Cor Woodworks

The Traveling Sawbench

2010-11-21T18:06:00.000-08:00

While spending time with my family in the wild and wonderful West Virginia I tackled a couple of projects I have been putting off for a while now. The first was much needed upgrade to my “sawbench”. The original sawbench that I created was made from plywood and 2x4’s butt jointed and crudely screwed together. This original sawbench was created to be tossed at the end of a season before we had to move. Needless to say the creaking and wobbling bench was in need of a replacement.
This project was a reunion with a Delta Contractors Table Saw I bought 6 years ago and has sat in WV. The new sawbench was created out of scrap white oak and cherry that was also being stored with the table saw. I would not choose to make a sawbench out of such nice timber but it was at hand and free. Seeing as this sawbench will spend most of its life in the living areas of my house, good looks are not all that bad. Because of the endless moving in my future I made this bench small. Only 18” long! I also work on very small components because of the size of my portable workbench. (Are you starting to see pattern?) Due to the size of components I work with I decided to create one side of this bench with vertical legs so that I could rip without hitting the legs. The legs are much too close to rip in between. This design does make the bench tippy if you are right on the edge of the vertical legs side. By changing the way I “hold” the timber seems to cancel out any tipping and creates a solid support. As I use the bench more I will let you know what I think of the design. I created some holes in the stretcher to house carpenters pencils, a striking knife, and my holdfast.
The second addition to the lineup is a new striking knife. The faithful followers will note that my younger brother Nick “The Blacksmith” created a striking knife at my request about a year ago, but the knife’s metal was funky and would not hold an edge. This time around we started with a nice piece of O-1 tool steal. The result was perfect; a knife that holds an edge to all kinds of abuse and is easy to sharpen. I will update on the striking knife as it gets used on upcoming work. I also took the chance to set up and use my red oak workbench that is about mid way through completion. I screwed on a cleat and used the slab to work on. No dogs or vices just gravity.
Now it is time to get to Grand Teton, hangout with my wife, wax some skis, and set up the shop for another awesome winter season.

A Table for Two

2010-11-01T15:50:00.000-07:00

This summer I had the opportunity to marry to good friends. To celebrate their commitment to each other I created this shaker nightstand. The following is the description given to the newlyweds.
"This nightstand was based on an old Shaker classic. Clean lines, pleasing proportions, tapered legs, a chamfered top and a single drawer are all characteristic of the timeless Shaker nightstand. The entire piece was constructed of solid wood and was designed to endure lifetimes of use. The black cherry table frame was constructed with mortise and tenon joinery and affixed with pins created from the same cherry stock.
Inlay was set into the background of the top as an outline to highlight the size of the top. The two circles that overlap in the center of the top represent the two of you becoming one. The colored strips of inlay on the sides of the top spell Mo on the left and Jon on the right in Morris code. The black inlay is ebony and the white is American holly.
The drawer was constructed with English details such as thin drawer sides, half blind dovetails at the front and full dovetails at the rear, and drawer slips to increase the wear life of the drawer. The front of the drawer is curly maple with a hand-forged knob. The drawer sides are cherry with a poplar bottom. I personally put a lot of details into this drawer in hopes that it will always house something that will benefit your marriage, like a book you read together or a marriage journal.
Hidden inside this piece are three pennies one from each of your birth years, 1972 and 1980, and one from your year of marriage, 2010."

Out of the Woods

2010-10-22T18:57:00.000-07:00

Well I am a week away from finishing a season up at North Cascades National Park. If you know anything about North Cascades you might know it is a Wilderness Park. Set aside to protect what was not there, a lot of us! Being a Wilderness Park internet access is slim. None the less I don't need internet to woodwork and the shavings have been flying all summer. What else can I do on a rainy weekend day? (Trust me there were plenty!) I just completed a jewelry box for commission and it will be mailed to a friend in my winter migration spot in Moose, WY. Take a look. -Clay

In the Beginning

2010-04-27T13:44:00.000-07:00

Dad, Me, and Nick

84 Lumber all the way.

My first "workbench"

