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SketchUp Guide for Woodworkers: Taming some frustrations

2012-01-29T10:53:00.024-06:00

This is part two in a series on Tim Killen's SketchUp book. In this post: an overview of chapters six and seven.

Chapter six of Google SketchUp Guide for Woodworkers by Tim Killen - an important chapter for modeling peace of mind (I have purposely distorted the text in the image above).

am a church going man. But I have to admit one thing – while using SketchUp, I have let some cussing rocket from my mouth. This software has so taxed my brain, that it has caused me to loose my religion on more than one occasion.

When I first began using SketchUp, one of the frustrations (which continues today) was moving an object to an exact point. Because objects move in three dimensions, placing a component exactly where I want it can be an optical illusion. I could move something into place only to realize it just looked that way.

When I recently continued my way through Tim Killen’s Google SketchUp Guide for Woodworkers (SUGW for short) and came to chapter six, I had to smile a little. It is titled, "How to Make, Move, Copy, Edit and Connect Components" Naturally, the word "move" caught my eye.

Surprisingly very little time is spent on moving objects. Tim covers the basics and explains how SketchUp will try to determine where the user wants a part to go - a feature that is very handy. SketchUp likes to move objects along an axis. But what if you need to move an object between axes? See my example below...

Here, I need to move the top of my bookcase down and back in order to position it properly. This is something I have not yet mastered.

I have trouble when I need to move something between axes. Maybe that is just it - I shouldn't move an object that way; what I should do is first move it along one axis and then another. Something to think about.

But more importantly this chapter is about components - how to create them and work with them. The single biggest lesson I learned on my road to being a happy SketchUp user was how to properly make a component. Once I learned this one lesson, things got easier. This makes chapter six an important one for the SketchUp user. Tim Killen writes:

"Components are essential for success in SketchUp. Without them, all you have are a bunch of lines and faces that interact and interfere with one another."

Amen brother, and I’d put the words "interact and interfere" in a bold font.

In addition to learning ways to work with components, a handy tip I gained was a short cut for copying a component using the move tool, and then position it. Its tips like this that helps both the beginner as well as the more experienced user. I can now create models faster and more efficiently after reading this chapter.

Understanding how a pro does it
Just like with woodworking, it is often helpful to simply take time to see how other people go about building a project. With every video I view on FWW.com, I honestly find myself thinking, "I never thought to do it that way."

The same is true with SUGW. Through trial and error, I have developed my own method for attacking a model. It has been interesting to see how someone else does this and in chapter seven, titled "Create Your First SketchUp Model", Tim guides the reader through the steps to make a basic model which also includes a few more advanced steps. See the illustration below...

My model of the magazine rack which is the homework assignment from chapter seven.

As I start drawing the magazine rack, I begin to consider if the method I would have followed is unnecessarily complex (which it is). Let me explain...

How I would have done it: draw the sides separately, form the dado for the bottom and a tongue at the top. I would then draw the shelf off to the side and move it into place; then repeat for the top. I create my models just like I would make them in real life.

Tim draws one side, positions a copy of the side and then turns the second side around. He then draws the shelf and top in place. In subsequent steps, he forms the joinery.

My method has me drawing two independent sides, something I always knew was not the best way to do it, but I simply have never paid attention to "Flip Along"; the option which enables a user to flip a copy of the first side so it is oriented correctly. This is a ginormous time saver because changes I make to the left side are automatically made to the right side - in the correct orientation. This is one of those things I had seen Tim Killen do on Design. Click. Build. but I had not been able to figure out the steps.

The main reason I draw items adjacent to the model and then move them into place is past problems when creating components. When drawing a part in place and then making it a component, sometimes I would also include a part which was out of view. This was especially frustrating when this discovery happened later in building the model making the fix difficult. Tim's method has the user making the component in place, a practice I will re-visit and see how it goes. It is much easier to draw the top, for example, by simply following the outline of the sides vs. taking measurements and drawing the top off to the side.

A couple of additional high points from chapter seven: first, Tim had a neat trick to easily make the arches in the bracket feet. I won't reveal his process, but his deep knowledge of how to use SketchUp simplifies the steps needed vs. what I would have done. Secondly, Because I draw so many case pieces, applying a rabbet inset to rear edges to accommodate the back is something I do a lot. Here again, Tim does this a different way which is pretty simple.

But most importantly chapter six explains the basic steps of creating components and then how to position them. Chapter seven then employs these steps in building a model. I have looked online for SketchUp classes in my area without success. Tim's book is the next best thing to formal training.

Are you struggling with SketchUp?
Everybody struggles with SketchUp right? My advise: get Tim's Google SketchUp Guide for Woodworkers. Simply put, it is money well spent, and as of this writing, Taunton has further discounted it now to 30% off. You would spend more money on a large pizza - so go ahead and visit Fine Woodworking.com and download your copy (click here). Learn SketchUp from a pro and save yourself a few cuss words.

This is post two in this series. I cover chapters one through five here.

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Have a question or comment? Leave yours by clicking on the "Comments - post yours here" link below. My email is jobranch@yahoo.com. Consider subscribing via email or RSS by clicking here.

Some popular projects:

1. My entertainment center. 2. My workbench. 3. The oak end table.

Tornadoes visit Alabama, again

2012-01-24T19:44:00.008-06:00

Monday was yet another day in which we were glued to our TV watching non-stop coverage of severe weather. While this day wasn't historic like the April 27, 2011 outbreak, it was bad enough. Ten tornadoes churned paths through Central Alabama claiming two lives and injuring about 100; some 500 homes in Jefferson County sustained damage.

Early reports state these tornadoes were rated a EF2 and EF3. The level three tornadoes have a maximum wind speed of 165 mph. As you can see in the video above, this particular tornado seems to bounce around somewhat. There are areas of heavy damage followed by very little or no damage and then more destruction appears.

An email this morning from our church announced the beginning of volunteer efforts to remove debris and provide other support to the damaged areas. Seems like we just went through this...

Crown molding: fabrication begins

2012-01-22T19:34:00.010-06:00

In this photo: outdoor woodworking. Routing MDF is such a dusty endeavor, that I do it in the driveway.

Medium density fiberboard is the material I chose to create my dining room crown molding. The chief attribute of MDF which made it a winner in my mind is that it is a flat material. When stacking molding profiles one on top of the other, being flat and straight is critical. But, the chief attribute that makes it a looser in my nose and my sinuses is MDF is a highly dust prone material.

I can't ever remember doing such extensive routing of MDF. Since I had worked with it repeatedly on my table saw, I knew MDF created a lot of dust. But after routing a profile on twelve, eight foot long boards, the large amount of dust beginning to pile up on my driveway was starting to drift in the wind. I decided to form the profile of my custom crown molding in my driveway, because I knew the dust cloud resulting from indoor routing would definitely make it into our home.

I wear old tennis shoes during the routing operation - I don't want my good ones to get all clogged up with dust.

This is the dust which wasn't carried away by the wind. I just hope this stuff is environmentally friendly - there was a light dusting of it in the yard and it went clear up the walk to our screen porch.

Here is what I get accomplished during my first round of routing. Enough to get me started with the installation. You can see my shop dust collector in the background. I have never been able to connect it to my router with much success.

With rain in the forecast and therefore no outside woodworking, I decide to get started installing some of the molding. I will be installing the crown in layers with the first layer being attached to the wall and the ceiling and then subsequent layers attached to the first.

To make installation easiest, I decided to add a wood cleat around the perimeter of the room close to the ceiling. This cleat will hopefully align with the lower rear edge of the first row molding.

The cleat installed. It will give me the ability to attach the molding anywhere along the wall I choose (vs. only at a wall stud).

With the cleat in place, I use pocket screws to attach the molding to the wall and brads at the ceiling.

A corner close-up. Here you can see the cleat on the left and how the molding lines up with it. Note the pocket screw - the molding goes up amazingly well.

Finally, some molding installed. I have another board like this installed on the opposite wall.

And this is as far as I get before my back tells me to stop, but I am pleased to finally have some molding installed. I will continue to wrap the room with more molding like this and then it will be on to the next portion of the crown profile.

One side note: As I finished for the day, I commented to my wife how much I have been sweating. Then it dawned on me: our very basic chandelier is the culprit; I had never realized how much heat they generate. This heat congregates along the ceiling where I was working. I'll have a fan in there next time.

Presently, I am working on the top two rows of moldings.

Look for another update next weekend. To view all the posts in this series, click here. This is post ten.

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1. My entertainment center. 2. My workbench. 3. The oak end table.

Tornado Bed: Delivery Day

2012-01-14T10:01:00.019-06:00

A symbol of hope: tornado damaged trees on a hill top in Sipsey, Alabama, showing new growth. Sipsey is home for the recipients of the Tornado Bed.

s completion of the Tornado Bed grew closer, I often wondered what delivery day would be like. I had never attempted a project like this: build a bed, search out a needy recipient and deliver it. I really did not know what to expect.

But I did have a vision in my mind how it hopefully would unfold. I pictured a husband and wife gushing with joy that this bed was now theirs. Their two daughters would be all smiles. The family would comment on how sturdy the bed was, the nice overall design, and the warm color of the wood. Something like that.

That isn’t what happened. Remember this bed went to the victims of a horrific situation. The roof of their home had been ripped off by high winds and they lost everything. Their home was damaged to the point that it was no longer a home. It was a wreck, unusable and ruined.

When my father and I arrived with the bed, I began to better understand this family’s situation. I began to leave my world and step into theirs.

Most recently, this family had been living in a tent. The tent had been their home for several weeks. Prior to the tent, they had access to a travel trailer, but as a friend told me, "once football season began the travel trailer was taken back."

Their new home, built with the help of many volunteers, was just that - new; and new is good. But when I stepped inside, reality became even more clear. The father and his daughters had been living there for a period of time with virtually no furniture. The wife was living elsewhere so she could receive care for a second recurrence of cancer.

As the family began stirring on that Saturday morning, I could see what looked like mattresses lying directly on the floor in one bedroom. I had built one bed for them, but they also needed two more.

We began carrying the bed inside and I realized that snapping pictures of the event was simply not appropriate. I handed them a comforter donated by my mother along with an afghan blanket she had hand knitted for them.

It was a very humbling moment. The recipients of the Tornado Bed were very appreciative of what had been made for them. I had hoped throughout this project that I would find a family who really needed this bed, and I did - their need was great. I pray for the wife in her fight with cancer and it is my sincere hope that life for this family continues to return to some semblance of normalcy (in the days that followed, more donated furniture was delivered by others to help fulfill this family's needs).

Delivery brings to a close what has to be the most rewarding project I have ever tackled. My sincere thanks go out to everyone who donated money to this effort. I want to say thanks to those who spoke a supportive word or two as this build slowly progressed.

I also want to recognize Restore Sipsey, an organization which co-ordinated the construction of three new homes in the Sipsey, Alabama area. Read more about this organization by clicking here. It was through my local church that I came in contact with Restore Sipsey and the family which the bed was donated to.

This was a fun project and very, very special. I plan to build additional disaster related furniture in the future.

To see all of the blog posts in this series, click here.

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1. Pediment picture frames. 2. The Coffee Table. 3. The TV Console project

Crown molding: final profile design

2012-01-08T18:07:00.005-06:00

For the next step in my crown molding project, I am using medium density fiberboard, which is just about the perfect material for this except the terrible dust it creates.

After several trips to Woodcraft to exchange router bits and one trip to UPS to return the MLCS router bit I ordered a month ago, I have settled in on the final profile for my dining room crown molding. The final design kept evolving - I went through three additional possibilities after finally coming up with a profile that was mostly true to the cornice molding I was copying, yet was reasonably easy to replicate. Take a look below (click to enlarge)…

An exact copy of the cornice molding. The lower portion of this profile is difficult to copy with router bits. Remember that I am copying the cornice molding shown in this photo.

My router friendly version - the main difference is the cove molding at the bottom. I've made slight alterations here and there, and the overall size is smaller. Otherwise, I think the design is faithful to the original.

One side note – I had ordered a large MLCS thumbnail table edge router bit to cut the round over shown in the lower half of the original profile. This bit was so big that it was actually larger than the opening in my router base. There was no way for me to safely use it. Since I have never had this issue come up before, it did not dawn on me to verify the outer radius of the router bit prior to placing the order. Lesson learned I guess. The router bit is on its way back to MLCS for a refund.

With the crown profile figured out, I made a MDF copy…

The final profile design of the crown molding.

The example shown in the photo will become the template from which all the molding will be cut, and there is a lot of molding to cut. MDF is the best material to make this molding because its flat and straight - I won’t have to contend with any warped lumber. But the main drawbacks of using MDF are 1) the tremendous amount of dust created during fabrication, and 2) MDF is very dense and therefore heavy.

I use a series of router bits to cut the profile.

In the photo above, I utilized a 1/2" cove bit and a 1/2" round over bit near the top of the profile. Then I switched to a 1/4" cove bit for the small return. Next on the way down is a large 5/8" cove bit (four cutters on this one) and then the same 1/2" cove bit used for the top of the profile.

This means a lot of router work in the coming weeks and I'll have to be extra careful to align the different layers correctly; keeping my fingers crossed for that.

After much fussing with the crown design, this is what it will ultimately look like - nice profile, not too busy and it still retains the look of the original design.

My first step will be to attach a thin strip of pine on the walls which will serve as a place for me to screw the molding into and then the MDF fabrication will ensue. That will be the subject of my next post.

To view all the posts in this series, click here. This is post nine.

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1. My entertainment center. 2. My workbench. 3. The oak end table.

Free Woodworking Plan: Making a Massive Bookcase Step-by-Step

2011-12-31T12:04:00.017-06:00

A big project: The Massive Bookcase, in this photo almost completed. I now have the downloadable plan for this unique bookcase available.

ot long ago, a visitor sent me an email asking for plans of a project I completed about five years ago which I call "The Massive Bookcase." The thing is, I have never made plans for that bookcase. Since I was wrapping up work on plans for the Tornado Bed, I decided "Making a Massive Bookcase Step-by-Step" would be the next one to tackle. I completed it yesterday and it is ready to go.

Massive
This bookcase was design to fit a specific space in the home office of a local college professor. It stands eight feet tall, five feet wide and is slender at one foot deep. It is a big bookcase – not the most complex project I have tackled, but it is the largest.

I used several basic construction techniques which I have come to use on many of my other projects, but the fact that this is basically a knock-down bookcase means a few unique steps in the process. I built it in separate sections so it could be easily moved through the narrow hallway of my client’s home. You can easily adjust the deminsions so the bookcase can fit your needs, and you don’t have to make yours in knock-down form like I did.

Here is a glimpse of what you will find inside Making a Massive Bookcase Step-by-Step (click images to enlarge):

Features:

10 Pages of instruction
22 Color illustrations
A link to the SketchUp model
All of which are offered free of charge

I use E-Junkie to process the download and have found them to be a trusted partner. You will need to enter your email address which I pledge to keep private. By clicking the link below, you will be taken to E-Junkie’s site for the free download. In return, I do ask that you consider subscribing to my blog post (to do so, click here). Download now!

Should you have any problems downloading the e-book, simply shoot me an email and I’ll fix it (email address shown below).

I hope you enjoy the e-book. Also, if you build this project or a version of it, I’d like to see how it turned out. Please send me a photo of it.

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I recommend this handy template...

This bookcase calls for a series of holes to be created so dowels can support the shelves. I use a home made jig which has served me well. But as often is the case with wooden jigs, they can show wear after repeated use. That is why I recommend a more durable jig made by Woodpeckers, called a Combo Shelf Pin Template.

The cool thing about this template is you can use either a drill or my preferred method, a plunge router and a collar. The template is $49.95 and you can get one by clicking here.Note: this is an affiliate link which means I'll make a tiny commission if you buy one (at not extra cost to you).

Working through SketchUp Guide for Woodworkers by Tim Killen

2011-12-21T08:42:00.007-06:00

hile I wait on the router bits needed to move forward on my crown molding project, I have been working on a SketchUp model for a future eBook. One look at my blog and anyone can tell that I often use illustrations to communicate ideas, and for me, SketchUp is my illustration tool of choice.

My learning curve with SketchUp has been vast. In my early days with the program, I would often get very frustrated. My drawings would become messed up in so many ways, I would basically give up and start the model all over. But slowly, I have begun to master SketchUp and this learning by doing continues. I’ll bet I re-drew the Tornado Bed at least four times while searching for the best way to organize components. There is so much more to learn – SketchUp is an amazing design tool; one look at SketchUp’s blog confirms this. The models featured there are at times very realistic.

