Archive for Woodwork
December 21, 2005 at 11:39 pm · Filed under Woodwork
Almost a year ago I started my foray into woodworking. My big project was the cupboard, which has been sitting in an almost finished state in the basement for several months.
I decided I wanted to have it on display for Xmas so I got to work finishing it. It didn’t take much; some bead board on the back and a knob on the front. It still needs a catch on the inside but the door stays closed without it so that can wait.
The frame of the cupboard is put together using dovetail joints and the inside shelves are in groove joints. The decorative detailing around the top was done with a router. The reveals at the bottom with a jigsaw. The door has two raised panels, raised with a table saw. The whole thing is painted with milk paint followed by a coat of linseed oil and some antique wax.
Click on the picture for the big version.
April 21, 2005 at 12:29 pm · Filed under F1, General, Pubquiz, Toastmasters, Woodwork
It’s been a busy week so far; Monday was quiz (we won!), Tuesday I gave a speech at Toastmasters (it went well!), last night was woodworking (my cupboard is looking good!). The week is getting busier though:
Tonight we’re going to a hair salon / art gallery (I know, weird combination) to see my mother-in-law’s photo exhibition. She took a series of photos of natural snow formations which, looked at from the right angle and with a little imagination, look like body parts. If you want to see them for yourself, the exhibition is on until Saturday at Espace Alternatif, 122 Rue Bernard Ouest.
Tomorrow night I’m going over to Shawn’s for an evening of Magic and pizza.
On Saturday it’s my granny-in-law’s birthday (she’s 93 you know!), so we’re going up to the country for a birthday dinner, and staying the night.
On Sunday evening we’re going to the Anand Bazaar, a Gujarat Indian food fair at Polyvalente Lucien-Page, 8200 Blvd St-Laurent (corner Jarry). I’m looking forward to all the delicious Indian food, even if it is only vegetarian. Entrance is free if you want to come along, it starts at 4:30.
Added to all that, it’s a race weekend. The Formula 1 circus is heading to Italy for the Imola Grand Prix. I’ll be up early on Saturday morning to watch the qualifying, but sadly we have to record the race on Sunday morning and try not to listen to the radio on the drive home.
April 7, 2005 at 9:18 am · Filed under General, Pubquiz, Woodwork
Bit: Jen, her mum, him and her won the Hurley’s quiz quite convincingly. Cara, Tyler and I came a distant second.
Bob: I glued all my bits of wood together last night. They now look a bit like a cupboard. Getting everything assembled and square before the glue sets is tricky.
Bit: We could be minor celebrities soon. Stay tuned!
Bob: I’m going to Malvern, Pennsylvania in May. I’m so excited.
Bit: That last Bob contained some sarcasm, did you spot it?
Bob: Everyone is talking about cabane a sucre. Just hearing those words makes me hungry.
March 24, 2005 at 10:06 am · Filed under Woodwork
Last night was the first class of the Intermediate woodworking course. We started with a thrilling and exciting field trip to Reno Depot (that’s like Home Depot or Wickes for my international readers). We all tied ourselves to the rope behind instructor Gary, and toting our packed lunches we headed in. We examined the different types of wood and sheetstock, then investigated the bewildering array of nails, screws, bolts and other widgets. After that we were taken around the power tool section (cue Tim Allen style macho noises). Time to add some things to my wishlist. Finally, appropriately, we looked at finishing products. Varnishes, stains, sealers, fillers and all that good stuff.
After that we headed back to the workshop to start work on our next project. Everyone has chosen the same project, which is a small “colonial style” (whatever that means) cupboard with dadoed shelves and a panelled door. My skill with the backsaw has apparently improved, I can now do a square cross-cut with almost no bevel.
I was joking about the rope and the packed lunches.
March 10, 2005 at 12:34 pm · Filed under Woodwork
I went to my last introductory woodworking class last night. My stepping stool / plant stand is almost complete. I cut out the reveals to make the legs, trimmed up all the dovetails and then got to work sanding, and filling my lungs with pine dust. Now I just have to sand some more, then sand a bit more, then do some more sanding, and perhaps sand again. Then I have to apply a sealer coat, then sand it again, then tint it, then sand it again, then varnish it, then sand it again, then varnish it again. I expect to be finished sometime in 2008.
In two weeks time the Intermediate Woodworking Course starts, with a field trip to Reno Depot! I almost wet myself with excitement when I heard.
March 3, 2005 at 2:03 pm · Filed under Woodwork
Last night I finished all the cutting for my shaker style step stool and glued it all together. My dovetail joints were satisfyingly tight and everything came out more or less square and looking as it should. After leaving it in vices for an hour it was glued enough to take it home, gently.
I showed Jen, and she was quite impressed. Obviously it’s not finished yet, it still needs sanding and tidying up and finishing, but it does look like a step stool. Then we had this conversation, which is the perfect illustration of men and women being very different:
Me: So what do you think?
Jen: I like it. Maybe we can put plants on it.
Me: It’s a step stool! It’s for stepping on. You can use it to reach the high stuff in the kitchen.
Jen: Yeah… or I could put plants on it.
Me: ok then.
February 18, 2005 at 2:28 pm · Filed under Woodwork
I’m slowly gaining confidence in my woodworking endeavours. So far I’ve avoided serious injury (apart from stabbing myself with a pencil), and I haven’t screwed anything up really badly (except cutting two pieces of wood an inch too short). I’ve made a good-looking mallet and a fully functional sharpening stone box.
