Editor’s note: Our Mind Upon Mind series is a nod to a 1937 Chips from the Chisel column (also featured in “Honest Labour: The Charles H. Hayward Years”), in which Hayward wrote, “The influence of mind upon mind is extraordinary.” The idea being there’s often room for improvement.To that end, we’ve asked you what else you have thought of, tried out and improved upon after building projects from our books. To submit your own idea, email [email protected]. You can read more about the submission process here.
From time to time, I get minor gaps around the stick and leg tenons. (I am not the only one, right?) These gaps become more apparent with the finish on, because they don’t reflect light in the same way as the surrounding area.
I read about filling small holes with cyanoacrylate (CA) glue and decided to give it a try.
Does it work? Kind of. But I accidentally discovered that its biggest effect is something else entirely.
Without CA glue.
With CA glue.
You see, it’s relatively easy to plane, scrape or sand the glue residue from the face grain. But it soaks deep into the end grain and darkens it a lot. I don’t know how deep exactly, but I wasn’t able to remove it without making the whole arm thinner.
Owning my mistake, I decided that I like this look.
If you want to replicate it, smear a thin layer of CA glue across the tenon. Even coverage is important to avoid visible streaks. You can go outside the tenon to fill gaps and scrape the area later to clean it up. I would avoid doing this on deeply scooped seats, because some of the end grain is exposed around the leg mortises and can get stained as well.
Try at your own risk on important pieces because it’s hard to undo!
For reference, the illustration shows chairs made from European beech and finished with eight coats of shellac.
The following is excerpted from Michael Pekovich’s book “Benchwork,” which we expect in our warehouse any day now. And because the words alone don’t fully do justice to introducing book, I’ve included a screen shot of each page from wich the text below is excerpted, so you can see the gorgeous design (also by Mike). You’ll find the Table of Contents below the excerpt.
While some of these planes are designed to create joinery from scratch, their biggest value often lies in fine-tuning the fit of machine-cut joints. At least this is where they earn their keep in my shop. My formal furniture making education in college led me to a machine-centric view of the craft. I had just enough hand tools – backsaw, chisels and a mallet – to cut a dovetail. A block plane and card scraper filled out my collection. My first experience with a dull bench plane was so distressing that it was many years before I revisited them. While I built a fair amount of furniture in that time, when I finally began to introduce more hand tools into my routine, my progress took a huge leap forward. Not only did my work improve, my mind-set and relationship to my tools changed as well. As I became familiar with using more hand tools (and sharpening them properly!), they integrated themselves into a seamless way of working. Hand versus power is not an either-or proposition in my work. Each tool and machine exists to do a job, and both complement each other in working toward the results I’m hoping for. That said, in spite of my professed adherence to efficiency, I find myself picking up a hand tool on occasion to cut a rabbet or groove that a tablesaw could tackle just as easily. The joy of the journey is at times more important than the speed at which we reach our destination.
Screenshot
Router Plane This is one of those tools where, while you can live without it quite happily, once you have it you’ll wonder how you ever got by without one. Available in different sizes, the larger versions typically feature a fine depth adjustment, while the smaller versions come without it. For tasks like cleaning out the bottom of hinge mortises, the small router plane is the way to go. For larger-scale tasks, the increased size of the base and outspread handles of the large router plane is a benefit. In addition to clearing out the bottoms of dadoes and grooves, a large router plane can be used to size tenons as well. I’ll often make stopped cuts at the tablesaw for non-through dadoes, and a router plane is the perfect tool for cleaning out the scalloped portion of the cut.
Shoulder Plane As its name implies, you can certainly plane the shoulder of a tenon with a shoulder plane, but more often than not, I use it to plane the cheeks of the tenon. While this is not the only task suited to a shoulder plane, if that were all I used it for, it would still earn its keep in my collection. The unique feature of the plane is its blade, which runs the full width of the sole. This allows you to work into the corner of a rabbet or tenon. Most woodworkers opt for a medium-sized plane, but the large version has its merits. I find that its wider blade and increased mass is better suited to sizing tenons. That said, I’d get your hands on both before deciding which to buy. A smaller size can come in handy for more intricate tasks like fine-tuning the fit of a box top.