Resources for learning
Up to this point, I have relied on the following sources to grasp the basics of SketchUp (I pride myself on being able to learn my way around a software program, but SketchUp has been a bear)...

Google SketchUp video tutorials: it is interesting to see instruction in a video format, but I need to see it in print from time to time.
Google SketchUp 7 for Dummies: A good book and easily worth the cost, but very broad and not specific to woodworking.
Design. Click. Build.: A blog at Fine Woodworking.com written by Tim Killen and Dave Richards which provides many useful tips on everything from simple modeling processes all the way to extremely complex ones.

Feeling a need to better understand SketchUp, I decided to download Tim Killen’s eBook, Google SketchUp Guide for Woodworkers. I immediately began to learn things about the program which have simplified the process for drawing. At present, Google SketchUp Guide for Woodworkers (here after referred to as SUGW) is on sale 25% off the list price - $9.72, which is a no brainer I think (especially when compared to a competing eBook by Popular Woodworking’s Bob Lang titled Woodworker’s Guide to SketchUp which sells for $39.95).

First impression
Since I am a fan of graphic design, the first thing I noticed was how well organized SUGW is, and like every Taunton product, the ebook is visually appealing. The illustrations featured in the eBook are numerous, they vary in size which means they are large when they need to be. The page layout and use of fonts and color are crisp and traditional – well done and not flashy. SUGW has sixteen chapters, a total of 141 pages and comes complete with a practice SketchUp file.

I have currently been through the first five chapters and plan to have the eBook completed by January 1st. Here are some thoughts so far...

Chapter One: "Introduction" - from the outset, Tim Killen lays out how to best utilize SketchUp for woodworking projects. Tim discusses SketchUp's strengths and weaknesses and gives an overview of what to expect in the following chapters.

Chapter Two: "How to Set Up SketchUp for Woodworking" - here Tim discusses ways to initially set up the program's preferences, optimizing it for woodworking projects. I would have never thought to implement some of the adjustments Tim recommends - it is nice to be able to take advantage of his expertise as a woodworker and SketchUp pro. Tim also offers advise on how to set the default style for models and which tools to add to the tool bar.

Chapter Three "The Modeling Environment and Toolbars" - a critical chapter because Tim gives an overview how to best move a model and move around a model. I have seen his videos on FWW.com and wondered how he so easily and quickly moves through a model. Now I know. He discusses the various ways to use a mouse which this alone is worth the price of the e-book. Tim writes:

"The benefits of using a mouse can be simply put: A mouse lets you multitask. You can be drawing a line, moving a component, or copying it while simultaneously moving around the model. There is no need to stop one activity and switch tools when you want to shift your view of the model."

Understanding the full flexibility of the mouse will make your modeling so much easier.

Tim also gives an overview of each tool within the various tool bars, which ones he uses frequently and why. Here again, the little things I learned add up to a lot.

Chapter Four: "How to Use Basic SketchUp Tools" - in this chapter, Tim takes the basic toolset and discusses the use of each tool. It is in chapter four that you actually begin drawing things: basic shapes to better understand how each tool works. He discusses the concept of edges and faces as well as (for me) the most beneficial tip of the chapter: how to stay on axis when drawing.

Chapter Five: "Learn to Draw Precisely" - Tim takes us through our first exercise: learning to draw the end of a Tage Frid workbench (see illustration above). Drawing this componet takes you through the use of most every tool in the basic toolset. The detail of instruction is excellent. Once a woodworker masters this illustration, he'll be well on his way to understanding SketchUp.

More to come
I plan to do a whole series of blog posts as I work through SUGW. And "work" is a key word because there are a series of exercises to complete - a great feature of this ebook. In SUGW, Tim is very much an instructor, so if you decide to download his ebook, be prepared for some useful homework.

This is the illustration I have been working on: the Massive Bookcase project I completed a number of years ago. It was my first commission and a reader of my blog requested that I publish the plans for building it. So, it will be the subject of my next ebook.

This is the first post in this series. I comment on chapters six and seven here.

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1. My entertainment center. 2. My workbench. 3. The oak end table.

In search of crown molding

2011-12-11T14:29:00.015-06:00

An illustration of the dining room crown molding project just before I stopped working on it. I now need to complete it.

t is funny, after building the Tornado Bed and completing the e-book, it has been hard to get back into woodworking. I did not expect building the bed would take so much out of me. Back in May, I suspended work on my dining room ceiling crown molding project to begin work on the Tornado Bed. My interest in returning to my shop (and my dining room), and completing the crown molding, has been dulled due to the boring nature of working on a ceiling. This kind of project features a lot of over-head work which has reminded me that it is hard to find pleasure in such things.

First, let's get caught up with the progress of the project. So far, I have completed the following:

Discussed design considerations (see the post here).
Scraped off the popcorn ceiling here.
Sanded the ceiling smooth here.
Added simulated beams here and here.
Applied caulk and a coat of primer here.

I am trying to re-create the look of a cornice molding profile found on a beautiful breakfront I have always admired. This past week, I have been getting my shop in order and I have mulled over the crown molding profile. It is time to get the design locked down. I want to make a sample of the moldings to ensure no surprises. I have always known that creating the lower half of the profile would be tricky to achieve with a router. Here is the original design...

The goal: the cornice profile as shown in SketchUp. Note points A and B - odd profiles and expensive to replicate with a router (click to enlarge). Can I simplify the design a little and still be faithful to the original?

Here I have standardized the thickness of the different boards used to build up this profile. Note I have altered the lower molding profile - this is a test to see how mixing in some stock molding would look.

I am not yet ready to abandon the lower half of the original profile. I want to exhaust all possibilities before I make a change. In addition to looking at router bits at my local Woodcraft, I have visited a number of websites looking for router bits that at least provide some resemblance to the cornice molding design. I have also been to both Lowes and Home Depot to see if there is some creative way of using stock molding to achieve a pleasing look. Using stock molding would be easier and would speed things along, but I also want to stay away from a three part built-up molding for the lower half of the profile, and there has not been a combination of moldings that I love.

So that is my challenge for the week: nail down the final crown molding design. I will likely reduce its overall size to four inches deep and tall, so a lot to contemplate.

To view all posts on this project click here. This is post eight in this series.

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Have a question or comment? Leave yours by clicking on the "Comments - post yours here" link below. My email is jobranch@yahoo.com or you can contact me through Twitter or Facebook. Subscribe via email or RSS by clicking here.

Free Woodworking Plan: Making a Queen Size Bed Step-by-Step

2011-12-02T14:38:00.007-06:00

My third e-book is available for download. It contains many photos and illustrations and even a link to the SketchUp model used for this project.

very now and then, a really special project presents itself – one that moves the woodworker in a new direction, is challenging and most importantly turns out well.

Such was the case with the queen size bed I completed this year. I called the project "The Tornado Bed" because it is being donated to the tornado relief effort resulting from the terrible tornado out break that occurred earlier this year.

Even though I have been woodworking for almost three decades, I had never attempted a bed before. I don’t know why; as designed, this bed was challenging but it wasn't difficult to build; and there certainly is a need in my home for a bed like this. I actually could use two of them (so I need to get busy!).

Now I have the pleasure of adding a successful bed project to the list of things I have constructed, and early in 2012 another "first" will take place. It will become my first donated project - it will be given to a family who had their home completely destroyed on the morning of April 27th.

For now, I have a recap of the design and construction process, along with a little background about the tornado event itself since that day was so central to this project. It is offered as a e-book in a magazine format titled Making a Queen Size Bed Step-by-Step. Here are a few images showing some of the content (click to enlarge):

This is my most comprehensive e-book to date. It contains the following:

19 pages (I'll add an addendum when the bed is donated).
Fourty-seven color photos and illustrations.
A full cut list and several exploded views.
A first for me - a link to the SketchUp model which can be downloaded.
Other links to web based information.

Downloading Making a Queen Size Bed Step-by-Step will require you to submit your email address. I will keep your email address private. This e-book is offered free of charge and you can download it from e-junkie.com by clicking here:

You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to be able to view the e-book. Get it free by clicking here.

Give me some feedback please by leaving a comment!

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1. My entertainment center. 2. My workbench. 3. The oak end table.

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T17:23:00.007-06:00

I just got home from my sister's house where my family experienced a fabulous Thanksgiving meal. While I has eating some of my Mom's salad which was complete with raisins, nuts and bacon; it hit me what a wonderful combination of flavors was happening (including the wine).

I had sat down earlier in the week to put up a woodworking Thanksgiving post but as the pastor of our church once said of writing a sermon, I could never land the plane - I couldn't get all my thoughts together to finish the post.

But it is very worthwhile to say I am thankful. As some of you know, I work for Mohawk Industries, a flooring manufacturer, and as anybody who works in a business that touches the housing industry knows, times are tough. Plus, flooring is always a big ticket item. It is hard to spend money on flooring when that money competes with a big screen TV, or the cost of a car repair, among other things. Layoffs continue in our company and I am thankful to have a job.

I am thankful that I have money at all to spend on lumber. I could not have completed the Tornado Bed if it were not for the awesome donations that came in.

But most importantly, I am thankful that I have a wife who understands when I want to head into my workshop instead of fixing the partially repaired, big hole in the wall of our master bedroom (the result of a plumbing repair). She tolerates the fact that I would rather work on a furniture project than fix the leaning newel post that greats visitors to our home. And she takes it all in stride when we sit down to a meal in our dining room which has a partially completed crown molding project.

So, this year, I am thankful for so many things like being able to send my daughter to the awesome University of Alabama, but I am most thankful for my wife. The best wife a woodworker could have.

A really authentic SketchUp model

2011-11-06T20:29:00.017-06:00

ost of the drawings I do in SketchUp are not final project illustrations. As a matter of a fact, none of them have been fully drawn with everything 100% accurate when compared to the finished project. In general, I use SketchUp to help me work out design ideas and communicate construction techniques during the build, but I don’t usually need to include things like screws, or for bookcases, shelf pins for example. Some things just aren’t necessary.

But recently, I have felt the need to push myself – I want to learn more about drawing with SketchUp. To that end, I will soon be uploading the SketchUp 3D model of the Tornado Bed to Google’s 3D Warehouse; and due to this, my drawing pretty much has to be perfect.

For the Tornado Bed build, I had taken the original model to about 80-90% complete. But during construction, I had taken the illustration apart, moved components around and changed the wood texture, among other things. When looking for a version of this model I could add to the 3D Warehouse, I realized all of them were messed up in some way. Instead of doing some significant fixing, I decided to simply start all over.

Making the wrought steel hardware
The biggest thing missing from my original drawing was the bed hardware (Rockler calls these Heavy Duty Wrought Steel Rail Fasteners). I first searched the net for existing SketchUp illustrations of these, but none seemed to exist. I even searched Google’s 3D Warehouse for models of beds hoping that at least one of them would include this hardware. I found a Popular Woodworking model which had all the mortises cut for such hardware, but strangely, the hardware itself was absent. My first challenge was therefore identified: make an accurate copy of the bed hardware (click the images to enlarge them).

This mostly accurate illustration wasn't too complicated to execute except for the counter bored screw holes. I researched how best to do them, but in the end, I had to come up with my own process.

I had to then create the needed alterations to each end of both side rails to accommodate the hardware.

With this completed, I had to basically repeat this process for the fasteners which attach to the posts (note that I have even included wood screws - a chore to rotate in 3D).

Pegging the tenons
As I went through the detailed (and time consuming) process of adding the bed hardware to the model, I kept thinking of other missing details which needed to be added. The first thing that came to mind was the missing pins for the mortise and tenon joints - there are 14 pins in the head board alone.

With the outer board of a post removed, you can better see how the pinned mortise and tenon joint works.

"Drilling" a hole through four components means careful use of the guides. This is tedious, but not all that hard to do.

A challenging aspect of this process was simply getting the pin positioned properly within the hole. Once I got one in place, it was simply a case of copying in place and then moving the pin the appropriate distance to the next hole.

Renovating the finials
My goal with this illustration is to include every part of the bed as it was constructed. This means I had to re-draw the finials and make alterations to the little base they sit on.

In earlier illustrations, it appears the finials are made from one solid 2 3/4" block of wood. In reality they were glued-up from four pieces of stock. I also never included the tenon dowel that is used to attach the finial to the base. So...

Here is the re-drawn finials as they should be. All I need to do now is add the tenon.

I add color and the finial is complete. You can see the original finial in the background.

The next thing I need to do is make an accurate representation of the finial base. This means centering a 3/4" hole in the base, creating counter sink holes and adding screws (I downloaded the screws from Google's 3D Warehouse).

Here is the accurate finial and base (I decided to soften the lines between the blocks in the finial).

Final adjustments
The two remaining items on my punch list have to do with the slats and the cleat they rest on. The original 3D model had one long cleat. When I built the Tornado Bed, the long cleat I had selected for this warped pretty badly. To compensate for the warp, I cut the cleat into four separate boards. The illustration below now reflects that change and one more...

Note the four separate cleats and the addition of wood screws - for some reason I really like the look of the screws in this model. In the actual bed, the cleat is made of oak. Note in the model that the cleat is the same darker color that you would find in stained oak.

The slats which were originally a partical board color now have a nice natural pine color.

After working in my spare time for more than a week, I am calling what really was an itch that had to be scratched finished. Here is the before and after...

Here is the very first illustration of the Tornado Bed, void of all the fine details.

Here is the very detailed model ready to be uploaded into Google's 3D Warehouse (you just have to click this image to enlarge it - much better than the origianl model).

Observations
This was a good exercise; fun at times and a chore at other times. Here are some thoughts on making a 3D model that is available for public download:

Set aside some time. Adding photo realistic wood textures and items like wood screws takes time. A model that others can download requires attention to detail.
Second, plan out how you will make components and the names you give them. I had several problems along the way with components I copied for use in other parts of the model. Also, I went back and forth on how to organize component names keeping in mind that this model is optimized for running through a cut list plug-in.
Make sure you have adequate computer power. My old desktop PC showed it's age while drawing this model. The final file size of my 3D Warehouse model was more than 40 megabytes. A new computer goes on my wish list.

I don't plan to make such a detailed model often, but it is good to do every now and then.

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1. My entertainment center. 2. My workbench. 3. The oak end table.

About those finials

2011-10-28T06:39:00.001-05:00

The photo shows a feature found on some of Peter Kramer's earlier pieces - scratch carving. I borrowed the finial design for the Tornado Bed from one of Peter's projects.

hile building the Tornado Bed, a few people asked about the finial design. I had seen this design used in a bed more than 25 years ago and had always liked it. I also had planned to write about it in an earlier post, but forgot to do so; something I’d like to correct now.

The original design is by woodworker and furniture designer Peter Kramer (no relation to Cosmo). Back in the 1980s when country decorating was sadly so popular, Country Home magazine did a write-up about Peter Kramer’s unique home as well as an additional article about his design style for furniture. I count him as a key person in my development as a woodworker. I still have that magazine and thumb through its pages from time to time to get my creative juices flowing.

Peter’s finial design was part of a head board that featured some slight carving and a painted detail. See the photo below (click the photos to enlarge)…

Note in the photo the head board finial and in the upper left of the photo you can barely see the foot board finial as well.

Here is my copy of the finial.

Since making this bed, I have had some time to look back through Peter’s work shown in Country Home. He has made case pieces, tables, chairs, beds among other types of furniture and his work usually has some visual hook to it. I really like his design style. Last year, I wrote a detailed post about Peter which includes some images of his work. Also you can visit Peter's website by clicking here. Note on his website a handsome collection of chairs.

Funny thing is that after working with pine once again and being reminded how easily dented and scratched and super soft this wood is; and even though staining it is problematic, I have this desire to make another project using Peter’s collection as inspiration. But most of his work is made of – you guessed it, pine. You could say I have a love/hate relationship with this wood.

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1. My entertainment center. 2. My workbench. 3. The oak end table.

Tornado Bed: Another project completed

2011-10-23T08:06:00.004-05:00

The Tornado Bed - I am extremely pleased with the results.

Finally! I have finished work on the Tornado Bed. Like all of my projects, it seems, this one which began in May took much longer than expected to complete, but I am happy that it is finished and I can move on to my next project. And while it went together very well, I did face one final challenge which had to do with applying the finish to the foot board.