More Irons in the Fire

2010-04-27T11:40:00.000-07:00

Doing the majority of my work with a #7 bench plane, I find it very helpful to have multiple irons handy to just swap out if one starts to feel dull or slow. The late Allen Peters inspired this practice of having multiple irons at your disposal. Allen, know for only using a #7 for all his work, had four irons always sharpened and ready to use. I also use four irons but they each have a special purpose. I have two irons that are cambered and set up for my everyday joiner needs. A perfectly straight iron is set up with its own chip breaker for quick exchange when I need to shoot or match plane long edges. I can shoot just fine with one of cambered blades but it saves edge life to have a dedicated straight iron for shooting. I can also save the edge life of the straight iron by simply using the plane on its opposite edge on the left side of the shooting board exposing a new section of the iron to the work. The last iron I have in the arsenal is a cambered iron with a 15 degree back-bevel for dense and difficult exotic timbers. I began my hand tool career with a Stanley #8 bench plane that was owned by my great father in law. I loved the heft and size of that tool, but when I decided to upgrade my joiner I went with a #7 because of its versatility. I think the #7 is more versatile because the iron width is 2-3/8” matching its smaller brothers the #4-1/2, #5-1/2, & #6. I owned the #4-1/2 prior to purchasing the #7. With the identical iron width I can exchange my straight and back-bevel irons into my #4-1/2 making my limited shop (space and tools) more versatile. I find having multiple irons allows me to continue working with sharp irons without having to stop to sharpen. Concentrating sharpening sessions and sharpening multiple irons at once seems more efficient and allows me to benefit from the repetition. If you own a hand plane you might consider adding some extra irons to your repertoire.

One Last Project

2010-04-22T15:21:00.000-07:00

With only about a week left in Grand Teton National Park I finished up my last project for the winter season of 2010. This was a commission from Jon Phoenix and was to celebrate the marriage of a good friend. Jon asked me to construct a toolbox for Scott, the recipient. This will be my fourth toolbox of this style. The first was the Herwiggy toolbox. Each time I construct one of these boxes I learn a little about the design and sometimes tweak a component. For this box I was able to use a small piece of Zebrawood for the handle and it turned out really nice. I cut the tenons this time by hand instead of with the router. Hand sawing the tenons actually seemed much faster and more enjoyable. The bevels on the through tenons are nice and crisp thanks to the dense tropical hardwood. Everything else went together smoothly and as usual it was a blast to construct. I used Black Walnut and Poplar for the rest of the box. I hope Scott is both surprised and excited when it arrives in Pennsylvania next week. Now it is time to pack up the shop for a new vista in North Cascades National Park.

You Figure it Out

2010-03-30T09:11:00.000-07:00

A Brace from the Past

2010-03-30T08:52:00.000-07:00

Leonard Clarence Hanna Jr. was a self motivated construction juggernaut. LC was my grandfather who passed away in 1997. In my lifetime I knew PaPa as the guy that drove the white Nissan with the topper on the back and the floor boards filled with crushed McDonalds’ coffee cups. He was an early riser with a restless spirit to build. He worked alongside my dad in the family business constructing homes to sell and to rent. I would go to the job site to work as I grew up and there I mastered the skill of pulling nails that were bent beyond recognition and stacking (and restacking) piles of dimensional lumber. But LC had a whole other career that was before my time as a nail pulling expert, he was a lineman for the Bell Atlantic Phone Company.

LC started working for Bell Atlantic when he was 17 years old and dedicated 30 years to the company. I did not know a lot about this career he had prior to building homes except for some tools of the trade that I would stumble across in a two car garage my grandfather stored building materials in. Searching in the “Two Car Garage” was like searching for treasure, you never know what you could find. I have been known to use his climbing gaffs, which were used to climb telephone poles, to climb some of the local trees in my neighborhood.

Just recently in my hand tool woodworking ventures I stumbled across another tool of his trade. A brace and bit. While researching different human powered boring tools I found that most lineman during LC’s day were issued a “Bell System” Yankee No. 2101 Brace to bore holes in telephone poles and the like. The Yankee brace was the best brace of the day. Excellent quality of the craftsmanship and new innovations in the ratcheting head and the wolverine grip jaws set the Yankee brace in its own category. I called my younger brother to see if maybe we still had a brace from PaPa buried in the two car garage. After locating a brace Nick promptly mailed it to Wyoming. The brace arrived over the weekend and it is indeed a Yankee 2101A North Bros Mfg Co., Philadelphia Brace.
This brace, manufactured somewhere between 1946 and 1956, was right after Stanley purchased the North Bros. company as they were attempting to expand into the brace market. “After the takeover, the North Bros braces and other tools were first marked, "North Bros Mfg Co., Philadelphia, Division of Stanley Tool Works." These "Philadelphia –made" tools seem to have retained the construction quality for which North Bros was famous.” (http://www.sydnassloot.com/Brace/Northb.htm) After 1956 the quality of the now Stanly Yankee Brace dropped off. I gave the old brace a clean up and it works like a dream. One of my greatest joys of working with these tools is the heritage and stories that come with them. Now when I go to bore a hole I think I will employ the help of LC!