Inexpensive Option for Tenons A new shoulder plane can cost upwards of $300, making it understandably a significant purchase. A much cheaper alternative for tenon work is a rabbet plane. I consistently find vintage versions on sale for $30 to $50. For some reason they still represent a great value on the used market. Their open throat is not an issue on cross-grain cuts and the wide blade requires fewer passes and helps to ensure square tenons.
Tongue-and-groove Plane OK, this tool is just plain fun to use. Designed to cut mating tongues and grooves in 1⁄2 in. or 3⁄4 in. stock, this plane can make quick work of backboards in a bookcase or cabinet. The key to its functionality is a fence that pivots. In one orientation, the plane can cut a tongue along the edge of a board. Lifting a spring-release pin allows the fence to rotate 180°. In this position the plane will cut a centered groove to match the width of the tongue. Because the fence registers along the same face of the board for each cut, even if your stock is not to exact thickness, the joint will still align for a flat assembly. In harder woods I would likely opt to use my tablesaw when cutting the joint, but for the Eastern white pine I commonly use for the backs of my projects, the tongue-and-groove plane offers a pleasant respite from machine work and the accompanying roar of the dust collector. Lie-Nielsen makes a new version, but vintage versions can be found online.
Miter Plane Here is a somewhat guilty pleasure of mine. Is this an essential plane? You can easily argue that it is not. When shooting the ends of parts, a standard bench plane will serve well, and I’ve often used a jack plane for the task. A bevel-up plane with its low-angle blade is even better suited for planing end grain. While the bevel-up plane is a versatile tool that can also be used for a number of other tasks, the miter plane is a single-use tool, and not inexpensive at that. With all of that in mind, I have to say that this is a wonderful tool to use. Its length and mass, combined with a low-angle skewed blade, allow it to slice through end grain like butter. I often put it to use when sizing drawer fronts and case partitions, exacting procedures that require parts of a precise length. I typically get as close to a final fit as I dare at the tablesaw and then turn to the miter plane and shooting board to finish the task.
Side Rabbet Planes Another esoteric tool that may be hard to make a case for owning, the side rabbet plane often comes in pairs. It does exactly what its name implies, allowing you to dial in the width of a rabbet or dado. For the longest time, I assumed that they came in pairs with one for the right side of a groove and the other for the left side. The real reason is that the opposing blades allow you to work in either direction so that you are always planing with the grain. There are versions where a single plane is outfitted with blades on each end that serve the same purpose.
Table of Contents
Foreword 5 Introduction 8 Hand tools •Assembling a collection of tools •Essential chisels •The block plane is a good first plane •Where to begin with bench planes? •Planes for joinery •Tools for shaping •Handsaws •Filling out your kit
46 Benchwork •The unsung heroes of hand work •Shooting board is a shop staple •A pair of saw hooks •A shooting board for miters •Layout kit for dovetails •Give your work a lift •A nicer set of bench risers •Lock it down •Clamp-on vise for wide parts
94 Workbenches •Workbenches that work •Can’t I just buy a bench? •A bench worth building •Start with a solid foundation •Top off your bench •Finish the bench with a drawer case
154 A place for every tool •Tool storage sets the tone •A shop centerpiece •Getting off the ground •King-size twin •Plane till and gallery •Making a home for tools
196 Storage on the Go •A tale of two chests •Case joinery •A frame-and-panel lid •Pinned-rabbet drawers •Wrapped cord handles •Add a lock for the lid •Outfitting a tool chest •A minimalist tool chest •A useful tote
Our new “Smalls” pocket book contains plans for 18 on-the-wee-side projects that will help use up nice offcuts from your scrap bin. And if you ever need to whip up a last-minute handmade gift, “Smalls” will be a big help.
A few beginning woodworkers have asked us what tools they’ll need to build the projects in the book. So we compiled a complete list of tools mentioned in the book, and we listed them below.
Don’t freak out. You don’t need all these tools. Instead, you can choose from path A, B or C. Read on, and it will all make sense.
Saws • Band saw • Coping saw (with fine blades) • Crosscut and rip backsaws • Table saw (if not using hand tools for dados, rabbets and grooves)
A small band saw (such as a 10″ benchtop model) will allow you to make all the straight and curved cuts necessary to build the projects in the book. Or, if you want to do things by hand, get two backsaws and a coping saw to handle the straight and curved cuts. A table saw will let you make all the straight cuts – and it can help you make a lot of the joints, too.