A challenge
As a project develops, challenges will appear along the way and I had two significant ones with the Tornado Bed, both of which had to do with applying the color.

First, I had the issue with poorly stained finials as reported in this blog post. The fix for that was to make a new batch of finials and apply five coats of Charles Neil’s Pre-Color Conditioner prior to stain (click the photos for a larger view).

A second go around. New finials ready for another attempt with stain.

Much better color this time - still not perfect, but good enough.

In the second photo, you can see a much more even color, but the color is still not perfect. This is partly due to the design of the finials which means a lot of end grain is utilized. End grain aggressively absorbs stain resulting in a much darker color. The conditioner helped control this, but end grain being what it is; the result leaves a few noticeable spots of darker color. When attaching the finials to the posts, I simply made sure that the best surfaces faced forward.

The final challenge
I had a problem getting an even coat of conditioner applied to the surfaces of the foot board. Here is a lesson learned. In an earlier post, I email interviewed Nicholas Nelson about the virtues of pre-finishing components prior to glue-up. A quote from that exchange:

"Yes, I pre-finish components before any assembly when required, which is most, heh. It makes life a heck of a lot easier instead of trying to get a good finish in corners and such."

I think Nicholas is on to something. I pre-finished several parts of the head board assembly before glue-up and it went very well. Unfortunately this stroke of genius hit me after I completed glue-up of the foot board. I had considerable problems getting an even application of pre-stain conditioner in the corners where the cross members meet the posts. I also had a problem getting a uniform application of conditioner on some of the boards themselves.

After thinking through all my options, I decided to sand some of the foot board components back to bare wood. I then had to repeat the process (conditioner and stain) all over again taking extra care to get an even application of conditioner.

The lesson
I consider Charles Neil’s Pre-Color Conditioner the best of its kind, but naturally it has to be applied properly. Even with its milky color, it is hard to determine if the conditioner has been laid down uniformly. Basically, you have to view light reflecting off of it while wet. Areas that dry quickly will dull indicating the need of an additional brush stroke or two of conditioner.

This is not a problem with Charles Neil’s product; this would be the same with any conditioner and is more of an issue with the wood. But staining pine means extra steps in the process and more opportunities for errors. For me, from this point forward, I will do everything I can to keep from staining wood at all.

Here you can see the nice color of the wood; it is Minwax English Chestnut.

With all the stain and polyurethane applied, the overall color has a nice warm look. Yesterday, I cut the box spring slats, which was easy to do. With that completed, the bed is finished!

A close-up of the head board panels.

The finials turned out well.

The home this bed will reside in won’t be completed for a number of weeks, so for now, I’ll store at my house. I plan to have one final post with the bed set up in its new home and hopefully a photo of the new owners.

Here is the original design...

...and here is the completed bed.

I want to again thank those who made donations to this project. No telling what this bed would have cost if I had used something like walnut or cherry. I ran up quite a tab with less expensive select pine along with all the supplies for stain and finish. The donors were:

Mark and Amy LeJeune
Steve and Jane Bell
Jack and Mary Branch
Betty Branch
Jim Branch
Jason Herrick
James and Susan Dunlap
Mary Willis

I also want to again acknowledge Christopher Lindsay who, while I was building my Dad's TV Console, donated a thickness planer he no longer used. The Tornado Bed was really the first project in which the planer got much use. It proved to be vital to the success of the project.

Thank you also to everyone who offered encouragement during this build. And finally, I want to especially thank my wife for all of her support.

This project is being built in response to the historic tornado outbreak that occurred in Alabama on April 27, 2011. On that day, 63 tornadoes struck our state which claimed the lives of 247 people and caused between $2.45 billion and $4.2 billion in property damage (click the image at the right). The Tornado Bed will be given free of charge to a needy victim of the April 27th tornado event.

To view all posts on this project click here. This is post seventeen in this series.

________________________

1. A bedside table. 2. Beth's built-in. 3. The TV Console project.

A handsome corner cupboard

2011-10-20T13:36:00.019-05:00

A handsome hand made corner cupboard which made me think...

few weeks ago I visited some relatives in Spartanburg, South Carolina and had the good fortune to see this handsome corner cupboard. I was taking a break from work, football games and the Tornado Bed and seeing this cupboard was timely. You see, I had just experienced frustration with my bed project: I had been drilling holes and fitting dowels through some pegged mortise and tenon joints. During this process, some tear-out developed around the holes, which I was hoping to avoid. If you are not familiar with tear-out, see some examples in the cupboard photos below (click to enlarge)...

Not sure how old this cupboard is. The wood certainly shows some age. Note the grain in the panels run in different directions.

A close-up shows tear-out around the pegs utilized in the joinery.

I am very much a perfectionist in my woodworking. Even though I don't build the most challenging furniture, the projects I do build, I want them to be pretty much perfect. This includes a nice, clean hole for a pegged joint. But this very handsome cupboard has some tear-out, so is there a lesson here for me? Should I get so torn up about tear-out?

My uncle who owns this piece wondered if it was machine made to which I would confidently say no. It has the look of a piece made by hand. More clues...

The top and the cornice moulding don't align just right.

The pegs are aligned sort of haphazardly.

Also you will note in the first photo that the upper doors which contain two panels have boards with grain which run in different directions, indicating to me thought on the craftsman's part: "the grain of this smaller panel should run horizontally and the longer, narrow panel should run vertically." It seems to me that such thought would not enter into a mass produced piece.

Anyone who happeneds upon this cupboard would have to be jealous. I wish I had one this nice, so well designed and proportioned. Note the size of the display area and the balance with the lower storage space. Note the intricate cornice moulding and bracket feet and how they don't over power the piece. Note the nice subtle color of the wood. For an unknown craftsman, this was a successful project even though it is not perfect.

So how should I view imperfections in my own projects? I should always strive for improving my skills, but such things are also tell tale signs for future observers that what they are looking at is furniture made by hand. It is one thing to build a bed that falls apart a week after being set up and it is another thing altogether to have a slight imperfection that many people will not even notice.

I should relax a little and take it all in stride - stop sweating the little things so much.

________________________

1. A bedside table. 2. Beth's built-in. 3. The TV Console project.

My favorite on-line source for quality lumber.

Free on Friday #4

2011-10-14T06:25:00.001-05:00

his month, the Fine Woodworking.com Free on Friday DVD give-away features a project that is small in size, but ginormous in technique. Called the Small Tool Cabinet, this project is a great lesson in how to construct a case piece with what I consider to be advanced techniques: sliding dovetails for the case joinery, hand beaded ship lap boards for the back, a unique way to join the face frame to the sides, a raised panel door in which the panel is formed using a hand plane, and a high-end cove molding which includes handsome banding.

This video which is presented by professional woodworker and teacher Garrett Hack, has tons of handy tips. Some of the tools he uses include a variety of hand planes and chisels, a router and a shaper among others, all of which are interesting to watch Hack use. I also found his technique for simply running stock through the table saw interesting; different from how I do it (if you have never been to Garrett Hack's website, you should - his work is beautiful and very creative).

The Small Tool Cabinet video is perfect for the beginner woodworker who wants to advance his/her skills as well as for the advanced woodworker who simply would like to see how an expert woodworker approaches what at first glance appears to be a simple project. As it says on Fine Woodworking.com’s page about this video, "build this cabinet and build your skills."

This DVD is 66 minutes in length and sells for $29.95. Enter your name and email address below and it could be yours free of charge.

Loading...Here is how this will work. I'll close submissions at noon Central time on Saturday and will update this post with the winner's name at that time. The winner will be chosen with the help of Random.org. An email will then be sent asking for the winner's mailing address. I'll forward that to FWW who will then ship the DVD.

One submission per email, and this promotion is limited to residents of the USA and Canada. I want to say a big thank you to Fine Woodworking who graciously made this DVD available for my Free on Friday series. Good luck!

And the winner is...
C. Adkins
Thanks to everyone who submitted an entry.

________________________

1. The Massive Bookcase. 2. The Coffee Table. 3. The TV Console project

Has the Tornado Bed found a home?

2011-10-03T21:00:00.010-05:00

A tour of Sipsey, Alabama after the tornado strike on April 27th (this video was found on YouTube - I did not shoot this video). Damage begins to appear at the 1:40 mark - note the damaged and destroyed homes in addition to all the trees.

It appears that the Tornado Bed will find a home in the Sipsey, Alabama community. Located in rural Walker County, Sipsey was struck not only by a tornado, but also by high winds from storms that hit the morning of April 27th. The bed will go to a couple which lost their mobile home in the storms that day. A new home for them is under construction thanks to an organization called Restore Sipsey and is scheduled for completion later this fall (our church has partnered with the Restore Sipsey effort).

At present, I am in the process of applying the final coats of wipe-on polyurethane to the head board and side rails. Once this is complete, I'll begin work on the foot board. I just don't have enough room to work on all of the bed at the same time.

Regarding the finials which were an issue in my last post, I applied three coats of pre-color conditioner to the remaining two finials and I have tested one of them with stain. The result is good, but I will probably make three new finials and cover them with four coats of conditioner, add stain and poly and be done with them.

I have a target of October 15th for completion, but I have the University of Alabama vs. Vandy football game this weekend and a number of other things on my schedule as well. Wish me luck.

This project is being built in response to the historic tornado outbreak that occurred in Alabama on April 27th. On that day, 63 tornadoes struck our state which claimed the lives of 247 people and caused between $2.45 billion and $4.2 billion in property damage (click the image at the right). The Tornado Bed will be given free of charge to a needy victim of the April 27th tornado event.

To view all posts on this project click here. This is post sixteen in this series.

________________________

1. A bedside table. 2. Beth's built-in. 3. The TV Console project.

My favorite on-line source for quality lumber.

Tornado Bed: I run into a problem

2011-09-26T08:18:00.005-05:00

With construction complete, it is time to get ready for stain. Here I have just applied a coat of pre-color conditioner.

inally, this project, which started in May, is coming to a close. Construction is complete on the Tornado Bed (or at least I thought it was - read on). I added the last of the pins for the mortise and tenon joints Friday evening. It was good to think that I would be putting away tools like my drill for the last time on this project.

This week was basically a repeat of the steps I took in my last post, except I worked on the head board this time and fine tuned my process for eliminating drill tear out. In case you missed last weeks post, the process looked similar to this…

My drill bit is just barely long enough to go all the way through the posts. So, I have added some painters tape to protect the soft pine from the spinning drill chuck (which can leave a nice circular scar around the opening - note the hole on the left). Also I have clamped a backer board securely in place to minimize tear out.

Pins which are quarter inch oak dowels are driven into place. There was still a little tear out around the holes. I wonder if this is just hard to control in a soft wood like pine? Maybe some higher quality drill bits like these would help?

The view after cutting the pins flush and sanding the post smooth.

With the end of construction comes final preparation for the finish, and this means a lot of sanding. In general, I think that like 95% of woodworkers dislike sanding. But it is a necessary evil. I try to make the best of it with fresh paper in my sander and I also have plenty of 320 and 400 grit paper at the ready for final hand sanding.

The problem
After applying a coat of Charles Neil's Pre-Color Conditioner, I begin to lay down some stain. Since I am staining pine, I keep my fingers crossed for good luck. Everything goes well until I get to the finials. See the pic below...

I stain two finials and find that they look horrible. Let's just say I have a thing or two to learn about applying conditioner to end grain.

The one on the right is particularly bad - note the lighter triangle coloring in the upper right of the finial. These two finials are now basically trash, and fortunately I did not proceed further with the remaining two un-stained finials.

This coloring is after one coat of conditioner and one coat of stain. I knew that the end grain would be darker, but since this is the first project I have used this new conditioner on, I did not know how dark (and I think it is too dark).

To correct this, I will apply three coats of conditioner on the remaining two finials and then stain them. I need to come up with a way to test this so as not to ruin them. I will also make two new finials to replace the badly stained ones, which means construction continues. Not a big deal since they are easy to make; I consider this just a minor set-back. If you have any staining ideas different from this, please tell me in the comments. I'll update this situation when I can.

This project is being built in response to the historic tornado outbreak that occurred in Alabama on April 27th. On that day, 63 tornadoes struck our state which claimed the lives of 247 people and caused between $2.45 billion and $4.2 billion in property damage (click the image at the right). The Tornado Bed will be given free of charge to a needy victim of the April 27th tornado event.

To view all posts on this project click here. This is post fifteen in this series.

________________________

1. A bedside table. 2. Beth's built-in. 3. The TV Console project.

My favorite on-line source for quality lumber.

Tornado Bed: Getting Close

2011-09-19T20:10:00.007-05:00

Getting close - I've been organizing my final to do list for the Tornado Bed.

t is so cool when everything goes as planned. The last step in construction for the Tornado Bed is to peg the mortise and tenon joints in the head board and foot board. Again, some hesitation sets in as I contemplate drilling holes into the sanded clear pine – such a handsome wood in its pre-stain state. I sure would hate to mess it up at this point.

The tool selected for creating the holes is my corded Craftsman drill. It is old, but still is more steady than my cordless drill. In an effort to control the drilling process, I bought a drill guide to help ensure the bit goes in nice and straight. I will be drilling all the way through the posts. On to the photos…

Here is the drilling guide in use. I only get 2/3 through the post and then have to finish drilling all the way through without the guide.

With pine being so soft, I was concerned about getting some tear-out around the drill bit's entry point, but the cuts on the front were nice and crisp.

Here the oak dowels are in place. I added glue to the inside each hole from the back of the post.

I cut the dowels flush with my pull saw and sand everything nice and smooth. Emphasis on nice.

I have to sort of smile as I contemplate staining the Tornado Bed. All the prep work: sanding through multiple grits of paper, inspecting the wood surface under the shadow of a carefully placed shop lamp, more sanding, dust removal – all of the work leading up to this point will be either deemed a success or a disappointment with just a few wipes of a stain soaked cloth. It is a humbling experience for any woodworker. But luckily everything goes very well with this process.

The color is Minwax English Chesnut and the stain goes on mighty dark. I use a foam brush due to the large area I need to quickly cover.

Wiping away the excess stain with a cloth reveals a uniform color and a color that is similar to the headboard stained weeks ago.

The only real issue I ran into was with a couple of holes in the right front foot board. As I was drilling the holes for the dowels, some of the exit holes on the back side did not cut clean. I thought I had provided enough of a backer to prevent this minor blow-out, but it wasn’t sufficient. I had used painters tape on the left side which did a fantastic job. I guess it is back to the painters tape when I do the head board.

Anyway, I still have to pin the mortises in the head board and do a little repair on a couple of dings that have developed. While moving the head board and foot board around the shop, things like poles and power tools have come into contact with them.

With all the polyurethane which needs to be applied, I think I still have a couple of weeks of hard work ahead of me. But final construction is at hand.

This project is being built in response to the historic tornado outbreak that occurred in Alabama on April 27th. On that day, 63 tornadoes struck our state which claimed the lives of 247 people and caused between $2.45 billion and $4.2 billion in property damage (click the image at the right). The Tornado Bed will be given free of charge to a needy victim of the April 27th tornado event.

To view all posts on this project click here. This is post fourteen in this series.

________________________

1. A bedside table. 2. Beth's built-in. 3. The TV Console project.

My favorite on-line source for quality lumber.

Making finials for the Tornado Bed

2011-09-11T16:39:00.001-05:00

The updated finial design. Here I have added a base for the finial to rest on.

ne design change I made after drawing the SkecthUp illustration of the Tornado Bed was to add a little base to the finial. If this base did not exist, then the finial would sit on top of visible end grain, which I decided wouldn't be proper.

Making the bases was pretty straight forward: four pieces of wood cut into small triangles. Sort of a challenge to make them all square (some of them are slightly out of square, but they're close enough). See below...

Using my 45 degree miter gauge, I cut four pieces to form the finial base.

Using painters tape, I join all the pieces together and add glue.

All taped up, the bases are set aside so the glue can dry.

I once visited Tommy MacDonald's website. I was viewing a video about the construction of his very impressive bombe secretary. Tommy was cutting a delicate piece of molding and he commented that it took something like 15 attempts before he got one that fit just right. I remembered that when it came time to form the finials for my bed project.

Here you see the glued-up stock which is 2 3/4" square. I move my fence to the left side of the blade and repeatedly cut away 2 3/4" blocks which will become the finials.

I envisioned making some elaborate jig to cut the corners away, but what I came up with was actually pretty simple. The blade is tilted to 35 1/2 degrees.

