stuck because the teeth will divot the work. Then as you push forward, the teeth won’t slice; instead they will jump forward from divot to divot.
But if you take all the weight off the saw, the teeth will slice cleanly.
And here is where your lower horn comes in. If you can feel the lower horn pressing hard into your palm then all the weight is off the toothline. So relax your hand, hold the saw with little or no grip and let the weight of the saw’s tote drop onto your middle finger. The lower horn will start to push into your palm. When it is pressing firmly, then move the saw backward and forward.
This advice is not in any old book that I know of. This has never been taught to me by anyone. As a result, it is as valid as a person confined to a bed (an “invalid,” get it? Just trying to offend another entire category of people).
But give it a try. It works when I teach, and it works when I saw.
One of the unexpected benefits of writing two books on workbenches has been that hundreds of woodworkers have sent me photos of their benches along with notes about the construction process and things they dislike and like about the form they chose.
And now the process is beginning again with tool chests.
This June I taught a class in Germany on building the chest from “The Anarchist’s Tool Chest.” It was a miracle that anyone took the class. When the class at Dictum was announced, my book hadn’t been released. And who in Europe has room in their shop for a traditional tool chest?
The 11 woodworkers who tool the class at Dictum’s shop came from all over Europe; we even had one guy from Chicago! While I’ve had a lot of great classes, this group was particularly special, and we have kept in touch through the longest e-mail thread I have ever participated in.
And now some of them are beginning to send me photos of their chests. This weekend I got a couple from Brian Eve, a former U.S. serviceman who now runs a kindergarten in Bavaria. Brian brought a lot of tools to the class from the United States that the Europeans had never seen (one of big advantages of having an APO box in Europe).
He had an awesome Bad Axe saw and a crazy dovetail saw. It was a beautiful Spear & Jackson saw that Mark Harrell at Bad Axe had reworked by replacing the sawplate. It looked odd at first – a 200-year-old saw with a shiny sawplate. But Brian loaned it – and all his tools – to the other students, and so everyone got to try tools from all over the globe.
Here’s what Brian wrote about the state of his chest:
“Here are a couple of shots of the current state of my chest. I got the hinges installed today, and I feel confident that I probably won’t have to burn it now. It’s far from done, but beginning to look like a tool-chest-shaped object.
“I almost stopped after two hinges, but decided that now I have the hang of it, I really should take the time to do the third. I am glad I did. It feels much more stable and substantial that way. At least that is what I think now that it’s done.
“I’m off to buy some more wood for the guts tomorrow; I need some pine and oak. Or, I could just use some of the bits and pieces that I have been carting around forever waiting for that perfect project. What do you think, Spanish cedar tills, curly maple bottoms, figured ebony runners and some claro walnut for the saw till?”
I hope Brian is just messing with me there.
And to reward those who have read this far I have a small piece of news I’ll be announcing in the coming weeks. Because of my job change, my wife and I have reconsidered my decision to forgo all teaching in 2012.
Soon I’ll be announcing a very limited number of classes in 2012, including at least one on building this chest at Kelly Mehler’s school next summer. Stay tuned.
