MPekovich

Hey user-2334610- Great point about getting in the neighborhood with a miter saw and taking it home with hand tools. That's a good way to get up and running without a big investment in power tools. I did basically the same thing when I only had a bandsaw to work with. It took a little longer, but with just a bandsaw and hand tools, I could make a whole lot of furniture.
Thanks, Mike

The crocuses are finally up and I think we've seen the last of the snow. Spring has been late in coming this year.
Mike

Fantastic! What a great little piece.

MIke

Very nice interpretation of the style. I especially like the stretchers.
Great job, Mike

Uh oh, I think I'm going to need a bigger chest... Seriously, though, thanks for all of the thoughtful comments. I've already added a few tools to my list, and a few more to my wish list. I'm working out the dividers now and I've found some heavy-duty handles that I think will work.
The chest is weighing in right now at 61 pounds. I'm actually relieved at that number. As long as the handles hold up, I think my back will too.
Thanks again, Mike

Robert, Great questions, those are exactly the issues I've been struggling with. Yes, I was really hoping to figure out a way to secure the drawers without individual locks. I like the sliding front panel used on North Bennett Street-style chests, but in the end everything I came up with either limited the storage space or made the case bigger. Oh well, I had fun installing the half-mortise locks! Hopefully the keys won't be too much of a pain.
I am definitley trying to group the tools for use, and I'm hoping the top drawer can serve a removable tray for chisels as you suggest. If it proves too cumbersome, it should be easy enough to convert the interior dividers into separate removable trays... it's really becoming a fun project and challenge to solve.
Layout dividers, check.

Thanks, Mike

robbo41- Yes, Chris's chest is impressive and the book is a good read. He does offer a pretty thorough list of hand tools as well. You can see a tour of his chest on a great Roy Underhill episode (http://www.pbs.org/woodwrightsshop/video/3200/3204.html). Chris's chest is designed to hold an entire hand tool set and is literally big enough to climb into. I built a hanging tool cabinet in my shop to serve the same purpose, though my tool collection is a bit more modest.
In making this travel chest, I was trying to balance size with storage capacity. I'll have to use it a while to see if I got it right.
Thanks, Mike

Damien- Funny, I don't own either the plow or router planes, but I've had my eye on both for a while. I just haven't come across the task to warrant the purchase, but I'm sure it's one of those situations where once you have the tool, you find the use for it. Veritas makes a very nice plow plane... I think I'm going to have leave room for that. Also, a shallow-sweep gouge is great to have around for odds and ends. Cool. Thanks, Mike

Congratulations Jim! I've added a sketch of the basic dimensions. Good luck, MIke

JIm, Good luck on your impending arrival. Sam's email address is samsalvati@hotmail.com. I'll take some measurements tonight and get back to you. Mike

Yes, the project actually started with the door panel. It was really just a practice board because I had been wanting to try my hand at a medival-style carving. There are some more pictures of the panel in a previous post: http://www.finewoodworking.com/item/58100/the-birth-of-a-hobbit-cupboard

Mike

I use a wall mounted 25000 BTU direct-vent propane heater to heat the shop. I keep the shop heated to a minimum of 55 degrees throughout the winter (I kick it up when I'm finishing). I have a 100 gallon tank and I go through about 1-1/2 tanks a year.

MIke

Mel- Thanks for the info and the chisel tip. I'm familiar with Fred's work from the magazine, but I wasn't aware of his website. I'll definitely check it out.

Prov163- the app I used is Paper. Very simple, but pretty cool. The only bummer is that the app is free but you have to pay to get the good drawing tools. I hate that kind of thing.

Mike

NikonD80- Thanks, but I know just enough about carving to get me in trouble. However, that gives me a good idea- maybe I can get a real carver to "demonstrate" on my next project and we'll all get something out of it! Mike

Sorry for the spam, we're working to clean it up. The wood is white oak, which I was a little intimidated to carve, but it wasn't that bad. Mike

Cool! I've never seen a craftsman-style step back cupboard, but you've pulled it off really well. Great design, Mike

Wow, really nice design and craftsmanship. It's hard to put a creative twist on the style and still have it look authentic, but you've succeeded very well. Nice job, Mike

Ninja, I know what you mean about carving. It's something I typically shy away from except on the odd period piece I make. I do a lot of work in the arts and crafts style which isn't known for carved details, but I think this style of carving could fit really well within style and add a unique flair.