Here is where the Tommy Mac video influence comes into play. I cut seven finials and begin to decide which four I'll actually use. Already the one in back has been excluded due to some tear-out along one of the edges.

After selecting the best finials, I use a 3/4" forstner bit and drill holes to make way for the dowel tenons. I cut corresponding holes in the bases.

I then temporarily attach a base to the top of each post with two carefully located screws. The finials and the bases will be permanently attached with glue after I stain everything.

Here is the head board along with the and foot board mostly completed.

At this point construction of the Tornado Bed is about 97% completed. I am toying with the idea of adding dowel pins to the mortise and tenon joints located in the head board and foot board, and technically, I need to cut slats for the box spring to rest on. But the major work from this point forward will be final sanding and applying the finish: pre-stain conditioner, stain and polyurethane - no small task. The end is in sight!

This project is being built in response to the historic tornado outbreak that occurred in Alabama on April 27th. On that day, 63 tornadoes struck our state which claimed the lives of 247 people and caused between $2.45 billion and $4.2 billion in property damage (click the image at the right). The Tornado Bed will be given free of charge to a needy victim of the April 27th tornado event.

To view all posts on this project click here. This is post thirteen in this series.

________________________

1. A bedside table. 2. Beth's built-in. 3. The TV Console project.

My favorite on-line source for quality lumber.

Free on Friday #3

2011-09-09T07:37:00.007-05:00

veryone could use another bookcase right? I once happened on a forum discussion about bookcases and realized for those who love to read, there just isn't enough room for all those books - some people submitted comments saying they stored books in every room of their home! That is why I have said several times, a woodworker could make a living just making bookcases.

If you agree, then this "Free on Friday" give-away is just for you. Fine Woodworking.com has made available a DVD titled "Bookcase with Bracket Feet" and, to me, a great feature of this DVD is in addition to the flat bracket feet shown on the DVD cover, award winning teacher Phil Lowe also demonstrates how to make beautiful ogee bracket feet - something I have never attempted (the ogee bracket feet include hand cut dovetails as well).

But what I find most interesting about this video is simply seeing how someone else tackles this project. Several of Phil’s processes vary from how I have constructed similar bookcases, which always makes me think a little. Also interesting: this elegant bookcase is made from oak and oak plywood and Phil’s approach to this project strikes a nice balance between power tools and hand tools.

The standard price for this 40 minute DVD is $29.95. Fill in the information below and it could be yours free of charge

Loading...Here is how this will work. I'll close submissions at noon Central time on Saturday and will update this post with the winner's name at that time. The winner will be chosen with the help of Random.org. An email will then be sent asking for the winner's mailing address. I'll forward that to FWW who will then ship the DVD.

One submission per email, and this promotion is limited to residents of the USA and Canada. Good luck and a BIG THANK YOU to Fine Woodworking magazine!

And the winner is...
A. Marshall
Thanks to everyone who submitted an entry.

________________________

1. The Massive Bookcase. 2. The Coffee Table. 3. The TV Console project

Tornado Bed: the hardware, part 2

2011-09-04T17:42:00.002-05:00

Ready to start cutting the mortises in the foot board. I place it on top of my table saw and out-feed table. As this project takes shape, I begin to run out of work surfaces in my shop.

fter some slow progress on the Tornado Bed, things have advanced extra quickly this week. It seems that all the time I devoted to making a precision jig for the hardware mortises paid off, because I basically used that same jig for the head board and foot board posts with just a minor adjustment. There were moments of anxiety while sinking my router bit into the side rails (previous post). Not this time; I powered up my router with more confidence and got after the mortises in the bed’s posts.

I draw the outline of the rail (the rectangular box) and mark center lines horizontally and vertically.

I then align the center lines on my template with those drawn on the post and clamp the template in place. The collar in the base of my router rides along the inside of the template and the router bit cuts the needed mortise for the hardware.

A chisel is then used to clean up the cut. The hardware is temporarily installed using sheet rock screws. Note the two openings in the hardware. I use chisels to mark the location of these openings to help with the next step.

I then clamp a straight edge to the foot board and use my router to cut slots in the mortise. These slots are needed to allow room for the hooks found on the male part of the hardware.

Here, I have the post hardware installed.

I did all this work during the week. It has become harder to find significant time to work on this project. I have to insert a little time in the evenings and some early mornings in order to make this progress. Then on Saturday, my wife and I went to this...

The season opener for University of Alabama Crimson Tide football. Close to 100,000 of our ROLL TIDE friends cheer the Tide on to their first victory of the season. The weather co-operated, we had great seats, and afterwards, we met up with our daughter for some bar-b-que. Big fun.

Today, I cut the mortises and installed the hardware for the head board, and then, finally...

For the first time, I was able to set the bed up in the driveway. It is looking just as it should at this point and I am very pleased.

Next, I need to form the finials - no small task. I can also begin staining and finishing the side rails and foot board.

I still see this project lasting until the end of September before I am finished with it, but at least the end is in sight.

This project is being built in response to the historic tornado outbreak that occurred in Alabama on April 27th. On that day, 63 tornadoes struck our state which claimed the lives of 247 people and caused between $2.45 billion and $4.2 billion in property damage (click the image at the right). The Tornado Bed will be given free of charge to a needy victim of the April 27th tornado event.

To view all posts on this project click here. This is post twelve in this series.

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1. A bedside table. 2. Beth's built-in. 3. The TV Console project.

My favorite on-line source for quality lumber.

Tornado Bed: the hardware, part 1

2011-08-28T15:20:00.005-05:00

Here is the bed hardware, donated by Jason Herrick. The hardware consists of four pairs of male/female connectors.

ou know, sometimes things just take a while, especially when you need to do something important and getting it right the first time is critical. Such was the case with the Tornado Bed over the past two weeks. I am specifically talking about cutting the mortises on each end of the side rails. I had just spent about $100.00 on material for the rails so making a mistake at this point would be a bodacious set back. And, I had not made this kind of cut in end grain in ages. Therefore, I decided to take my time with this process and as a result, two weeks have slipped by since my last update (I also had many non-woodworking events which kept me out of the shop).

I contemplated the best way to cut the mortises in the rail end grain. It would be great if I could simply pick up an extra sharp chisel and quickly knock out the needed mortises. But I am not that good with a chisel. So, I decided to make a template and use my router, outfitted with a collar, to make the cuts.

I grabbed a scrap piece of MDF and after some fussing with the template I created, a proper fit was achieved and the mortises then proceeded. All photos are clickable for a larger view. Here is how it went…

The items needed to cut the mortises: the template and router equipped with a collar and a 1/4" straight cutting bit. I clamp the template to end of the rails; the collar rides against the template and the bit cuts the required profile.

Here I have temporarily attached the hardware to the rail using sheetrock screws. I'll use more substantial screws later. Note the tight fit of the mortise - I used a chisel to clean up the cut left by the router creating a tight fit.

Screws don't bite too well when driven into the end of boards. I easily attached the screws in the photo above with just hand pressure. As you might expect, the joinery for beds need to be extra durable. The joints where the rails meet the head board and foot board are critical ones. To give the screws something more substantial to bite into, I next drill three 3/4" holes into inside of each rail. These holes are then filled with hardwood dowels...

I use by Dad's bench-top drill press and a 3/4" forstner bit to create the holes. Also note that I have removed one of the box beams from my Josh Finn style workbench. The drill press is sitting on top of one of the workbench sawhorses which makes the drill press platform about the same height as my adjacent table saw. This enables me to easily position the long side rails for drilling.

I then glue the hardwood dowels in place and sand them smooth with my random orbit sander.

The heavy duty screws are now driven into hardwood dowels and finally, I have part one of the bed hardware successfully installed.

Next, I'll cut the corresponding mortises in the posts, install their hardware and then it will be time to set the bed up and begin thinking about the finishing touches for the project!

Since the end is in sight, I have begun the process of finding a home for it. Our church is participating in a tornado recovery program for the small community of Sipsey, Alabama (see the Restore Sipsey site by clicking here). Several homes are being built and I hope my bed can help a needy family there.

This project is being built in response to the historic tornado outbreak that occurred in Alabama on April 27th. On that day, 63 tornadoes struck our state which claimed the lives of 247 people and caused between $2.45 billion and $4.2 billion in property damage (click the image at the right). The Tornado Bed will be given free of charge to a needy victim of the April 27th tornado event.

To view all posts on this project click here. This is post eleven in this series.

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1. A bedside table. 2. Beth's built-in. 3. The TV Console project.

My favorite on-line source for quality lumber.

Back to work on the Tornado Bed

2011-08-14T16:11:00.008-05:00

ith all of the major items on my family to-do list completed, it is time to reflect a little. We had a great time on vacation. The condo we rented in Panama City Beach, Florida, could have been the all time best for us. It featured a somewhat panoramic view of the Gulf of Mexico and the shore line looking west from our 15th floor unit. Like most of the high-rise condominiums in the area, this one was fairly new.

A view looking west from our living room. Imagine the stunning view considering the Gulf front sliding doors out of view to the left and two more windows to the right of these - awesome! Photo: Jane Bell.

The shore line at dusk. Our condo was an end unit which had a balcony that wrapped around three sides of it (note the balcony railing in the first photo). Photo: Jane Bell.

Then, once we returned from the beach, it was time to turn our full attention towards moving our daughter back to the University of Alabama. Part of the process included me building a contraption which would raise her bed so some storage units could slide underneath.

The SketchUp illustration of the "Bed Lift". Made of pine, it eventually was painted black. The bed frame which sits on top of this is the inexpensive metal variety.

Here is a close-up of the joinery on the rear corner posts. It was my hope that letting in the cross members would add some rigidity to the piece.

With the move accomplished, it is time to get my basement shop back in order and get back to the Tornado Bed.

Fabricating the rails
The next step in building the bed is to fabricate the side rails that join the foot board to the head board. Each rail will be formed from two 8' 1" x 8"s glued together. The finished rails will be 82" long, so before adding glue, I inspect each board for pleasing grain and note any defects or damage. I then mark which section of each board I'll use. Glue is spread over the face of one board and then the two are screwed together to ensure they don't slide around during clamping. This glue-up calls for a lot of clamps...

Fortunately I did not have to buy more clamps. Here I use every small clamp I own to glue together two long boards which will form a side rail.

After removing the clamps and cutting both rails to width, I clamp them together and sand their edges.

Next, I needed to cut the rails to length. I wasn't sure my panel cutting jig would be able to handle boards this long, but the cuts went very well.

With the rails cut to width and length, I need to complete the sanding by running my sander over the faces of each rail. I start with 100 grit paper and work my way up to 220 grit. Note the difference between the sanded area in the lower right and the adjacent un-sanded area.

I need to add a cleat to the inside of each rail. This cleat will support the slats which in turn will provide a base for the box spring and mattress. I selected two 8' 1" x 2" sticks that had warped something fierce by the time I got around to using them. So, I cut them up into smaller pieces and took the warp out of them.

Here are the two rails ready for the bed hardware.

This week, I'll be working on attaching the hardware to the rails as well as the corresponding piece to the head board and foot board. Should be exciting work.

An important note about donors
So far I’ve had a number of people pass positive comments to me about this project. Thank you. It is the least I can do when disaster strikes so close to home.

I would also add that there have been many people who have supported this effort through donations. Building this bed without financial support would have been difficult.

The following people have made donations to this project and I would like to say a big heart felt thank you. The lumber and supplies shown in this post alone cost about $100.00, so your monetary support has been vital. I have received donations from the following people:

Mark and Amy LeJeune

Steve and Jane Bell

Jack and Mary Branch

Betty Branch

Jim Branch

Jason Herrick

James and Susan Dunlap

Mary Willis

Your support has helped cover a significant part of the cost of this bed, so again, thank you.

This project is being built in response to the historic tornado outbreak that occurred in Alabama on April 27th. On that day, 63 tornadoes struck our state which claimed the lives of 247 people and caused between $2.45 billion and $4.2 billion in property damage (click the image at the right). The Tornado Bed will be given free of charge to a needy victim of the April 27th tornado event.

To view all posts on this project click here. This is post ten in this series.

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1. Pediment picture frames. 2. The Coffee Table. 3. The TV Console project

My favorite on-line source for quality lumber.

Free on Friday, #2

2011-08-05T06:47:00.004-05:00

elcome to the second in a series of give-always at woodfever.net. This month, we have a DVD from the kind people at Fine Woodworking magazine. This DVD should interest a number of woodworkers because it shows how Matt Kenney made a gigantic workbench. Called simply enough, “Monster Workbench,” this video shows the step-by-step process of building this behemoth and includes the digital plans needed for constructing it.

One day I’d like to have a bench like this. Made of hard maple, it is designed for both the hand tool and power tool woodworker. It features a large twin screw vise, an adjustable plane stop, and holes strategically located for hold fasts. Best of all, Matt presents a “stress free” process for flattening the large top – something I need to see since flattening is what keeps me from making a bench like this.

The DVD runs 34 minutes and is currently sale priced at FWW.com for $22.95. Read more about the DVD by clicking here. One lucky woodworker will win it free of charge.

Loading...Here is how this will work. I'll close submissions at noon Central time on Saturday, August 6th, and will update this post with the winner's name as soon as I can. The winner will be chosen with the help of Random.org. An email will then be sent asking for the winner's mailing address. I'll forward that to FWW who will then ship the DVD.

One submission per email, and this promotion is limited to residents of the USA and Canada. Good luck and a BIG THANK YOU to Fine Woodworking magazine!

And the winner is...
V. Costolo
Thanks to everyone who submitted an entry.

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1. The Massive Bookcase. 2. The Coffee Table. 3. The TV Console project

Tom Fidgen's Made by Hand

2011-07-28T10:36:00.008-05:00

This post is for anyone who wants to jump into the world of hand tools.

A key book in my journey as a hand tool woodworker.

I placed the glass of wine in the photo above for a reason. If you look closely at the cover of Tom Fidgen’s Made by Hand, Furniture Projects from the Unplugged Workshop, you’ll see an artistically designed table executed by hand tools. I tend to look at furniture in several ways these days, but mainly pieces fall into two categories: those that could easily be found in an art gallery and those that could be found in a furniture store.

The piece on the cover of Fidgen’s book is of the art gallery type which the glass of wine signifies, but after reading the book, a bottle of beer could have been used as a prop due to Fidgen's background as a power tool woodworker.

I first ran across Fidgen when he was mid-way through the construction of a sharpening station featured at Fine Woodworking.com (see the multi-part series by clicking here). What I found surprising was he used absolutely no power tools in its construction – even holes were created with hand cranked drills. I remember thinking, “He is sooooo way ahead of me.” But, interestingly, Tom Fidgen used to be a full-fledged power tool woodworker. He even admits to watching a certain PBS TV show where the woodworker was known for wearing flannel shirts.

The book
In addition to being an accomplished furniture maker, Fidgen is a boat maker, a recording artist and a writer. I initially thought I was buying a "how-to" hand tool manual, but I quickly discovered that Made by Hand is a book that contains writing…

Take a plank of timber and look at it, rough and ready right out of a saw mill. Twisted and turning, grains roll along as if still being pushed by some outside force. It was in its natural environment not so long ago, still breathing, ever changing. From forest to you, in hand, in shop – your shop or place of work, not too far to fall…the tree that is."

A look at the contents page shows just how complete this book is. It contains recommendations for everything needed to get the hand tool woodworker on his/her way: hand planes, spokeshaves, chisels, etc. Tips on techniques are discussed and then there is a selection of Fidgen's project plans with step-by-step photos and notes.

His pointers on which tools to buy first and his discussion about flea market finds vs. modern tools are all helpful for me, the hand tool novice and anyone like me embarking on the journey with such tools.

Fidgen spends some time on sharpening hand tools and comments on the peace of mind gained by spending an hour in the morning sharpening tools – yikes, an hour! One more quote from the book:

The best hand tool in the world is worthless in the hands of the woodworker who doesn’t know how to sharpen.

Ouch – this is me and it is why I don’t do more work with hand tools. Fidgen’s book has given me the confidence to begin the practice of sharpening the few hand tools I currently have.

He works through bench jigs, like a shooting board, which are critical to successful hand tool work. Finally, before getting to the project section of his book Fidgen devotes a chapter to process techniques: calculating board feet, preparing rough sawn lumber, as well as cutting dovetails and mortises among other things.

The projects Fidgen selected for Made by Hand are all interesting and are certainly more complex than what I currently build. I feel compelled to attempt one or two of them if for no other reason than to know I can make something as challenging as these pieces are. I especially like his frame and panel cabinet.