Striking • Mallet • 8-10 oz. hammer • 16 oz. hammer
You could get by with just one of these tools if need be. I’d probably choose the 16 ounce hammer, which is a standard size in most workshops.
Engraving • Engraving tool
One of the projects (the six-board chest) uses our Crucible engraving tool to decorate its front.
You don’t need all of these tools. A combination square (either size) will be the most handy. If the project uses angles other than 90°, you’ll also need the sliding bevel and a protractor. The compass helps you lay out arcs and use the engraving tool.
I know, I know, that’s a long list of planes. You don’t need them all. You can get by with only one of the three general-purpose planes: block, jack or smooth plane. The next three planes are for hand joinery. If you have a table saw, you can skip these. And the beading plane is for decoration.
Chisels/Gouges • 1/4″ and 1/2″ chisel • Any “tight sweep” carving gouge
You need at least one chisel to make anything out of wood. If you are going to buy only one for this book, get the 1/4″ tool. Also, a carving gouge is helpful in adding decorative details.
Shaping & Finishing • Rasp (fine and coarse) • Sandpaper (#120, #220) • Fine sanding sponge
After you make your curved cuts, you’ll need to clean up the work with either a rasp or sandpaper. You don’t have to have both. The fine sanding sponge is for achieving a smooth finish after a coat of paint or film finish.
A drill/driver is a must in our workshop. You can use that instead of a drill press for almost any drilling operation called for in “Smalls.” A pin nailer is only necessary if you don’t want to drive your nails with a hammer. The next four items – 1″ tenon cutter, drawknife, spokeshave, 1″ auger bit – are necessary only if you want to build the stool in the book. And the adhesive spray is very helpful for attaching patterns to wood (the book contains a lot of patterns…).
I’ve taught woodworking at Dictum GmbH in Germany for many years. And it’s always a bit disorienting (but fun). I’m an American with a German last name who teaches people how to make chairs from Wales, Scotland and Ireland. And the students are German, Swedish, Mexican, Polish, Dutch….
And the class is in Bavaria. But taught in English.
Somehow we make it work, and the classes are always the highlight of my summer. During the last decade, I’ve made lots of close friends overseas through these classes. This year I taught students how to make an Irish Gibson chair, then we spent a week making a comb-back chair with steam-bent components.
Heiko Pulcher, one of my friends at Dictum, took the following video during my class on the Gibson chair. Check it out.
This class also represented a big step forward in my understanding of this Irish chair. I’ve been making this chair form for eight years now, and I have continually refined the process to make it simpler and to remove jigs and math.
I think I have finally nailed it.
This year I plan to film the new process. It will replace our existing video for sale in our store. If you bought the old video, you will get the new one for free. Stay tuned.
When I first started harvesting green wood for my workshop, I was worried about bringing wood-boring insects into my workshop. It would be like letting loose 1,000 raccoons into a Golden Corral restaurant.
So I got some advice from fellow woodworkers. All of the advice involved pesticides. And some of it sounded reckless. (Put the wood in a garbage bag with an aerosol bug bomb. Be sure to tie up the bag really quick!)
Years ago, I found this short article by Michael F. Potter, an extension entomologist at the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, and it was exactly what I wanted. Potter recommends eliminating insects from the wood using your fridge or your oven.
I’ve been using his freezing method for several years, and it has worked brilliantly.
In short: Put the wood in your freezer and set it for -4° F. Let the wood stay there for seven days. Remove it. Done.
Potter recommends using a plastic bag to protect the wood, but he’s mostly concerned about finished household items. I haven’t found it necessary when freezing raw wood.
The article also discusses how to kill bugs with your oven and gentle heat. I haven’t tried this method yet. I want to experiment first with some test pieces that are green because the method might rapidly dry out the stock and check the ends. (Potter does recommend adding a pan of water to the oven to keep the humidity high. I am interested in this technique; I just haven’t had time to give it a go.)
Another bonus with the freezing method: If you keep the green wood in the freezer it won’t dry out and will stay green as long as it’s frozen.
All this is just another excuse to add a beer fridge insect deinfestation device to your workshop.
