B.L. Zeebub

Fab bench, mate.

These are the shizzle, mon ami. Right down bad to the brass bone up the handle. Dig the design too.

always,

Gotta love it! Nice job. Stickley rules!

Bolection would be a whole other kettle of knish, I presume?

Anyone have any experience with that stuff?

Good stuff for flush inset moldings though. I've already hard coded that one into the skull putty. Sweet.

always,

I used a chunk of an old car's leaf spring that my bud tossed into a campfire in order to remove the temper. Softened it right up. It's about a 5/16" thick. Whenever I need to make a different size dowel I just drill a different hole in it.

DO NOT remove the burr raised around the hole. That's what assures a clean sized dowel. Easy peasy.

always,

And this is but the first of many obsessions to come. Welcome. Bon chance, mon ami. You are in the right place.

always,
Zee

Nice bench! Mine bench has wood screws too. I bought them from Howard Card at Crystal Creek Millworks years ago. He made the pair out of 16/4 hickory and they perform beautifully. I rubbed a little homemade beeswax blend on the threads and you can spin the handle. I wish I could get another pair but he's no longer making them.

Again, nice bench, bro.

always,
Zee

Nice work. Looks like it does the job handsomely. That Benchcraft leg vise is sure sweet. If I hadn't already developed and installed my own years ago I'd go for one of their tail vises for sure.

Again, nice bench.

always,

While you were describing the problem I remembered an article awhile back that concerned the building of NK drawers which involves gluing up in-place. And I thought why not reverse the order a bit and make up a representative of the drawer bottom and locate the drawer guides via. And look what you done did! This is exactly why I love this magazine and website. Cross pollination goes on all the time.

Nice one.

always,

La la la la la laaaaa, feelin' groovy... groovy...

To side with the barrister, it is a truth that too many are willing to check their scruples at the courthouse door whenever faulty decision making ends in self inflicted injury. My pops always told me to NEVER blame my tools. But then again, he was NOT a lawyer.

"Such a deal," the ambulance chasers say, "That wound is worth cash m-o-n-e-y. Don't delay, call 1-800-ASK-Y'SELF for the number of the nearest hungry litigator. CALL NOW!"

always,

Cutlists require a tape measure and therein lies the rhubarb. Early on in my woodworking life I discovered that cutlists can be wrong and there's nothing quite like cutting something too small after having considered the cutlist as holy writ and NOT bringing enough lumber to the project. It's enough to make you curse the Gods. Or at least the guy who put the cutlist together. As for the magazine, the exploded view is perfect. FWW does it right and their illustrations are much preferred to the lifeless sterility of a Sketchup rendering.

So when it comes to cutlists, just say no.

Really sweet piece of work there. Love the choice of woods.

Too cool tool box, mon ami. Carry on...

Bravo. Fine execution.

Love the G&G vernacular. Well done indeed.

always,
Zee

Thanks all.

Nice, understated with just the right flourishes.

Bravo!

WGBH is to be commended for filling the void left by Norm and Co. Can't wait to crank up the Tivo for the new show.

I always begin my shop session with a simple question, "Where are my fingers?" The answer to this informs my day and as Dan points out, make 'em habits! It takes 30 days to make a habit AND 30 days to break one. Some of us need to evaluate our process and put the fix in BEFORE anything happens.

always,
J.C.

Marvelous work. A truly passionate recreation and every bit a work of fine art. Bravisimo! Can't wait to see what your next big thing will be.

I have a sign up in my shop, "Where are your fingers?"

That's all it takes to make me slow up, define what I'm doing and proceed with caution. So far so good. I have all ten digits and none too many scars and can't stand the blade guard. I use aftermarket splitters when ripping and always stand out of the way of kickback.

BTW, the only time I've come seriously close to cutting myself was with a chop saw. Thankfully I was going slow and noticed that the laser traversed the tip of my left index finger before I dropped the spinning blade. That one scared me into a round of expletives aimed at myself.