The book also contains a DVD which goes into more detail about the basics for the up and coming hand tool woodworker. This makes the book/DVD combination very comprehensive.

I purchased Fidgen’s book prior to heading down to Panama City Beach, Florida for our annual family reunion. A goal of mine for this trip was to simply read. To that end, I picked up Made by Hand, sort of by accident. Of all the books at my local Woodcraft store, this one stood out. And I am glad it did. It is just what I need to get oriented in hand tools.

One of the projects featured in the book is a small wall mounted book case. The chapter on this project is titled, "Where the Good Books Go?" I already have a bookcase dedicated for my special woodworking books and Made by Hand certainly will reside there.

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The book is available at Woodcraft for $29.99 but if you are interested, it is currently on sale at Popular Woodworking.com for $15.99 through August 31, 2011. You can also find it at Amazon.com or at Tom Fidgen's website.

My favorite on-line source for quality lumber.

The evolution of a bookcase design

2011-07-25T15:28:00.011-05:00

The final design of the Scott Bookcase, a project I completed over a year ago. Getting to this point meant working through four different design options.

I have been contemplating video for my blog. Specifically, I am thinking about a slide show type video with me narrating the construction of a past project which I called the Scott Bookcase. Why? I really don't think a visitor to my blog is going to take the time to page through all of the posts of that project or any of my projects for that matter. But a brief video might be the trick.

A key part of building the Scott Bookcase was the design process which involved a few meetings with the client along with some emails being exchanged. I am not sure if the video will ever come to pass, but I can at least preview what I plan to say in this blog post. So, here is an overview of how the design went down.

The initial client meeting
The client, a friend of mine, called wanting a bookcase, probably painted, which would reside along a wall in his family room. The size was to be seven feet tall and six feet wide. The house is traditional in nature; various moldings trim out the rooms, so the bookcase needed to have the same feel.

I met with my friend and his wife in their home and instead of using my portfolio of finished pieces, I simply brought my laptop and the three of us brainstormed a little. Being able to connect to my blog where I have a selection of my finished projects was very beneficial. When an idea would pop up, I was often able to go to one of my completed projects, or a specific blog post, to discuss how the idea would impact the bookcase design.

After my planning meeting, I had enough information to begin the design process which initially included two options...

The first option

Of the four designs, this is my favorite; nice proportions between the upper and lower sections.

For this project, I wanted to stay away from bracket feet due to the complexities of making them. I have always wanted to make a project with bun feet. This would have been my first.

One possible design change would have been a smaller cornice molding. I mulled this over thinking such a molding might have offered more balance.

The only real problem with this design was the width of the lower case - not wide enough for the bun feet. They look too close to each other.

I really like the look of this bookcase, especially the front view. I wanted to include something different for the base; different from the baseboard style element that I had used several times before (here and here) and I didn't want to venture into bracket feet due to the complex nature of fabricating them. My client was very agreeable to making the bookcase as easy to construct as I wanted it to be, so considerations like this were very agreeable to them. The bun feet which I liked was not to their liking, so this design was scrapped.

Design #2
The basic difference between this design and the first one is the width of the top case, which is wider, and the base design.

Nice overall, but a little boxy in feel.

This is the basic baseboard design I use: straight stock topped off with base cap molding. Over the years I have used base cap repeatedly in my projects.

Nice waist molding and here you get a good view of the panel look of the sides.

Stock crown molding finishes off the top.

My client was ready to go with this design option, but I wanted to get away from the boxy look. I offered this design thinking the simplified look would be easiest to build and the base moldings are a nice alternative to the bun feet in the first design. But, I felt that this option missed a visual hook; something the makes the piece a little more interesting to look at.

I told my clients I would meet with them again and offer a tweak to design #2.

The third, over-the-top design
As I thought about the third design, my imagination really got the best of me. I began visualizing this bookcase as a showcase piece; something that would be a great portfolio builder. This design would be a win-win for me and my clients: a portfolio enhancer for me and a great bookcase for them.

This design is definitely masculine in feel.

All of the moldings that wrap this piece would have taken forever for me to cut.

I do like the way several of the design elements wrap around the columns, like the crown molding.

I wrote about this design in more detail in an earlier blog post. The original hand drawn illustration included not only a front and side view, but a view looking down from the top as well as up from the bottom. These additional views helped me organize the various parts needed to make this design. But the additional views also indicated how complicated and time consuming this project would have been. This option was never presented to the client and remains only a design idea.

Design #4
This is what the clients finally approved. It merges some elements from the previous designs as well as a couple of new ideas.

Shown in the white color the piece was finally painted, this design features a more noticable difference between the upper and lower sections.

Here, I went in a slightly different direction for the base molding. The two-part molding design forms sort of a ogee profile.

The waist molding is built up from two moldings.

The crown molding is made from home center material.

The overall shape of this design was borrowed from a project featured in Glen Huey's book, "Fine Furniture for a Lifetime." I had always wanted to make something with this profile and my clients were ultimately very pleased with the results. If I had it to do over, I would probably make the lower case a little taller.

For those of you that do custom work, how does this kind of design consultation compare with yours? In the future, I hope to actually fire up SketchUp and do some brainstorming on the basic shape of a project right in front of the client. I don't know how practical this would be, but it seems to me this would go a long way towards pulling the client into the design process.

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1. Pediment picture frames. 2. The Coffee Table. 3. The TV Console project

My favorite on-line source for quality lumber.

Pre-staining the Tornado Bed

2011-07-17T16:30:00.014-05:00

A new idea. Stain and finish before glue-up is a radical approach for me.

I have seen two woodworkers who complete projects where the finish went on before glue-up. Upon discovering this seemingly radical approach to finishing, I thought to myself "why would you do such a thing?"

Now, I had already decided to pre-finish the headboard panels due to wood movement, but I remembered how woodworker Nicholas Nelson pre-finishes most all of his components. Should I do the same?

I sent Nicholas an email and asked him about pre-finishing components. He replied:

"Yes, I pre-finish components before any assembly when required, which is most, heh. It makes life a heck of a lot easier instead of trying to get a good finish in corners and such."

He makes a good point. I can remember how difficult it was to finish the interior surfaces of the TV Console project – all those corners were frustrating. I also asked him about his current method of applying finish to which he said:

"I actually no longer use poly or lacquer finishes. I just use thin cut coats of shellac or oil wiping on with cotton. We are making different products with different needs of course. Back when I was using polys and such at MCTC I had a sprayer. All techniques have their pros and cons though. Adding a sprayer can also add a number of things one would like to have in their shop too heh."

See Nicholas' site here (check out all his cool completed projects) and his blog here.

I decided to expand the areas of pre-finishing: I stained and applied thin coats of wipe-on polyurethane to the panel components; the lower cross member and the inner face of the posts. This way, finish is applied to all of the corners before glue-up. For the posts, I still have a little fabrication left to do, so not all these parts will be pre-finished. Here is how it went…

Typical. One-by-one, the cross members are attached to a make-shift stand. This makes rotating the piece while finishing easy. I am a fan of wipe-on poly. A note: I really like how the board shown above turned out - nice coloring to the grain.

Some of the components stain a little darker than others, not a big deal really. I attribute this to my conditioner learning curve. A few parts got two coats of conditioner, some got one and some got one with a quick wipe-down.

My only reservation about pre-finishing is it sloooowwws down progress. For this project, the finish is comprised of three ingredients: pre-stain conditioner, stain and multiple coats of poly and these all have to dry between applications; a process which is time consuming.

Time for construction
After tweaking the finish, I finally decided it was time to get out the glue. I have learned over the years that if I try to rush a glue-up, frustration can easily develop due a shortage of hands: some to properly position everything; more hands to crank the clamp handles; and even more to wipe away any squeeze out. So, my current thinking is to do glue-ups in steps...

Step one. Glue the panel section together. The blue tape marks the location of the upright components.

Step two. Here I have glued the panel and the lower cross member to the left post. This view shows the headboard being positioned so I can add the right post.

Step three. The right post in place and everything clamped up. I use my six foot clamps underneath to apply most of the clamping pressure and my shorter clamps on top to make sure the posts are square to the cross members.

Currently. Looking good so far. While I still have a thing or two to learn about finishing pine, this is about the best looking stain job I have completed in a long time. And you'll note that I have the foot board to practice post-finishing corners.

Up next: Add pins to the mortise and tenon joints and route slots for the bed hardware. At the same time, I'll need to begin forming the rails that join the head board and foot board.

It may be a little while before I can put up a Tornado Bed post. I have a small project to complete for my daughter's dorm. We also have a vacation trip coming up and then we will immediately move my daughter back to school. It is a very busy time for us.

This project is being built in response to the historic tornado outbreak that occurred in Alabama on April 27th. On that day, 63 tornadoes struck our state which claimed the lives of 247 people and caused between $2.45 billion and $4.2 billion in property damage (click the image at the right). The Tornado Bed will be given free of charge to a needy victim of the April 27th tornado event.

Now then, a couple of things that have come my way this week have me thinking. As I ponder my entry into true hand tool woodworking (a serious goal of mine), I saw opposing views on how to execute the classic dovetail joint.

First, I saw a video which features a unique and comprehensive jig for cutting dovetails on the table saw - pretty impressive. After viewing it, I began thinking how table saw dovetails go against my goal of advancing my hand tool skills. See the video here.

Second, I received my copy of Fine Woodworking magazine which contains a cool article by Clark Kellogg. The article discusses making custom hand tools to execute delicate dovetail joinery. This article goes beyond fabricating a dovetail joint by actually showing how to make narrow chisels to improve the hand cutting process (viewing the article online requires a membership to FWW.com). See Clark's website and some of his impressive work here.

As I say, the two methods are complete opposites. The first relies almost exclusively on power tools to make what is one of the strongest joints in all of woodworking. The second not only emphasizes a learned skill, but digs deeper into woodworking by making your own chisels and marking gauges. While the first method is tempting to employ, IMHO, the second takes a woodworker's skill to a higher level. I think I’ll pass on the table saw jig.

To view all posts on this project click here. This is post nine in this series.

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1. Pediment picture frames. 2. The Coffee Table. 3. The TV Console project

My favorite on-line source for quality lumber.

Makita BO5021K Random Orbit Sander - Product Review

2011-07-13T20:09:00.003-05:00

My first Makita. The BO5021K; will it be better than my old Porter Cable palm sander?

Many years ago, I bought a Porter Cable random orbit sander (ROS) which served me well for a number of years, but I knew I was in trouble when it suddenly became a variable speed sander and shouldn’t have. The motor was about to kick the bucket and I had come to rely heavily on that little sander, so a new one was a necessity.

But, with all of the sanders on the market, which one should I buy? There are heavy duty six inch sanders with heavy duty prices. I wasn’t sure I needed that – my little Porter Cable did the trick for many years, so I decided pretty quickly to stay with a five inch model.

I am an on-line member at Fine Woodworking.com. This membership gives me access to a ton of information. Many of the past articles from Fine Woodworking magazine are there including product reviews. I found one which gave Makita’s six inch ROS high marks. I had already decided I did not need a six inch model, and logic would dictate that the smaller five inch version should be almost as good as the six inch version, right? I had seen the Makita BO5021K five inch ROS at a local store on sale. Many can be found on the internet for about $100.00. Mine was originally marked at $109.95 and I bought it for $90 – a nice savings.

A dream to use
The first thing I noticed was how light the BO5021K is; much lighter than my old Porter Cable (it officially weighs 3.1 lbs). What impressed me next was how little vibration the sander generated. I am used to some pretty serious vibration as a sander does its job. The BO5021K was a joy to use simply for these two reasons. But, it is also very balanced. I can easily sand with just one hand.

At first, I was disappointed it did not have a standard dust collector hook-up. Dust collection should be a given right? I looked on-line for an adapter without any luck. But, what I discovered is the sander creates a very effective suction action on it's own. During heavy sanding you can actually see dust being pulled into the sander which then ends up in the on-board bag. So far, the lack of vac hook-up hasn't been a problem.

As far as sanding effectiveness, I give the Makita excellent marks. The rear D handle and front grip make control during aggressive stock removal a snap. I have been able to quickly remove planer marks from the face of boards as well as saw marks on board edges. Best of all, I have not detected any swirl marks that can be a gigantic problem during finishing.

The BO5021K also has variable speed adjustment. I am one to basically run a sander wide open hoping to speed up what I view as an unpleasant task, so I have not used this feature yet.

A good purchase
Even after reading some positive on-line reviews, I was a little uneasy buying this sander. This is my first ever Makita power tool - I didn't have a track record with this company. And, with this recession any funds spent on power tools needs to be spent wisely. So far, I am very pleased.

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1. My coffered ceiling project. 2. The Coffee Table. 3. The TV Console project

My favorite on-line source for quality lumber.

Free on Friday #1

2011-07-08T06:00:00.006-05:00

Welcome to my first ever give-away. This idea came to me while wondering what to do with an extra issue of Fine Woodworking magazine I had. I gave it to a friend and thought a give-away would be nice to do on my blog. I hope to do this from time to time, maybe even on a monthly basis. Who knows?

For today's "Free on Friday" as I am calling this series, the good people at Fine Woodworking Magazine have gaciously agreed to offer a free DVD. Titled Mission-Style Bed, this "how-to" video by Matt Berger also includes SketchUp digital plans. See FWW's sale page for this DVD by clicking here. It says of this video:

"Our video workshop DVD series was developed to demonstrate important woodworking techniques while building a specific project - such as this Mission-Style Bed. Geared for beginners and intermediate woodworkers, this 50-minute video features our Fine Woodworking experts, teaching basics and guiding you through the process.

Prior to starting my Tornado Bed project, I previewed this video on FWW's website and found it full of useful ideas. The standard price for the DVD is $29.95. Fill in the information below and it could be yours free of charge.

Loading...Here is how this will work. I'll close submissions at noon Central time on Saturday and will update this post with the winner's name at that time. The winner will be chosen with the help of Random.org. An email will then be sent asking for the winner's mailing address. I'll forward that to FWW who will then ship the DVD.

One submission per email, and this promotion is limited to residents of the USA and Canada. Good luck and a BIG THANK YOU to Fine Woodworking magazine!

And the winner is...
S. Goeken
Thanks to everyone who submitted an entry.
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1. The Massive Bookcase. 2. The Coffee Table. 3. The TV Console project

Tornado Bed: big, big progress

2011-07-04T10:00:00.006-05:00

My attempt at 3D blogging. With this post, the headboard continues to take shape. Click to enlarge and note how the panels and tenons fit into slots in the cross members.

After a slight set back, I have made big progress on the headboard. With my first panels relegated to the scrap pile and the replacement panels formed and sanded, I am back to work on the panel system for the headboard (see an exploded drawing by clicking here). I had already cut the needed slot in all of the cross members as well as the stiles, but I had not cut any tenons, so that is where I start this post; it is a long one, so pack a lunch...

Stubs. Technically, these short tenons are called stubs tenons. I set the table saw up for these cuts using a scrap. These tenons are 1/4" long and are formed quickly.

A nice fit. The left and right stiles slip into pockets in the posts. Luckily, the fit is just about perfect.

Snug stubs. The tenons originally are too tight. I get a wood file out and after a few quick passes, I achieve a very snug fit.

Really happy with this. Things fit together very well. I am all smiles.

Adding the panels. After pulling off the posts and the top rail, I slide a panel into place. The fit here is excellent too.

Looking good. Fabrication of the headboard panel is complete. Note the grain in the two panels line up - this is more pleasing to the eye than mis-matched panels. I now need to dis-assemble everything and add some stain.

Soon after my wife and I married, I began work on our first entertainment center. It was my first time making panel doors. I learned a lesson with that project. Stain the panels first so that when they expand and contract during the year, your don't have to look at un-stained areas in the panels. I did not do this and as wood moves in panel doors, slight stripes of unfinished wood appear where stain did not penetrate the panel.

To keep this from happening on the Tornado Bed, I need to pre-stain certain parts of the headboard. The headboard is sort of like two panels in one. In addition to the panels I have been talking about, the left and right stiles slip into the posts, like panels do. I don't want any color issues should these parts contract during the year. So I took the time to stain them along with the inner edges of the rails and stiles...

Some pre-finishing. Note the stained areas including the inside edges of the rails and stiles. These get stained prior to glue-up.

Pleased. There is a little learning curve with Charles Neil's Pre-Stain Conditioner. I had a couple of issues, but even so the stain went on very well.