I’m now working on the step stool, which involves dovetail joints. I have horrible memories of trying to do dovetail joints in school and failing miserably, but so far these ones are progressing quite smoothly. Of course I haven’t actually tried to fit anything together yet, so the big test is still to come.
I’ve discovered that using a backsaw is surprising easy, but sawing in a straight line is the tricky part. I’ve discovered that working with sharp tools is a joy, but they get blunt really quickly. I’ve discovered that marking which bits of wood are the bits you’re throwing away is really important. I’ve discovered that Jen likes how I smell after I’ve been working with wood.
February 10, 2005 at 11:05 pm · Filed under Woodwork
We finished the mallet project in my woodworking class last night. The “homework” last week was to sand it to 200 grit, then the final step last night was to give it a couple of coats of linseed oil. I think it looks pretty damn good for something made by a complete novice.
We’re now working on a box for the sharpening stone, which is surprisingly quick and easy. Next week we’re starting on the major project, a Shaker style step stool. It’s off to Reno Depot at the weekend to buy my wood.
January 28, 2005 at 1:59 pm · Filed under Family+Friends, Pubquiz, Woodwork
My beloved is boarding a plane to Tronna as I type, heading out to Mississauga for a week of trade show hell. I always miss her when she goes away, but I’m just gonna keep myself busy until she comes back. I plan to spend the weekend watching the movies that Jen isn’t interested in. I might also sand my wood (oooerr missus). I expect I’ll do a bit of cleaning, and maybe some cooking.
Then on Tuesday night it’s Hurley’s pubquiz night, I’ll be there begging and pleading for someone to let me on their team, there’s usually at least one team desperate enough to take me. Walter is hosting the quiz this month so I’m studying up on South American countries.
Finally Wednesday night will be spent at the woodshop, sanding my wood and measuring my box (don’t you love woodworking double entendres?)
January 27, 2005 at 3:31 pm · Filed under Woodwork
I glued the various pieces of my mallet together last night and left it in a vice to cure. I used way too much glue, but I guess I’ll figure out the best quantities eventually. We also learned about planes; the kind that shave wood, not the kind with wings. Oh and I had my first woodworking injury, stabbed myself in the palm with my pencil.
January 21, 2005 at 9:11 am · Filed under Woodwork
Wednesday night was my third woodworking lesson. It looks like every Wednesday evening is going to be horrible weather; it was another scary drive to Hudson. The lesson was good though, we learned about glue and how to grind chisels, and started working on the mallet. Apart from briefly rasping my thumb everything went fairly well and I now have a reasonably shaped mallet handle ready for its head.
It’s an interesting process getting a piece of wood into the right shape, especially doing it with just hand tools. I’m sure it could be done in 30 seconds on some big machine but there is something very satisfying about doing it by hand. The downside is that leaning over a small piece of wood trying to accurately chip away with a chisel gets tricky when your hair keeps falling down over your eyes. I have to remember a hat next week.
January 13, 2005 at 12:04 pm · Filed under Woodwork
Last night, after a slightly terrifying drive through freezing rain to Hudson, I had my second fine woodworking course. I now know how to make a straight(ish) and square cut with a back saw, how to sharpen and use chisels, how a coping saw works and how to make a housing (aka dado) joint. My joint was good and tight, no glue required. I felt so proud. I even brought it home to show Jen.
Next week we learn about glue, and start making the mallet.
January 6, 2005 at 12:26 pm · Filed under Rants, Woodwork
So the woodworking class went well. We didn’t actually do anything, it was mostly theory and a shopping list (I have to go buy a back saw and chisels at the weekend). Gary gave us our first piece of wood which will become the mallet handle and told us to take it home and bond with it. That seems to be going ok, I haven’t got a splinter yet anyway.
One thing that I find annoying is that apparently all measurements are done in inches. I realise that woodworking is steeped in tradition and it’s almost sacrilege to make changes, but sometimes change is good, and in the case of the metric system change is fantastic. I don’t want to do math involving eighths and sixteenths, I want to do multiples of ten. Call me lazy. Canada is supposedly a metric country, and yet the three hobbies I’ve tried since moving here, flying, cooking and woodwork, all insist on using outdated measurement units. Oh well, I have my six inch rule and I guess I’ll have to use it.
January 5, 2005 at 1:29 pm · Filed under Woodwork
Tonight I take my first introductory woodworking course. It’s quite exciting. I have no idea if I’ll be able to do anything remotely creative, but I’m going to try, and I’m going to have fun trying. The course is at the Merlin Wood School out near Hudson, run by Gary, a very nice Brit ex-pat. Apparently the first project is a mallet. Anybody can make a mallet, right??
December 30, 2004 at 8:20 am · Filed under Family+Friends, Woodwork
Both of our downstairs trees were completely surrounded by piles of presents when the opening ceremonies began. On top of that, everyone had stuffed stockings too so it was a gift extravaganza. It took two sittings to get through it all, but there were 15 of us so I’m not feeling too guilty. My loot included:
- Northern Exposure season 2 on DVD
- Kill Bill Volumes 1 and 2 on DVD
- Blood Simple on DVD
- A Dido CD
- A Norah Jones CD
- Various tools and implements required for my upcoming woodworking course (Jen called the instructor to find out what I needed!)
- An orbital sander
- Much chocolate and candy
- Two sweaters from Mum in England
- Some books from Kim, the Book Goddess
- Magic cards
- The America book by Jon Stewart
Next entries »
Almost a year ago I started my foray into woodworking. My big project was the cupboard, which has been sitting in an almost finished state in the basement for several months. 