Mike

boardbanger- I'm sure that would work out fine. It's a versatile design. I've built it as a writing desk and I've seen hayrake entry tables as well.
Good luck, Mike

I've been using the Shapton glass stones recently. I've tried flattening them with the Shapton diamond plate which is expensive at $379. It cut slowly, but the one I'm using is used and it may be worn. I've also tried the Dia-Flat plate from DMT (less expensive at $199). It cuts faster than the Shapton plate, but leaves a coarser scratch pattern on the stones, though that doesn't seem to effect the performance. I've used it on my Norton stones for the past year with no ill effect.
I've just recently tried 400 grit wet/dry sand paper on glass which cut quickly and left a smoother surface. It's certainly a cheaper alternative to a diamond plate, but I haven't used it enough to give it a recommendation over diamond plates which I've used successfully in some form for a number of years (mainly the DMT DuoSharp coarse/extra course plate). The DuoSharp plate is only $119, but wears more quickly when used to flatten water stones than the Dia-Flat does. Still, it may represent a better value depending on how much flattening you do.
The Shapton glass stones are designed to handle A-2 steel better than the professional stones, but I've gotten good results with the pro stones as well. The thing I like best about the pro stones, and the Norton stones for that matter, is that they are 2-sided and I can get twice as much sharpening done before I need to flatten them. The trick with any stone, though, is to flatten them often so you never have a lot of work to do to get them flat.
Also, I have a 16,000 grit Shapton on loan that I'm goofing around with. I'm still trying to determine if there's any benefit to going beyond 8,000. So far, it's too close to call.

Chris-
Great tips on getting scary sharp to work for you. Both of them address the drawbacks that Asa referred to and would yield improved results. There are so many ways to skin a cat in woodworking that no matter which technique I'm teaching or demonstrating I always tell folks that, ultimately, tthe best method is always the method that works best for you.

Also, all of your construction changes on the chimney cupboard are sound. I just taught that as a class and we left out the dovetails at the top as well. Instead, we just ran another dadoed rabbet. That way all of the case joinery was done with a single set up on the table saw. Sliding dovetails are a great way to go, but because I could get glue blocks under the middle and bottom shelves, cupping wouldn't be an issue. Biscuits are a great way to attach the face frame and I would probably use them if I were to build the piece again. There's also nothing to apologize for about using plywood for the back, it's actually the best material for case backs. I'll often use plywood and where it's visible on the inside of a case, I'll usually dress it up with a simple stub-tenon frame. Actually you could build the entire case from plywood and biscuits if you wanted, and it would still look great and be plenty strong.

Fantastic job! The table looks great in walnut.

Mike

I'll track down an exact date, but I believe the video series is scheduled to start in mid-July. -Mike

mt4511- Good luck, it's a lot of fun. I'm still fine-tuning the tool placement and finding new things to store inside. -Mike

Hi Chris, I know what you mean about sappy cherry. I actually found this at my local lumber yard, which was a bit of a surprise. When I need really nice cherry for a project, I often order from Irion Lumber in Pennsylvania and have it shipped to me. I've never been disappointed by anything they've sent and the prices are comparable to my local sources.

I typically use Titebond II unless I need a longer open time or need a more waterproof bond. I always use Titebond III when making cutting boards.

Also, Titebond III dries with a brown glue line which is great for darker woods, but not so great for light woods like pine or maple. Cherry can really go either way.

Mike

Hi Gary- I have a dedicated workbench, but you're right, I've outfitted my outfeed table as a workbench as well. For years though, my only workbench doubled as an outfeed table for my tablesaw and it served me very well in a tight space. The obvious downside is the need to clear the clutter for ripping on occasion. I have that same problem in my current set up because I seem to use my outfeed table as much as my workbench, but it's not really a bother.
The other consideration is that the outfeed table needs to be at the same height as the tablesaw which is about 2 inches lower than I'd ideally like a workbench to be. In reality, I can't say I notice the diffence when switching between benches.