Last week I put up a post about Charles Neil's Pre-Stain Conditioner giving it a glowing review. I still like this conditioner, but it isn't quite so easy to use as I originally thought. I updated my review with some additional thoughts (see it here), but overall it is still an excellent product.

Currently. My first photo of the headboard with all the parts except the finials.

In the photo above the headboard is dry fitted and the stained components don't have any polyurethane on them. I am considering pre-staining and adding poly to more of the headboard parts, maybe even all of them. I would like to hear comments from others who have done this, or who considered this kind of thing and chose against it.

My thinking is this piece is so large, and I am still learning how to apply the conditioner, it may be better to tackle parts individually. So, depending how I go with this, I may have the headboard glued up by next weekend or I may not.

This project is being built in response to the historic tornado outbreak that occurred in Alabama on April 27th. On that day, 63 tornadoes struck our state which claimed the lives of 247 people and caused between $2.45 billion and $4.2 billion in property damage (click the image at the right). The Tornado Bed will be given free of charge to a needy victim of the April 27th tornado event.

To view all posts on this project click here. This is post eight in this series.

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1. My coffered ceiling project. 2. The Coffee Table. 3. The TV Console project

My favorite on-line source for quality lumber.

Tornado Bed: a slight change in plans

2011-07-01T08:56:00.011-05:00

The next step. I need to cut the slots for the panels and stub tenons on the stiles.

In my last post on the Tornado Bed, I had completed the basic structure of the headboard. The next step in the process was to form the parts needed to complete the panel assembly. While doing this, I decided to make a change that caused about a week delay in my progress. I have re-created the scenario leading up to the change below:

The slots. I use a scrap to form a 1/4" deep slot. I nibble away material at my table saw.

An uneasy feeling sets in. I repeatedly take the scrap and fit it to the panel until the slot is snug. As I handle the panel, I realize I can't stand the sight of it's grain.

If I am going to move forward as a craftsman, I am going to have to learn to be more patient. I originally selected 1 x 8 material for these panels. This meant I could glue up two boards to achieve the necessary width I needed. But, the grain on these wider boards can be all over the place which is the case here. The 1 x 4s have more pleasing straight grain, but they take twice as long to glue up and plane flat. I had selected 1 x 8s because the process is faster. Note to self: be more patient.

I really did not want to scrap the original panels because it would delay things, but in the back of my mind I knew I would always dislike the grain in these boards. So, I made the decision to start over on the panels. I picked up some appealing 1 x 4s and set about forming new panels.

Not flat. After glue-up, both panels have a slight hump which needs to be removed.

Some hand work. I use my card scraper to make both sides of the two panels flat.

This is pretty cool. Using a card scraper is about as close to hand tool work as I currently get. A card scraper can be frustrating to tune up, but I found a video by Gary Rogowski that makes it easier and I have fun taking the hump out of my panels (scrapers sure are tough on your thumbs).

A comparison. Which grain is more pleasing? The wild grain on the right is awkward. The straight grain on the left is much better.

Thankfully I have a long woodworking weekend ahead of me and I should have plenty of time to get all of the headboard components formed and dry fitted. I hope to have another post up on Monday with the progress.

This project is being built in response to the historic tornado outbreak that occurred in Alabama on April 27th. On that day, 63 tornadoes struck our state which claimed the lives of 247 people and caused between $2.45 billion and $4.2 billion in property damage (click the image at the right). The Tornado Bed will be given free of charge to a needy victim of the April 27th tornado event.

One note: After six months with no advertising on my blog, I am trying out some very targeted ads. For example, I have added Rockler.com in my left sidebar and Bell Forest Products at the end of new posts. The next time you need something from either of these suppliers, consider reaching their website via my blog - I'll earn a little pocket change in the process.

To view all posts on this project click here. This is post seven in this series.

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1. My coffered ceiling project. 2. The Scott Bookcase. 3. The TV Console project

My favorite on-line source for quality lumber.

Charles Neil's Pre-Color Conditioner - Product Review

2011-06-27T18:55:00.033-05:00

The future? Charles Neil's Pre-Color Conditioner and Minwax Wood Finish. Is Neil's conditioner the answer for blotchy stain situations?

Over the past decades, I have made many furniture projects out of pine. It was my wood of choice for a long time, but that changed some time ago. I began having increasing problems getting a pleasing result when staining pine. I once heard how lumber, especially woods like pine are being grown more rapidly which is problematic because this favors softer, less dense lumber. This softer wood, often with wild grain, is more likely to accept stain in different ways yielding a blotchy look. Even pine that isn’t of the rapid growth variety can stain unevenly along with maple and cherry.

To combat this problem, "pre-stain conditioners" were developed to slow down the absorption of stain into wood. In theory this causes a more even color in woods like pine, but these conditioners have a side effect: this lower absorption causes a medium brown stain to become a light brown stain. And depending on characteristics of the wood, blotching can still occur. So, I have had limited success with conditioners.

I subscribe to Marc Spagnuolo’s "The Wood Whisper" website in my feed reader. Marc recently featured a post about a new kind of wood conditioner which reportedly works as advertised. There were glowing testimonials from fellow woodworkers in Marc's comment thread - "it worked wonderfully" was one comment.

One of the reasons I specified pine for my Tornado Bed project was a new confidence that I could stain this bed and get good results. Hopefully, at least one of my staining problems would be a thing of the past. As my project developed, it became time to give Charles Neil’s Pre-Color Conditioner a try.

The test
I placed an order for a one quart supply of Neil’s conditioner through his website. The total cost with shipping via UPS came to $28.28, sort of high I thought. The whole process from order to delivery took about a week.

Following the directions, I applied a coat of conditioner and let it dry for an hour. I sanded with P320 paper, used a tack cloth to remove any dust and applied a second coat. I let the conditioner dry overnight.

For the Tornado Bed, I decided to use Minwax’s Wood Finish in English Chestnut. I had never used this color before, but it just spoke to me. I thought this would also be a good test for Neil’s conditioner due to the penetrating qualities of oil based stains and this color being moderately dark – blotching should easily appear under these conditions. I applied one coat with a clean rag and here is the result:

Hallelujah! The results are almost perfect.

As you can see, no blotchy color – none. After problem after problem; frustration after frustration, this pre-color conditioner easily tames pine. It worked very well with an oil based stain and it did the same with some water based stain I had on hand.

Neil’s conditioner is a piece of cake to apply, dries in a reasonable amount of time and cleans up with water – in short, it is easy to use and works; which means it’s worth every penny I spent on it.

My purpose here is to see for myself if this conditioner is like others which sort of get the job done. I am happy to report Charles Neil’s Pre-Color Conditioner is what every other conditioner should be - totally effective. If you would like a more in-depth report on what Neil's conditioner, see Marc Spagnuolo’s post here.

To order Neil’s conditioner for your own use, click here (there is a demonstration video you can see as well). I fully endorse this product and look forward to using it in the future.

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Update July 3, 2011: I used Charles Neil's Pre-Color Conditioner for a second time today. Some thoughts:

For pine, use two coats of conditioner. The instructions in Neil's conditioner say two coats may be needed, but since I have a lot of pine to cover, I thought I might be able to get by with one coat. One isn't enough to stop blotching; although one coat still works better than the Minwax Pre-Stain Conditioner I used to use.

Allow extra dry time for oil based stains. After allowing stain to dry overnight, when applying a wipe-on poly, the stain started to come off. I started to panic a little, but with continued wiping, the color evened out pretty good. I am not sure of the effect on water based stains

This conditioner can sag. If not caught, sags look like left behind spots of glue (from what I understand Neil's conditioner is like a diluted white glue). During application, this product looks like water based poly and absorbs quickly into pine. Just watch any area that got a higher amount of conditioner. I applied it with a brush; a lint free cloth may be better.

My conclusion at this point is that some further experimentation is necessary to get the hang of using this conditioner, but I feel like this is still a very good product.

Update October 17, 2011: I used this conditioner again over the last few days and while I still believe Charles Neil’s product is the best conditioner I have ever used, my technique for applying it needs improvement.

First, remember that pine is especially porous. Even after spending a lot of time preparing pine for finish, some of the surface can be more porous than adjacent areas without warning. When applying conditioner with a brush, view the surface at an angle in which light is reflected off the wet conditioner. After a minute, note areas which have become dull quickly. These are the extra porous areas in which conditioner has rapidly soaked into the wood. The overall surface should still be wet. Add an additional couple of brush strokes with conditioner to the dull areas in an effort to get a uniform application. Watch light reflecting off of the wet conditioner to make sure it goes on evenly.

Second, in corners, don’t allow conditioner to build up. While applying it to boards that form a corner excess from each board can collect in corners which will show up as a lighter color when applying stain. Controlling this can be problematic when corners encompass large areas or you have a lot of small corners to color. I am becoming a fan of finishing boards prior to assembly. Pre-finishing virtually eliminates corner build-up of conditioner (and stain).

My favorite source for quality lumber. Click the image for more information.

Tornado Bed: starting the headboard

2011-06-19T20:10:00.017-05:00

The goal. By the end of the weekend, my goal was to have the cross members (in blue) fabricated.

I made pretty good progress during the week on the Torndao Bed, even though I had a heavier than normal travel schedule. About mid-week, I decided to go ahead and glue-up the boards needed for the bottom cross member. This enabled me to cut all of the cross members to length with the same set-up at the table saw. I did just that Saturday morning...

A handy jig. My cross cut sled is one of my most important table saw accessories. It helps me make quick work of accurately cutting this long board.

A template. I use the first board (closest to the blade) as a guide for marking the length of the remaining two boards.

Sized. Here, I have the three cross members cut to final size.

Getting the process right
With this bed, I have had to really concentrate on performaing the right task at the right step in the process. For example, it is always better to cut similar components at the same time (not literally at the same time, but one after another in a group). In my early days of woodworking, I would often fabricate these components separately, in some cases on different days, after changing the set up on my table saw. Cutting boards separately often slows the process and can cause one board being slightly different than the others. Organize your cuts - this speeds the process and yields fewer errors.

Another example has to do with a mistake I almost made. I was about to cut the cross members to final size, before running them through the planer (the opposite of this is better). In the past I have sized a board only to later realize I should have run it through the jointer first. When jointing, snipe can occur at the end of the board. Leaving the board long gives you the ability to simply cut away the snipe. The same is true with a planer. Joint or plane first, cut to final size last.

After bringing the boards down to final dimensions, I then formed the tenons on the ends. This is simply a process of first using my cross cut sled and setting a stop block on my saw fence.

Another large board. Here, I am setting up for the first tenon cuts on the large, lower cross member.

A critical cut. These shoulder cuts must be the same distance in from the edge. This set-up makes it easy.

Bringing it all together. These joints are a little tighter than those on the footboard.

I had to do a little chisel work in the mortises and trimming the tenons to fit. Once that was completed, everything slides right into place. It is such a relief when this goes well.

Success! As I started to pull these parts together, I thought I may have some trouble, but everything went well.

Coming up next: final fabrication of the rest of the components needed for the headboard. I’ll need to cut a slot in the middle and upper cross members to receive the panels, as well as the stub tenons of the stiles. I’ll also have to cut a slot in the stiles - it should be an interesting week in the shop.

This project is being built in response to the historic tornado outbreak that occurred in Alabama on April 27th. On that day, 63 tornadoes struck our state which claimed the lives of 247 people and caused between $2.45 billion and $4.2 billion in property damage (click the image at the right). The Tornado Bed will be given free of charge to a needy victim of the April 27th tornado event.

This is father’s day, and while I have written a few times about my daughter, Beth, I have never put up a photo of her. Here she is; my wife is taking the picture.

What could be better. My sweet daughter bakes me a sweet cake for father's day. I am very fortunate.

My daughter has a growing fascination with baking deserts which isn’t helping me lose weight, but she is getting quite good at it. It was a woodworking Father’s Day. Beth gave me the items needed to connect my planer to my dust collector and my wife gave me a subscription to Fine Woodworking magazine. After church, I got in a nap and then spent about two hours in the shop - a great Father's Day.

Now, a note about the Tornado Dresser: I had planned to make both a bed and a six drawer dresser as help towards the April 27 tornado recovery effort. Donations for the bed have been great with most of the material cost being covered. But new donations have stopped, and not only is there the dresser left to fund and build, but there will likely be the need for a box spring and mattress for the bed. On top of that, I have a small project to tackle prior to my daughter moving back to college, so the dresser is looking a little iffy at this point. I may still build it, but if I do, it will be later in the year.

To view all posts on this project click here. This is post six in this series.

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1. My coffered ceiling project. 2. The Scott Bookcase. 3. The TV Console project

Tornado Bed: Moving to the Headboard

2011-06-12T17:26:00.002-05:00

Beefy. Note that each cross member is comprised of two boards. I like the heft this gives to the bed.

Something that has been a little extra work on the Tornado Bed is that every cross member is made from two boards glued together. While this step probably adds some strength to the bed, it is mainly a design consideration. I used an existing bed I own to give me some design ideas and when it came to the thickness of these boards, I decided that a 1 x material looked to thin. So, as I move from the footboard to the headboard, most of what I have been doing during the week is simply gluing boards together. It looks something like this...

Maximum clamping. Here I run out of small clamps, so if you look closely, you can see short lenghts of pipes used to make small pipe clamps.

I am wondering if I have enough clamps for the rails that join the headboard to the footboard. These will be 80 1/2" long. The boards in the photo above are about 60" long. I have been looking at my options for inexpensive clamps because I think I'll need more.

I also have been considering a change in the glue I use. As I began gluing the footboard components together, I thought about open time. I did not want to repeat a problem I had with the TV Console project where I needed more open time to position all the parts properly. Long story short: after a little research, I decided to stick (stick - get it: glue, stick?) with my yellow glue vs. polyurethane glue which has a very long open time.

Success. The footboard glue-up goes well with no cussing and such. My six foot pipe clamps which I rarely use come in handy here.

Saturday was mostly about thinking through the panel construction for the headboard. While I had drawn the bed in SketchUp, I had not actually included the joinery. There were no mortises or tenons in that drawing. Fabricating the panels was the next order of construction and I did not want to find out later that I had made them too small, so I sat down at the computer and worked out all the joinery.

A little complicated. The joinery is a little more complex than I had imagined in my head. Glad I worked it out in SketchUp first.

With this illustration I did two things for the first time: (1) I imported a texture and applied it to all the elements in this drawing. This is a medium brown quarter sawn pine which is much more realistic than the stock cherry color I typically use. (2) I used the x-ray view to help me work out the joinery at the posts and it was very handy for this – I made a change that otherwise would not have know to make.

Sunday mornings in the shop are a lot of fun. I usually have at least an hour or more before getting ready for church. This morning I worked on the panels – I need 1 x 8 inch material to achieve the 12 ½ inch wide panels. I cut the boards to rough length, ran them through the planer and then glued them together.

Components. Here are all of the parts needed for the headboard panel. I'll continue to fabricate the components to final size during the week.

The glue was dry enough to work on the panels after church. I got them sanded up to 220 grit and cut to final size.And that is where I am currently. I hope to have the headboard ready for glue-up by next weekend.

To view all posts on this project click here. This is post five in this series.

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1. My coffered ceiling project. 2. The Scott Bookcase. 3. The TV Console project

Tornado Bed: making the footboard

2011-06-05T19:04:00.018-05:00

Room to work. The recent relocation of my planer and drill press gives me the needed room to work on the footboard.

I like cars. As I write this, the TV show Rides is on and I am watching Chip Foose build a one-of-a-kind car called Impression. This car is a piece of art and the show had me glued to the TV. What impressed me most is that not only is the car a piece of art, but each individual component is too. This show has motivated me to look differently at my woodworking projects. I want to move more towards looking at my work in this way, as art. But, I need to master some hand tool skills before I get to that level. Something to work towards.

Getting to the next level means I'll have to come to grips with the lumber I use. A thought I have is this: can a woodworker make a respectable project from lumber found at Lowes or Home Depot? I tend to favor these suppliers mostly due to conveniece. I would like to design a future project featuring cherry as the wood; doing so means I will have to order it. My only reservations with ordering wood are not being able to pick my boards and being able to order enough wood. If I order too little, I won't be able to simply drive down to the local home center and get more.