The fact that seems missing in all this is that the table saw is probably the MOST used in shops that have them. It's at the center of my power tool collection and wouldn't trade it for anything. Well, maybe a new Powermatic 2000. But my old 66 is fine.

Schweeeeet! It's great to know that such work can be done and that there are patrons with the the depth of appreciation to commission such examples of woodworker artistry. Bravo, Mr. Mooberry, bravo.

Woodsmith56,

I used an oil based semi-transparent outdoor stain, Sherwin-Williams Yankee Barn. There's probably five or six coats on it by now. Two initially then a fresh coat about every two to three years. The only problem I've experienced is that oil based outdoor finishes down here in FL are susceptible to mildew staining. We frequently have 100% humidity in the summertime. So I have a mildewcide added which so far has worked very well.

Hope this helps.

No matter where or when you entered woodworking you have to give a nod to this guy for opening up this world to so many of us. Yes, he's not necessarily a "fine" woodworker BUT his talent as a purveyor of Yankee ingenuity and gitterdun attitude is what we ALL need to see us through. And even though I might forgo the Leigh jig and router for a backsaw and a carefully scribed line, the end is still the same; a piece of work that I can be proud of AND that Norm convinced me I can do.

Thanks big guy. I for one look forward to the next chapter in your shared journey.

Till then...

I have the first four seasons on VHS! I will miss his show terribly even if I've outgrown it as the somewhat more adept woodbutcher I've become. Thank you Norm, for all you've done and shown us, you're down-homey-ness and yankee know-how will be sorely missed. Godspeed in all you do, Norm.

Great piece. It's always nice to have a voice to go along with the face. I give credit for Mr. Krenov's books as early inspiration for my own entree into woodworking. He and Norm Abrams. HA! I know some would see that as mixing the sublime with the profane but you gotta give props where they're due.

Thank you, Mr. Binzen.

always,
Zee

Whoa! I'm just jealous that he owns the OED! Bravo. You get my vote.

While I applaud SawStop for their invention and I would definitely retool if I were a pro and NOT the only one in my shop using the tool. However, I think of this the same way I do bumpers on cars as idiot proofing devices. Mark Twain said it best, "There is no such thing as an accident but rather the unhappy confluence of poor decisions made by one or more parties."

Still, I dig the hot dog test.

I might have to try a set of these. I've been using the stuff made for non slip rug backing that you can pick up at the fabric store for cheap. They sell the same stuff under the guise of "router mats" and "drawer liners" at $19.95 for a 2'x2' chunk as retailers know what P.T. Barnum knew about suckers and birthrates.

Still, these are a pretty cool way to skin that cat again.

Yowza! That's one gorgeous toolbox. Bravisimo!

always,
Lurking

Gotta love that G&G style, Bravo!

always,
Watching

I normally loathe blue stain BUT this is one pretty puppy. Nice job.

always,
the Dark One

Way cool solution. Have you ever needed anything from the wing storage while you had lumber on top? HA!

always,
Zee

I've read several accounts of meeting "the Man" and they all reflect Mr. Maloof's generosity. I am sure his spirit remains in all he touched. As a country we have indeed lost a great American. As a community of craftsmen we are privileged and privy to that spirit and the work of his hands.

My only regret that is that I did not make that short trek out to his compound during one of my many trips out to SoCal. This fall, I will remedy that and kick myself all the way for my procrastination. The business can wait even if Sam could not.

Godspeed Sam.

Always,
J.C.

I built the top to my bench first as well. I used it for four years atop an old heavy duty table base and height adjustments via chunks of 2x4. I toyed with several designs before settling on the one I've just completed. I also used seasoned for a year SYP. After I glued it up [no screws] I euphemistically called it the "big potato chip." I let it settle for a month before dressing it down to where it stands now. It ended up just under 3" thick. I have bread board ends and skirts front and rear. Now I just have to finish the full width drawers...

Great blog.

always,
Zee

Way cool toolbox! Lovely use of figured wood. Should make a great coffee table/conversation piece with a hunk of glass on top.