Good luck, Mike

Wood Jack- The boxes weren't a great example of the design process in that I didn't need to create a mock up or full-sized plan to make them. However on large projects I've always drawn full-sized plans and, more recently, have been making full-sized mock ups as well. I find that mock ups and plans work well in tandem. The mock up gives an idea of the scale and proportions of the piece and the plan helps dial in the relationships between the components in the piece.

You're right, the discrepancy between these and the finished piece often lays in the details, the wood and grain selection, the offsets and resulting shadow lines between individual parts which help define the form. You can get close, but you never know exactly what you have until you make it!

Good luck, Mike

Hi Chris, An article on the lamp is probably a long shot because of the amount of glasswork involved. It is a fun little project, though.

Thanks, Mike

Hi Chris, you're absolutely right. I was assuming a lower bevel angle. Tackling white oak at 60 degees could work well. Have you tried it?
My 4 1/2 with the 55 degree frog still caused a lot of tear out, but I didn't consider putting a back bevel on the blade for an even steeper angle. If 60 works for you, I'll give it a shot. Thanks, Mike

It shouldn't pose a problem to make the cabinet out of cedar. Another option would be to make just the frame and panel back out of cedar. Which ever way you go, the important thing is to not apply finish to the inside face of the cedar.

Good luck, Mike

I bought my dovetail blade from Forrest Mfg (forestblades.com). They list 11.5, 9.5, and 7 degrees as options, they'll also grind a blade to your specifications. Be sure to let them know which way your saw tilts. The Forrest blade is $125, but a cheaper alternative would be to buy any blade with a flat-top grind and send it to them to be sharpened at the angle you want. In the FW shop we use an 8-in. Freud blade ground to 9.5 degrees.
Mike

There's no article in the works just yet. We've run some great articles on Shaker furniture by Christian Becksvoort fairly recently. So if the editor did choose to run an article on the chimney cupboard, it wouldn't be for a while.

Mike

rupps- That's a good point. I actually didn't have tear out problems with the forstner bit I was using, but drilling first would eliminate any possibility of it. The trick would be aligning the the cove with the pre-drilled holes. I'd probably dial in the cove set up on the router table first, then rout a scrap piece and use it to set the drill-press fence. Next time...

UK Meager-

Sorry for the delayed response. I just measured the piece this morning and it is 11.5 inches wide by 23 inches high by 4.5 inches deep.

Good luck, Mike

Great job. I've had that book for years and it's one of my favorites. I've always liked that piece in particular, but I've never gotten around to making it. It's nice to finally see it in person!

Mike

Great job! There's a lot of fun joinery in the project and it looks like you nailed it all. I like the combination of maple and oak. Well done. -Mike

Sam charges $80 for his marking knives. You can contact him at samsalvati@hotmail.com.

-Mike

Thanks Rob, I had never thought of trying the fence on the near side. I can't remember having a problem with the work piece coming away from the fence, but you're right, I do tend to skew the plane in that direction.
I used to do a lot of planing on my old tablesaw outfeed table. It didn't have a vise, so I just screwed stops right to the tabletop. It worked pretty well.
-Mike

tooltips- Good question. You assume correctly that I only chop half way through the joint before flipping it over and chopping from the other side. -Mike

Congrats Tommy, it's well deserved. Good luck with season 2. -Mike

carpentarius- Good eye. Yes, it's a hayrake desk similar to the dining table from the video project. I just finished attaching the table top this morning. I'll definitely post a couple pictures as soon as I take them.

-Mike

Ponycar- It should have been included in the plans. The distance from the center is roughly 14 13/16. I'll have the illustrator add the dimension to the plans. Drop me a note at mpekovich@taunton.com and I'll send you a revised pdf once it's fixed.