One thing I have learned is that making a project from home center lumber, which stands up to scrutiny, means very careful wood selection. In general, quarter sawn wood is the wood of choice - the grain is straight and more pleasing to the eye. The opposite of this is plain sawn wood which frequently yields grain that is in some cases wild and can be very distracting. See the photos below…

Visible. These faces of the posts will be visible from the front of the bed. Grain has been selected so that nearly straight grain is shown. Note the how nice this looks.

Out of view. This side of the posts will be largely out of view. I use less pleasing, very wavy grain here.

For the bed, the best looking grain faces the front of the bed. Also, the sides of the posts have nice straight grain. All of this is plain sawn lumber, but I have select the most pleasing grain to appear on the most visable parts. I have seen some really nice looking boards at Lowes and Home Depot, but these boards are in the minority. Lumber has to be carefully selected for both pleasing grain and color.

Making tenons. I move my fence to the left of the blade and use a stop block to limit the length of the tenon.

The upper cross piece of the footboard is three inches wide and the mortise is 2.5" so I only need to remove a quarter inch from each side of the board. I simply nibble away the wood on my table saw.

For the tenons on the lower cross piece, more wood needs to be removed (one inch), so I use a hand saw to remove the bulk of material and then clean it up at the table saw.

Traditional joinery. After a little fine tuning the tenons, they easily slide in place. I plan to pin these joints with oak dowels.

Currently. The footboard dry fitted. Luckily, it is perfectly square.

Next up: I'll sand everything and then do the glue-up. Then, I'll add the pegs. I hope to begin the headboard next weekend.

This project is being built in response to the historic tornado outbreak that occurred in Alabama on April 27th. On that day, 63 tornados struck our state which claimed the lives of 247 people and caused between $2.45 billion and $4.2 billion in property damage (click the image at the right). The Tornado Bed will be given free of charge to a needy victim of the April 27th tornado event.

Note to Self: The other night, I made a quick trip down to my shop to glue up a couple of boards. I needed to cut them to rough size and in the process I dropped a board on my bare foot. The pain was particularly intense and still hurts two days later. A lesson I learned: always wear shoes in the shop, which in my case means tennis shoes. But, I wonder if work boots like those construction workers wear would be good and a little more likely to soften the blow?

To view all posts on this project click here. This is post four in this series.

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1. My coffered ceiling project. 2. The Scott Bookcase. 3. The TV Console project

Tornado Bed: Completing the Posts

2011-06-02T06:19:00.016-05:00

Two more posts. As you will see, I moved my planer to a dedicated rolling cart regaining much needed workbench space.

For me, the long Memorial Day weekend typically is filled with a number of family events and this one was no different, but the long weekend also meant some great shop time - virtually all day on Saturday. I’m glad to report the Tornado Bed (illustration here) is on schedule since I was able to complete the construction of the footboard posts.

The process for the foot board posts was the same as shown in my last blog post, so I am not going to repeat it here, except to say that after completing the final post, my technique for ripping and fitting the 45 degree angle cuts on the end cap has improved.

Small adjustments. I use painter's tape to zero in on the exact angle.

I used a process of making micro adjustments to the 45s by adding layers of painters tape to the opposite side of the end cap. This allowed me to find the precise angle for a proper fit. I trust this method more than simply adjusting the blade of the table saw.

A project within a project
It is my goal with each project to make an improvement to my shop in some way. For instance, during the Beth’s Built-In project, I made a couple of new saw horses. With the Tornado Bed, I have already utilized my new thickness planer several times, so it really needs to find a home somewhere besides the end of my workbench. I decided to spend a couple of days constructing a mobile cart for this new tool.

A great resource. "201 Tips for Woodworkers" - this was a Christmas gift from my wife a year ago and it has turned out to be one of the most useful woodworking gifts ever.

I mentioned in my last post Fine Woodworking magazine’s special publication, 201 Tips for Woodworkers. In the section on shop storage there is an article titled "Rolling Base for Bench Tools" by John White. In this example, White's cart is fitted with a bench top thickness planer. So instead of re-inventing the wheel, I decided to simply duplicate White’s design.

In process. Once again, I use my table saw as a work surface because my actual work bench is too crowded.

Construction was pretty straight forward: birch plywood cut into components and screwed together. I originally bought 2.5" casters and returned them for the four inch version - the 2.5"ers were too small. The best thing about making this cart: I paid for it with money my Mom gave me for my recent birthday.

A new home. My planer and it's stand. I have discovered the benefits of mobile power tools.

In the future I plan to add in-feed and out-feed supports to be attached to the cart, replacing those on the planer itself. I am thinking of a melamine surface to feed stock into the planer supported by a plywood platform. I got it sort of worked out in my head. I also need to extend my dust collection system; connecting it to the planer. It creates some cool looking shavings which quickly become a big mess.

Currently. All four posts completed except for the finials.

For the Tornado Bed, the next steps will be more interesting. I will fabricate the cross pieces needed for the foot board. That will begin this coming weekend.

This project is being built in response to the historic tornado outbreak that occurred in Alabama on April 27th. On that day, 63 tornados struck our state which claimed the lives of 247 people and caused between $2.45 billion and $4.2 billion in property damage (click the image at the right). The Tornado Bed will be given free of charge to a needy victim of the April 27th tornado event.

To view all posts on this project click here. This is post three in this series.

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1. My coffered ceiling project. 2. The Scott Bookcase. 3. The TV Console project

Tornado Bed: Getting Underway

2011-05-23T06:40:00.009-05:00

Forming the posts. Each post will be made from four boards glued together. Here I have started the glue-up process.

I wonder what its like to operate a shop where lumber is at the ready. If a project suddenly appears that calls for cherry, it is on hand, ready to go. Curly maple? Got that too. Sheets of nicely veneered plywood? They're right over there. Maybe I’ll have a shop like that some day.

For me, a new project means going to the home center to sort through the available lumber for acceptable boards. On one occasion I ordered some nice mahogany from Bell Forrest Products. Several times I have purchased quarter sawn oak and curly maple at my local Woodcraft – they have a wide variety of lumber in stock, some of which are exotics, but they don’t have enough of any one species to make anything of significant size.

For the Tornado Bed, I went to Lowes - they have some options that Home Depot doesn’t have. I considered oak and the really poor “Top Choice” pine, but I decided to go with their select grade pine; it is mostly clear of defects, straight and is priced mid-way between oak and the cheap pine.

My point in bringing all this up is that choosing lumber for a project can be time consuming, especially if you don’t have a stash of lumber already at your shop. After designing the Tornado Bed, I completed the second step in the project: selecting and buying the lumber.

On to the construction...
The design of the Tornado Bed has simplicity in mind. The posts at each end of the headboard and footboard are comprised of four boards glued together.

A close-up. Already a design change: I have added a cap to each post. Otherwise end grain would be noticeable which is to be avoided. Note that the two middle boards are notched to form mortises.

Exploded. You can get a better view of the post construction from this exploded view (click to enlarge). Again, note the cut outs in the middle two boards.

The simple part of this design is that I can cut the mortises as the post is formed, vs. drilling and chopping out the mortises afterwards.

Notched. Here the notches have been cut to receive tenons from the headboard components.

Precise alignment. With the notched boards already glued together it is time to glue the outer boards in place. Proper alignment is critical since I will be adding a board to cover the outer edge. You can see a short test piece already cut to help me position everything.

I spent a long time deciding how best to glue up the outer boards. Once glue is added, and as the clamps are applied, these boards will likely slide around a bit. I can't let that happen - even slight movement will mess things up. I was able to cut the boards slightly long prior to glue-up. This gave me just enough space to add a screw to each end; enabling me to keep everything in position while the clamps are applied.

All my clamps. Using all of my small clamps, I glue the outer boards in place. Note the positioning screw added in the lower right of the photo. You can also see my Dad's old Craftsman drill press and in the background is my new Delta thickness planer. I need to move these from my workbench.

I usually have a hard time with miter joints. In the case of the “end caps” as I call them, I ripped a 45 degree miter with my table saw and then ripped the opposite side a little wide. I then took some off little by little until it fit. It went pretty good, but one edge had a very slight gap or two. Fortunately this corner faces the back of the headboard and will be out of sight. It will give me the opportunity to come up with some home made filler I read about in Fine Woodworking’s 201 Tips For Woodworkers special publication - the kind of filler that accepts stain well (click the link, FWW has this mag on sale - I give it five stars).

Adding the end cap. Here I glue the end cap in place. Note the door in the background. I keep hoping I can use it on a future project, but it is starting to get on my nerves.

Currently. The two headboard posts about 90% complete excluding the decoration: finials and such.

I have worked hard on this project especially the past weekend. The headboard posts still need to be trimmed to final length and I need to plane the inside edge flat, but they are almost complete.

I'll finish them up this week and I'll move on to the posts for the footboards which I have already started working on.

This project is being built in response to the historic tornado outbreak that occurred in Alabama on April 27th. On that day, 63 tornados struck our state which claimed the lives of 247 people and caused between $2.45 billion and $4.2 billion in property damage (click the image at the right). The Tornado Bed will be given free of charge to a needy victim of the April 27th tornado event.

To view all posts on this project click here. This is post two in this series.

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1. My coffered ceiling project. 2. The Scott Bookcase. 3. My foyer project.

The Tornado Bed: design ideas

2011-05-12T13:09:00.008-05:00

A worthy bed. A good looking bed to be given to a family who's been through a lot.

I announced in my last post that I will make a bed to be given to a needy family – victims of the April 27th tornado outbreak. I am calling the project "the Tornado Bed." I still need to finish work on my dining room crown molding project, but I also want to begin work on the bed, so I will try to spend time on both, which will be interesting.

Since I made the decision to build the bed, I have been thinking about what it should be – should the bed be basic and utilitarian and therefore fast and easy to build? I could simply make a headboard and attach it to one of those metal bed frames eliminating the footboard. But, isn’t that sort of short changing the victim of a horrific situation? Wouldn’t a nice, all wood bed be much more appropriate for someone who has suffered through the devastation of a monster tornado strike? I think so.

I am opting for the full bed: headboard, footboard and rails, all made of wood. Which brings me to the next consideration: what kind of wood should I use? I could go the budget route and use the acceptable, but super soft, dent prone pine found at the local home center. That would be the economical route. But I am leaning towards a hard wood - one that is easy to obtain in a variety of sizes and lengths, already surfaced. That means red oak (even though I have read how some outspoken woodworkers greatly frown on this wood). I'll have to run the numbers to see what works from a money perspective.

The design
I have never made a bed before. I can’t imagine such a project would be difficult, especially as I have designed this one. It is made from straight boards and it gets a dose of style from the panels and finials. This is a queen size bed and was easy to design. I used an existing bed we own as a guide for the basic deminsions.

The headboard. I decided on panels vs. a solid board because panels mean increased visual interest.

Borrowed. I got the idea for the finials from a bed I saw years and years ago. These could be a challenge to make.

I need one like this. Our guest bedroom could use a bed like this. I may have to make a copy for myself.

I hope to begin buying lumber for the bed as early as this weekend. This will be a rewarding project to build. Also, the cost of the bed means that I may need to ask for donations. I'll have to think this through, but if you are interested in donating funds towards this project, let me know in the comments.

The Tornado Bed is being built in response to the historic tornado outbreak that occurred in Alabama on April 27th. On that day, 63 tornados struck our state which claimed the lives of 247 people and caused between $2.45 billion and $4.2 billion in property damage (click the image at the right). The Tornado Bed will be given free of charge to a needy victim of the April 27th tornado event.

Crown molding: half way point

2011-05-08T13:32:00.011-05:00

Beams. Before I can apply the crown molding, I have had to install these simulated beams.

This post marks the end of first part of my dining room project. Progress is slow and I have to force myself to do the work, but the next phase will be all about making the actual molding which I hope will be more inspiring – motivating me to work on it more often.

To recap the progress so far: after designing the project (click here for a view of the finished crown), I removed the popcorn texture from the ceiling and primed it. I then located the ceiling rafters and marked them with a chalk line. Next, I fabricated and installed the four simulated beams that run left-to-right across the room. The two front-to-back beams were then cut and installed. Then with this post, I installed the quarter round molding and applied some final primer...

The second 12'er. Here the second 12' beam has been installed and I have applied wood putty over the counter sunk screw heads.

The second 12' board went in great. I did not have to do any fine tuning and after pulling the lap joints tight with some wedges, I screwed them in place. I love it when parts fit on the first try.

A gap. The ceiling isn't flat and neither are the long pine boards. Small gaps are present in various places along the length of the beams.

Big Yellow. That is what I call my power miter saw. You have to respect the large spinning blade. I use it to cut some quarter round molding which will be applied to the beams.

The fix. Here a piece of quarter round is installed. It looks good and covers the unsightly gap.

I had always planned to use quarter round molding to finish the interior edges of the beams. This is a design consideration which gives a more polished look to the project. But it is also nice that this molding covers all the undulations in both my ceiling as well as the boards I used for the beams.

Currently. Here I have removed the chalk lines and used some primer to touch up where the screw heads are.

Already this is a big improvement from the textured, popcorn ceiling we originally had. Coming up next: I’ll purchase the MDF to be used for the crown molding and begin fabrication.

Tornado recovery
It was reported in our local paper that the historic tornado outbreak of April 27th destroyed some 5,000 homes just in the Birmingham, Alabama area. This does not include homes destroyed in the various other areas of North Alabama impacted by the 71 tornadoes that formed that day. Our local electric utility, Alabama Power reports the price tag of repairing damage to power lines to be in the $300 million range. And it is expected that storm damage insurance claims could reach as high as $5 billion. Destruction is wide spread and the needs are great.

The recovery effort has gone well so far thanks to the generosity of people from all across the USA. Many areas of my sales territory have sobering damage and as I made my rounds this past week I was impressed by the uncommon license plates I saw: Minnesota, Florida, Illinois and Texas are a few I recall – the home states of relief workers who seemed to arrive instantly after the storms struck.

We have taken a load of bottled water and can goods up to the church to help with the recover effort and we'll donate more, but I feel this is not enough. So, I am changing directions for my next project. Instead of building a storage cabinet for my shop, I plan to build a bed to be given to a needy family. In my humble opinion, God has given me the ability to design and build furniture and I need to utilize His gift to help others.

So, my next post will show some design ideas for the bed – I hope to have this post up by mid-week.

To view all posts on this project click here. This is post seven in this series.

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1. My coffered ceiling project. 2. The Scott Bookcase. 3. My foyer project.

Our big scare

2011-05-01T08:34:00.008-05:00

You can help with the recovery effort by donating to the American Red Cross Mid Alabama Chapter - click here.

The headlines say it all: "Day of Devastation" and "Epic Destruction."

We had some very serious storms travel through Alabama this past Wednesday. For the first time I became familiar with a “wedge tornado” (click the link to get up close and personal with this storm). That was the term used to describe the F4 tornado that raced towards the University of Alabama Wednesday afternoon. This was of particular interest to me because my daughter is a student there. My wife and I were able to see this storm bear down on Tuscaloosa, Alabama live in high definition.

The storm travelled south of campus missing my daughter’s dorm, but the destruction to Tuscaloosa, one of my most favorite places on Earth, was stunning.

Storm damage near 15th Street in Tuscaloosa. Photos: Tuscaloosa News.

This same tornado continued on to the Birmingham area where damage was wide spread in Pratt City, Hueytown, Concord, Pleasant Grove and Fultondale.

This same tornado stays on the ground, travels about 50 miles striking Concord, Alabama. Photos: The Birmingham News.

Photos of Pleasant Grove, Alabama. My brother lives in this community. He told me about half the town is gone, but he is blessed that his family and home are OK. Photos: The Birmingham News

All of my family is fine, but at present more than 250 Alabamians lost their lives in this tornado outbreak, including five students from the University of Alabama (while the UA campus was not struck, various off-campus housing sustained major damage). You can find similar destruction in communities all across North Alabama – this was a massive tornado event. So sad.

Right now, my daughter is seated across from me at our kitchen table eating some pancakes. It is nice to have her home safe and sound. But, my heart goes out to those whose lives have been forever changed by these storms.

The University of Alabama has called off the rest of the semester (there was only about a week and a half left) and we have spent a couple of days getting my daughter moved home. All we had was some very minor tree damage, so I'll spend the afternoon cleaning up my yard and then I'll be back to woodworking.

We are planing to go to the Pleasant Grove area to help with the recovery effort. If you would like to help, visit the Red Cross Mid Alabama Region's web page by clicking here.

Designing my next project

2011-04-25T20:39:00.011-05:00

Inspiration? I turn to a photo filled book on Shaker furniture for design ideas.