Sorry about that. -Mike

rsetina- Yep, understood. I had been thinking of this for a long time before I got the nerve to drill into my bench top. GIves you a queasy feeling.
-Mike

4545- Thanks, that's an interesting way to look at it. I think my wife would agree that "crude utilitarianism and fine aesthetic sensibility" describes me pretty well.
-Mike

I used a forstner bit to drill the holes because that's what I had around the shop, but it was difficult to keep the holes straight. A better way would be to use a large brad-point bit in conjunction with a guide block clamped to the workbench.
-Mike

c6y- I made the chair a while back with John Alexander, author of Make a Chair from a Tree (a fantastic book). It's John's design and I agree it's a pretty chair and incredibly strong for it's light weight and proportions. The reason is that it was made from green wood (hickory) that we split from a log so that the grain was perfectly straight in every piece. This gives incredible strength to even narrow parts. I rarely work with green wood now, but the class was an incredible education in understanding wood, and what I learned I use everyday in the shop.
-Mike

Riffler- The square wooden dogs are a tip I picked up form Phil Lowe. I mount a square blank in the lathe and turn sections to fit the dog holes. Then I cut the blank apart into separate dogs. The square head keeps the dogs from falling through the bench and offers wide support for stock. I keep a few around with caps of different thicknesses to match the stock I'm working with, but the 3/8 inch height cap works for most tasks.

-Mike

Fenman- Thanks for the great information. It makes a lot of sense to start with riven stock for the pegs. I'll give it a shot next time.
Thanks, Mike

Hi Hyrum, I've had my dowel plate for many years. Lie-Nielsen makes a dowel plate that is available from their website as well as other woodworking sites.
-Mike

I didn't seal the door edges with epoxy, though that's probably not a bad idea. When gluing, I made sure I had squeeze-out all along the edges and I sealed the door with primer before painting. They survived their first winter without any problems. -Mike

Olnook- I got lucky and found the light fixture at Home Depot. It was the only motion-sensing light that was even close to the look of the garage. I know I don't have the paper work anymore, but I'll see if I can at least get a brand name for you.

-Mike

The width of the internal door frame is 4 1/2 inches. The width of the trim boards on the outside face of the door vary. The outside vertical pieces and top piece are 4 1/2 inches wide. The center vertical pieces are 3 inches wide and the bottom is 6 inches wide.

Good luck, Mike

I bought my hinges from hardwaresource.com-
http://www.hardwaresource.com/hinges/GATE+HINGES+AND+HARDWARE/Gate+Strap+Hinges/Strap+Hinges%2C+Bean+Style%2C+Heavy+Duty
They're about $32 a piece, so the Rockler hinges might not be a bad way to go. Butt hinges would be a cheaper option if you want to go through the work of mortising them.

-Mike

thewife- I'm an art director by day, so I don't consider it a girly question. The doors are painted with Behr Ultra Exterior Satin Enamel. My daughter picked out the color- Red Pepper UL120-22.

Good luck, Mike

RandallS- Thanks for the nice comments. We do have some shop storage ideas in the works- stay tuned!

The vapor barrier goes on top of the 2x4s and insulation because I glued and nailed the 2x4s to the concrete. I used pressure treated studs in case there was any moisture build up below the vapor barrier in the future.

fransel- You're right to be concerned about dust collection. It's one area of my shop I still want to improve on. I have a small collector that I hook up to my planer and bandsaw. The chips from the jointer fall into a box. I'm not in a hurry to hook it up to dust collection because I don't think it creates a lot of hazardous dust. I could be wrong. My old table saw needs some serious modifications before I can hook it up to dust collection. I use hand planes when ever possible and wear a dust mask when I have to sand. I'm leaning towards a ceiling-mounted filter to clear up the dust I can't capture at the source. Gone are the days when I'd boast that my only dust collection was a broom and dust pan. The risks of wood dust are just too well documented to ignore them.

Hi riant- I went with the spray insulation on the advice of my insulation contractor. There's some internet debate about the process, but it seems to be an accepted industry practice. Here's a good explanation:

http://www.airtightinsulationpa.com/Applications/NonVentedHotRoofSystem/tabid/185/Default.aspx

Moshup Trail- There may be a slight slope to the pad, but it's not noticeable. I honestly didn't think to check before I laid the floor down.

-Mike

Hi jerrin- For the doors, I started with 8/4 poplar and milled it to 1 1/2 thick. I wanted to make sure the stock for the door frame was really square and flat so the finished doors would be flat as well.

-Mike

Hi Anji12305, With the insulation applied to the underside of the roof, there's no need to vent the attic space. This is referred to as a "hot roof" system. As far as the cars go, they've always lived in the driveway. The snow is easy to sweep off, but the ice can be a problem...

-Mike

jrf- The carriage doors were easy to make. I made a poplar frame and skinned each side with plywood which created a big torsion box similar a hollow core door. This design should resist racking pretty well. The frame is 1 1/2 inches thick and joined with 1-inch long stub tenons. Instead of cutting individual mortises, I used a dado blade to run a groove along the inside edges of the frame parts. I filled the frame cavities with rigid insulation and faced the outside with 1/2-inch cdx plywood and the inside with 1/4 inch plywood. I also framed in a long opening that I later divided into 3 windows using glass salvaged from the original doors (as much for sentimental as economic reasons). I added pine trim to the outside face to hide the plywood look.

I chose strap hinges because they look cool and are a lot easier to mount than mortised butt hinges.
(http://www.hardwaresource.com/hinges/GATE+HINGES+AND+HARDWARE/Gate+Strap+Hinges/Strap+Hinges%2C+Bean+Style%2C+Heavy+Duty)
I lag screwed a 4x4 to each side of the opening to give me a place to mount the hinges. I installed the doors by first lag screwing the hinges to the doors then setting the doors in place. I used shims to center the doors and hold them in place while I lag screwed the hinges to the 4x4s. That's it!

There's an exploded drawing of the doors and a detail of the threshold in the Tools & Shops issue due out next month that will hopefully give you all the information you need.

Good luck, Mike

Bruski- Good point, I've come across the same opinion on the web about unvented roofs. On the other hand, I've also read that venting a roof lowers the shingle temperature by 5 degrees or less and several manufactures will guarantee their shingles installed on properly constructed unvented roofs. Sometimes there's such a thing as too much information. I'm not an expert on the subject and I based my decision on the advice of my insulation contractor, an architect friend, and the town inspector. The climate in Connecticut differs from other parts of the country, so it definitely pays to get the advice of local experts.

Thanks, Mike

Hi Alan, The 2x4s are laid flat and spaced 24 inches apart. The rigid insulation between the studs is the same thickness and has good compressive strength so there's very little bounce to the floor. I have no problems with heavy equipment. As a precaution, I added blocking below the workbench area to insure a solid footing for my bench. I used 3/4-inch tongue and groove plywood from my local home center.

I wasn't planning on finishing the floor, but I found it difficult to sweep which is what bugged me most about the original concrete floor. I applied a coat of de-waxed shellac followed by 2 coats of fast drying oil-based poly. I'm happy with the finish so far. There's enough of a build to sweep well, but it's not too slippery when there's a layer of sawdust on the floor.

-Mike

tobiasshadow- I have a direct-vent 25,000 btu propane heater in the shop. It was too expensive to run in my uninsulated shop, but hopefully it will do the job now.
I can't really give you an exact cost on the renovation. The biggest single cost was the spray insulation under the roof which ran about $1100. You could save a lot by going with fiberglass bats instead. The lights were the other big expense at $500. Aside from the entry door, the rest of the materials consisted of plywood, construction lumber and drywall. I bought supplies as I needed them so the expenses were spaced out over 6 months.

jdelmon- Thanks for the comment. I understand your frustrations, my shop has been 13 years in the making and I'm definitely that guy juggling 2 kids (Anna and Eli), a full-time job and a tight budget. My garage was the perfect storm of unpleasantness; dark, dank, cramped and drafty. Hopefully not every shop will need that much rehab. My goal was by no means an over-the-top shop, and I hope that the article will offer some real world tips on improving a shop with limited time and space and money in mind.

joe- Great story! It is a slippery slope we tread. I'd love to see shots of your shop. Good luck.

-Mike

Hi Jodee- I took a cue from a lighting article that ran in FW 209 and went with Lithonia SB 432 4-bulb fixtures. So far, so good. They're nice and bright without any buzzing or flickering. I'm interested in how they'll do in the colder weather. The only knock on them that I've read about is their tendency to get damaged during shipping. I tried to avoid that by buying them from my local home center, but even then, one unit out of the nine was damaged and had to be exchanged.