As the first phase of my crown molding project comes to a close (it officially has a first and second phase), I have been thinking more and more about my next project. Right now, I envision making a Shaker inspired tall storage cabinet. It will house some of the junk that is often in the background of my project photos (example here). As a matter of a fact, I am considering devoting the balance of the year to upgrading my shop furniture: a new router table, a better place for my powered miter saw, and even some base cabinets for a secondary work area.

I have a couple of books dedicated to Shaker furniture. To help get some creative juices flowing I first turned to Illustrated Guide to Shaker Furniture by Robert F.W. Meader. It has 235 illustrations of Shaker furniture and a whole section devoted to case pieces.

Some Shaker furniture is really cool and then some really isn’t (click the link - there are some nice photos to be seen). There wasn’t really anything in particular that was inspiring, so I decided to pull elements of some of the pieces that appealed to me in some way.

Not what I want. The photo on the left is similar to what I envision. I don't really care for the feet. Note the piece on the right - lots of panels on the doors and virtually no feet - unusual (click it to enlarge).

A lot of shop furniture is very utilitarian in design which is to be expected really. I want shop furniture that has some style to it. But, in the photo above, the piece on the left is a little too much for me, especially the base design. The rest of it is sort of what I have been mulling over in my head.

My first stab at a proper design. Note the simple cornice detail, large flat panel doors, and slab sides. Hopefully, a simple design will help me execute more traditional methods of joinery.

One of the goals with this project is to try my hand at more traditional joinery: true mortise and tenon joints instead of biscuits or pocket screws. I may even try some hand cut dovetails for the case joinery - a first for me. An overall simple Shaker design will help me focus on more hand tool work.

I'm diggin' this. Note there is no traditional face frame - the doors mount directly to the sides.

I can't remember building a project like this without a full face frame. This design has a face frame found above and below the doors (with end grain visible from the sides), but the doors themselves mount directly to the slab sides. Without a face frame along the sides, the doors will swing open to reveal more of the items in storage.

Awkward. I dont' know about this look. I am more comfortable with a base that extends beyond the front and sides.

I am uncertain about the base. Most every case piece I have built has some sort of base molding and often bracket feet. The design above has feet, but the base is in line with the front and sides. There are examples in Meader's book of pieces that have at least some molding detail at the base, but none that inspire me. It is also interesting how many different base styles are found on Shaker case pieces: some have bracket like feet, others with turned feet and some with no feet at all - the base simply sits on the floor.

I have another design I am playing around with which could turn out to be what I end up building. The inspiration comes from my second Shaker book: How To Build Shaker Furniture by Thomas Moser. More on that later - comments on this design are welcome.

Crown molding: adding the twelve footers

2011-04-15T15:08:00.005-05:00

Much better. I am getting pretty good a cutting lap joints these days.

Well I know one thing: working on a ceiling project is real different from doing a furniture project. My dining room crown molding project is moving awfully slow these days for a number of reasons; one of which is this kind of work isn’t terribly fun. Another reason is that this is just a very busy time for our family. I spent much of last weekend getting my yard in some manner of order – I still have a lot to do before the neighbors begin to smile at me again. Fortunately I have been able to insert some woodworking into my schedule here and there.

A challenge I have run into is moving long boards around my home. Imagine having to fabricate components twelve feet in length and then carry them upstairs to see if they fit – then move them back downstairs to the shop for an adjustment. No matter how much I try, moving boards this long means repeatedly bumping into things, both in my shop as well as in my house. I’m looking forward to actually cutting the crown molding which should be more fun.

I have slowly been transforming a basic 12' 1 x 8s into what I need for the simulated beams. Note the board highlighted in blue below, that is what I am working on…

Fabricated. Here you can see how the joinery will go together. I need to cut four lap joints in this twelve foot board. Click the illustration to enlarge.

The first thing I had to deal with was a very slight, but long bow along the length of the first twelve footer. I got my aluminum straight edge out and started to take the bow out. I then began cutting the lap joints.

Bowed. Note the edge of the board isn't straight. My router and a straight edge make quick work of removing the bow.

After work with the router. The four lap joints have been cut and the board is ready to be sanded.

Next, I carry this board upstairs to see how it fits. Earlier in the week, I had carefully marked the lap joint locations. The lap joints have all been cut to a depth of 3/8", so the joints should fit together perfectly.

A good fit. This corner (the far corner in the illustration above) goes together pretty well. A couple of wedges ensure a tight fit. The second and third lap joint go together just as good.

A problem. This corner doesn't want to co-operate - the two boards don't form a flat joint. I use a vertical wedge to force the 12'er flat against the ceiling - a trick learned from the guys at This Old House.

A close-up. Click this to enlarge. No matter how much I pound the vertical board with my hammer, I still have an ill formed joint (I used the rag to keep from denting the soft pine).

I decided to take the twelve foot board back down to the shop to trim the lap joint a little. I take this opportunity to apply a coat of primer and then keeping my fingers crossed move the board back upstairs to see how it fits.

Good enough. These joints are acceptable - I may try to wedge them up tighter to the ceiling later.

I will install the opposite 12'er Sunday and then I need to fill all the holes - I am thinking about using my plug cutting drill bit vs. simply using filler. Then I will add the quarter round molding to the interior of each beam. A lot of work left to do before I actually begin making the molding.

Which brings me to a point - is it moulding or molding? Chris Schwarz of Popular Woodworking recently wrote a blog post titled, "5-minute Cavetto Moulding" which got me thinking – have I been writing posts about my crown molding project and all this time been misspelling this word?

I decided to find out which is correct, moulding or molding. I did what any smart person would do: I went to Wikipedia and searched for crown moulding. I was re-directed to their article on "crown molding". So, which is correct? I suspect its fine to use them both - I'm just glad I haven't put up multiple blog posts typing it incorrectly.

UPDATE 5/19/11: I just stopped by a rarely visited blog called Daily Writing Tips which has a post on the difference between American English and British English (see it here) - some evidence that in the USA, "molding" is the preference.

To view all posts on this project click here. This is post six in this series.

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1. My coffered ceiling project. 2. The Scott Bookcase. 3. My foyer project.

Free Woodworking Plan: You Can Build a Painted Bookcase

2011-04-01T18:57:00.045-05:00

Dress up the basic box with moldings and simulated panels.

After building a few bookcases over the years, I have determined that a woodworker could make a decent income just by building bookcases. For people that like to read, there often isn’t enough storage space for books, magazines and other such items. So, I thought it would be good to publish a free woodworking plan about the construction of a simple, but stylish bookcase I built for my daughter.

I would put this project in the beginner category due to the simple joinery and easy to use materials and finish. I did dress it up a bit by using classic architectural elements like simulated panels and nice crown and base moldings.

This plan is eleven pages in length and I explain the construction process using illustrations and a few photos. At the time this bookcase was built, I was just beginning to use a digital camera and I only took a few photos of the process. I also never even considered that someday I would be creating my own woodworking plans. It has:

Seventeen large photos/illustrations
An exploded view
A full cut list
Links to web based content

You Can Build a Painted Bookcase is offered as a free download. The only thing I ask in return is that you consider subscribing to my posts via email (subscribe by clicking here). If you don’t like the idea of subscribing, feel free to download the plan anyway.

Example pages from the plan.

By clicking the "Add to Cart" link below, you will be taken to E-Junkie’s website and the price of the download is zero, so even though it looks like you are buying the e-book, it is free of charge. Go ahead and download a copy.

Leave me a comment and let me know what you think.

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Crown molding: back to work

2011-03-27T18:12:00.009-05:00

The jig. Here I am about to begin making a lap joint on the end of this board. I made a jig to act as a fence which my router can run against. Note the pencil line which indicates where the lap joint will end.

Enough already with the laying around the house. After dealing with the flu for eight days, I got back to work on the crown molding project for my dining room. I had cut four of the ceiling beams to final size the day before I got sick. These are the beams that run left to right across the room. The next step was to begin fabricating a lap joint on each end of these beams.

Making a cut. The jig enables me to precisely line up the cut with the pencil line. After the cut is made, I simply move the jig forward, nibbling away material until the lap joint is completed. UPDATE 4/17/11 - In this lap, it is actually better to start at the end and work back towards the pencil line.

In my last post, I was contemplating how best to make this lap joint. In the comments, Duane suggested a simple router jig, which I was not wanting to do because of all the repeated passes I would have to make. The largest straight bit I have is 1/2 inch and the width of the lap joint is six inches, so that meant 12 passes to complete the lap joint. Plus, as I began cutting away the material, I decided to make each pass with two cuts: one at 3/16 inch deep and a final pass at 3/8 inch. So, in total, making this lap joint took 24 passes and each board has a lap joint at each end - a lot of cutting. A radial arm saw with a dado blade would be the best way to do this, but I don't have such a saw, so the router is the next best tool. I made a simple jig as Duane suggested and made the lap joint.

Not pretty. Repeated passes yielded a mostly smooth lap joint, but at the very edge, my router was not supported as well, so that pass was a little deeper. The joint will still work fine and this cut will be totally out of view.

Evidence of a lot of cutting. A nice build-up of saw dust rests on my shop floor after making the lap joints.

My new sander. So much better than my old Porter Cable palm sander. This Makita is light and virtually vibration free - a real joy to use.

After a little sanding with my new Makita 5" sander (love this tool - just wish my old Porter Cable had worn out sooner) I painted on a coat of primer on the beams, then filled a few imperfections. Then it was time to attach them to the ceiling.

A lot of work. Over head work is tough. After a while, my drill gets heavy and my wife's willingness to help hold the beams in place begins to wear thin (although she was a very willing helper).

I reached my goal: these four beams are in place before supper. I still have to fill the screw holes and then do this all over again for the two beams that run front to back (see the SketchUp illustration of the beams by clicking here). I hope to have the whole simulated beam part of this project completed by this time next Sunday. Then it will be on to the actual crown molding. Yes! To view all posts on this project click here. This is post five in this series.

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1. My coffered ceiling project. 2. The Scott Bookcase. 3. My foyer project.

Cool post over at the SketchUp blog

2011-03-18T11:39:00.005-05:00

Not much going on here since I have had the flu for most of the week (I never get sick; as a matter of a fact, I can't even remember having the flu before). While lying on the couch with my laptop, I ran across a post on Google's SketchUp blog which caught my attention. Titled, "SketchUp Pro Case Study: Randy Wilkins", this post goes into detail how a professional movie and TV set designer uses SketchUp in his work The post also provides some beautifully executed illustrations. And since Randy has an interest in woodworking, he includes a nice drawing of Christopher Schwarz's The Schoolbox.

This is important for me because I gained more insight into SketchUp's capabilities. Due to the Randy Wilkins post, it has become clear to me that I will need to move up to SketchUp Pro with Layout. It looks like Layout is what I really need to move forward with project plans.

Anyway, the Google SketchUp post is a very good read; maybe you'll like it too.

UPDATE 3/19/11: I have been watching a lot of DIY Network and am dying to get back to my dinning room ceiling project. While DIY has some cheesy home improvement shows, there are a few that are pretty good.

I did a little work on the dining room on Monday cutting some of the beams to size and beginning to form the lap joints before I started to feel the effects of the flu. I have about six inches of material to remove to form these joints. I have been going back and forth on how best to cut this material away, starting with a router fitted with a 1/2" straight bit (the cut is 3/8" deep).

My initial cuts with the router did not go as planned. The bit moving across the width of the board, freehand, jumped around slightly which can lead to a messy cut (it's also a safety issue). I have decided the best way to cut this is with a radial arm saw, but I don't have one. I am thinking about repeated cross cuts 1/4" deep with my circular saw, knocking out the waste with a chisel, then clean-up with my router. That's my plan right now.

Distractions, distractions

2011-03-13T18:37:00.010-05:00

In bloom. Usually the first sign of spring: purple blooms on one of my red bud trees.

Its a good thing that woodworking is still mostly a hobby for me. If it was a significant source of income, I wouldn't have done too well this week. I have a new distraction in my life – my yard. It is common to see woodworkers comment on Twitter how their day job is interfering with their love for woodworking. How about the yard? Spring has arrived early in Alabama. Various trees are in bloom and other plants are starting to emerge including the early weeds in my yard. So in addition to woodworking, I have had to spend time taking my yard from a state of total embarrassment to simply less embarrassing. Back when I made twice as much money as I do now, I had a lawn service that had whipped my yard into such good shape, I would get compliments from the neighbors. That ended and I am in charge of the weeds which is a full blown battle at this point – one which I shall soon gain the upper hand.

See more photos at Boston.com.

And while I fuss with my yard, I am grateful that my yard is my biggest frustration right now. I mean I could be dealing directly with the effects of a monster earthquake and the resulting tsunami. My we all do what we can to help the people of Japan. Lets be in prayer and may God Almighty bless them and comfort them.

Some progress. After careful thought, I bought some lumber on Thursday - the stuff to be used for the beams indicated in blue. I still have to pick up the lumber for the beams that run front to back.

I purchased some lumber this week. In the comments of my last post, there was some discussion about using MDF for the beams. I gave MDF great consideration, but settled on some so called “Top Choice” pine at Lowes. I think the brand name for this lumber is down right misleading. It would be different if the definition of Top Choice meant low quality, full of defects, warping lumber. But Top Choice implies it is a premium material which this wood just isn't.

The main reason I selected pine over MDF was the need to install these boards full length (one piece) at a time. I was able to get 10’ 1 x 10’s and I’ll go back later to get the remaining boards which will need to be twelve footers. The longest length of MDF I could find was eight feet – not long enough. My only concern with pine 1 x 10’s is that there will likely be significant expansion and contraction along their width, so I have been mulling over the best way to deal with that.

Snappy. Chalk lines have been snapped indicating a rafter location as well as the outer limit of the beams.

Today, with the help of my daughter, I located the ceiling rafters with a stud finder and got out my chalk line and snapped their location as well as marking the location of the beams. I will take a vacation day both Monday and Tuesday (it is Spring Break here) and I hope to make some more progress on this project then.

To view all posts on this project click here. This is post four in this series.

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1. My coffered ceiling project. 2. The Scott Bookcase. 3. My foyer project.

Final design considerations for my crown molding

2011-03-06T17:49:00.006-06:00

I'm glad the scraping is over. In this photo, all the popcorn texture has been removed, making me very happy.

There isn’t much to report on the ceiling project, or at least not much to report that is exciting in any way. I spent the first part of the week recovering from moderate back problems related to scraping the ceiling last weekend. I got back to work on the ceiling Wednesday and decided to break the remaining popcorn removal into smaller sections tackling one section before work and the next after work. By Friday morning I had all the scraping and most of the sanding and clean-up accomplished.

Let me say this about the mess that was created: I have never tackled a project in my home that made a bigger mess than removing this popcorn textured ceiling. And I have tackled some significant in-door projects (see some of them here and here). As my wife and I watched TV in our family room last night, I said, "Can you believe what it would be like to take down the popcorn in here?" She says, "I can’t wait." I replied, "But we live in this room – the mess would be a major problem." I don't see that happening any time soon.

Work this weekend
I had to do some touch up sanding on the ceiling yesterday and then I applied a primer coat of paint. I had intended to put a finish coat of paint on today, but I decided to postpone the paint to the end of the project. I still have a few minor blemishes I need to fix, so no need to paint the ceiling right now.

With painting completed for the time being, I was able to move into final planning for the project. I have been thinking of reducing the crown molding height from five inches to four. At four inches, the crown will still be taller than the typical crown from the home center, and the new height will be easier for me to find router bit profiles that work.

Dimensions. Note the height of the individual boards that will make up the crown. The lower two are roughly 7/8" thick and the upper two are basically 1 1/8" thick - easier to find router profiles for this height, but still a non-standard thickness.

I also visited Lowes today to finalize the material I will use. I have been thinking about poplar; a good paint grade lumber and what I will definitely use for the molding, but I am considering birch plywood for the beams. The only problem is an eight foot long sheet of plywood won’t span my 11’6” x 9’10” room. I would have to piece plywood together to cover both the length and width of the room – a real issue. So, I did not finalize the material – give me your thoughts if you have a solution to this. I know I can get 12 foot material, but that can get a little expensive.

Thanks for listening to me think out loud for this post. I should get down to some actual woodworking this week.

To view all posts on this project click here. This is post three in this series.

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1. My coffered ceiling project. 2. The Scott Bookcase. 3. My foyer project.