Good luck -Mike

johnbgood247- You're absolutely right about getting professional advice before cutting into your roof structure. In my case I talked to the engineer at the building department in my town. My roof peak was 6 1/2 feet above the ceiling joists so I was able to raise the joists a maximum of 2 feet (1/3 the height). In order to do so, I also had to sister the rafters with an additional 2x6 along each rafter because they were spaced 24 inches. I ended up raising the joists only 18 inches, but that gave me the 9 foot ceiling I was hoping for. I don't think there's anything you can do about engineered trusses used in newer construction.
-Mike

Hi Joe,

Our basic travel kit is pretty simple. The editors have to lug the equipment through airports and set up in often cramped and cluttered shops so even if they wanted a lot of lights, they wouldn't have room to use them. They travel with a two-light kit powered by a 1000 watt battery pack (similar to this kit: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/50171-REG/Speedotron_21151_DM1204_2_CC_Light.html).

The philosophy is exactly the same as in the article, the main difference is that the kit provides enough light that a tripod generally isn't necessary though we still use them quite a bit. I always have the camera on a tripod when shooting furniture so I can maintain the same view while getting the lighting right.

We shoot with Canon 20D cameras outfitted with a Canon 28-135 lens. Not exactly cutting edge technology, but they work for us because we shoot in a pretty controlled environment. A sports or wedding photographer is going to have a completely different set of demands. The guys over at Fine Homebuilding have lot tougher time of it than we do because they're often shooting outside in challenging lighting conditions with a lot of action that isn't going to hold still for the camera. Not to mention they're often up on a roof to get the shot.

By the way, we always shoot in manual mode, adjusting our own shutter speed and f-stop because we work with the external flash kit. Basically the camera doesn't know what the flash kit is up to so we have to make the adjustments. It's a really good habit to get into and I typically shoot in manual mode even without a flash kit.

Good luck, Mike

Hi Jeff, You're right, a blog is a great way to go. Are there any sites you'd recommend? The important thing is to have a place on the web to point people to. For better or worse, I think it helps to legitimize you as a woodworker if someone can type in a web address and have your work pop up. Oh well. -Mike

DallasRay- I'm curious about the glass band saw. I've done some intricate Tiffany-style copper foil work in the past and I ended up spending a lot of time at the diamond grinder cleaning up tight curves. Can the band saw handle tight curves without a lot of clean up? How quickly do they cut?

Thanks, Mike

I was able to find all the supplies I needed at delphiglass.com.

EW- I've never tried a tile saw on glass, but for straight cuts, I guarantee a glass cutter is the fastest way to go. By the way, they actually sell mini band saws for cutting glass. I haven't tried one, but my guess is that they would be good for cutting intricate curves which can be a challenge with a glass cutter.

Ed has a good point that tapping the underside of the score line can help guide the break, especially on curved cuts.

-Mike

Dan-

The room mock up is a very cool idea. I've built multiple pieces for a room in the past and that would have come in handy. It allows a little more flexibility than the photoshop method when it comes to moving pieces around or changing out elements.

MIke

It's true you should never use the rip fence as a stop when crosscutting where the off-cut can get trapped between the blade and fence.

In this case there's no hazard because there is no off-cut to get trapped. The dado blade is only removing the stock from the underside of the work piece. No part of the work piece is actually trapped between the blade and fence. As an added precaution, I start cutting the tenon at the end and move the work piece toward the fence with successive cuts so there's never any stock to the right of the blade.

I hope this helps.

-Mike

Hi Ernie-

For the case I used luan plywood held together in the corners with wood blocks and hot melt glue. The doors and drawers are butcher paper taped in place. I used a marker to draw in the details. To adjust the height, I borrowed some wooden blocks from my daughter's toy box.

For more information on scale and full-size mock ups, check out Gary Rogowski's great article FIne Tune Designs Before You Build, in issue 189.

Good luck, Mike

This is a great piece. There's a full shot of it on the back cover of FW #193 as well as some information on how Kevin made the drawer fronts. The clean lines, subtle detail and impeccable craftsmanship make this one of my all-time favorites. Good job. -Mike