A Jewelry Box for a Dinosaur

2010-03-17T09:34:00.000-07:00

Last July I became an Uncle for the first time. Elise Anne Phoenix was born to Joel and Lindsay Phoenix July 1 2009, and little did they know that they were going to raise the very rare and endangered Elisaurous. After hearing the great news I thought to myself, “All good dinosaurs need a jewelry box, right?” Thus the design for a new jewelry box began. I entitled this contemporary jewelry box Redwoods on the Coast.
I gathered the inspiration for this piece on a trip that Aimee and I took to the Northern California Coast last fall. Driving along, surrounded by the towering Coastal Redwood trees and the seemingly endless view of the Pacific Ocean, the design became instinctive. I wanted to do something different and challenging. This project met both criteria.
The carcass of the box and the framing for the lid were constructed out of Black Cherry. The “waves” of the ocean panel are Curly Maple selected from a lumberyard in Northern California. I cut the waves out with a #16 round molding plane and then cleaned up any tear out with gooseneck scrapers and sandpaper stuck to the bottom of the #16.
The handle, representing the Coastal Redwoods, is Bubinga. This piece of Bubinga was set aside from a previous project to be used at just the right time. I created the small bead with a scratch stock. I think the piece of Bubinga turned just the right shade of red after the finish was applied.
The bottom panel is Yellow Poplar lined with leather to protect jewelry. The carcass was constructed with through dovetails at the corners. Pinned mortise and tenons hold the frame of the lid together. The pins in the lid are Black Cherry. The curved short sides of the box were designed to facilitate picking up the box with ease. The box is equipped with stop hinges to keep the lid rested at 95 degrees when fully open. The sliding tray, intended to resemble the large carcass it resides in, was designed to hold rings and smaller jewelry. I am not well versed on what jewelry Elisaurous’s wear but I hope it fits in the box!

Creating a Convex Curve with Hand Tools

2010-02-23T11:09:00.000-08:00

A couple of our neighbors with wood burning stoves have been well stocked with grocery bags of wood shavings the last couple of weeks, products of my busyness in the shop. I can measure the productivity level on a single night on how many grocery bags of shavings I produce. Lately I have been working on a new piece with dovetailed convex curved sides. I began by marking out the arc on the end grain of the short sides and then proceeded to create steps with the #140 Skew Block Plane. Once the steps have been established I switch over to the shoulder plane which is a litter faster. These steps remove excess material and give a guide as you begin to shape the convex curve. I chose to use the large shoulder plane with a tight mouth to accomplish the curve. I left the curve somewhat rough knowing that the lid and the feet would need to be blended into the curve of the sides later. The feet and the lid will be a continuation of the arc on the sides. To accomplish the dovetails I cut the tails out when the long sides were still square on the end. Once the tails were cleaned up I transferred the tails to the curved pin board. I then proceeded to cut the pins out of the curved short sides. Holding the work down to the bench to chop out the waste material became a challenge. Chopping from the face, the back could rest flat on the bench. I created a negative of the curve to cradle the short sides so I could chop out to the base line from the back. I found that using a smaller chisel, about, 3/8” was easier to register in the baseline on the face because of the curve. A deeply scored baseline was crucial for this operation. With the pins cut out, the dovetails could be assembled. Once the glue dried I proceeded to flush off the tails to meet the curve of the short sides. I cut as much waste away as possible and then used a rasp to hog the remaining material away just shy of being flush. With the toe rested on the curved sides the large shoulder plane flawlessly trimmed the end grain flush. Once the hinges and feet are installed I can blend the entire arc into the sides.

Lessons Learned

2010-02-22T09:17:00.000-08:00

Over the years I have made my share of woodworking mistakes; from snapping off screws when installing hardware to blowing out a lapped dovetail on a figured drawer front. My latest endeavor has been an exercise in patience. Working with a fresh design that incorporates convex and concave surfaces is new territory for my tools. When working in new territory the learning curve is steep. After milling up and shaping the convex short sides of a jewelry box twice I think I got the hang of it. I was required to double up the production of the short sides due to a re-adjustment of a marking gauge. Keeping a marking gauge set until you are completely done marking out with that setting is a “Golden Rule”, but I committed the cardinal sin and paid the price. The baseline on my pin board sockets was not square to the datum surface (read re-do). Having to make a second set of short sides allowed me to benefit from the previous practice. It took a little bit longer to accomplish but in the end I think it came out better.

Skiing and Woodworking

2010-01-24T10:17:00.000-08:00

There are few things that I would rather be doing than working in the shop. The winter always brings a conflict of interests to the world of COR woodworks and carving the Herwiggys. My weekends thus far have succumbed to skiing and woodworking has filled the evenings a couple nights a week. I might just have to quit my day job to give myself enough time to squeeze all this in. But there is always a fine line on how to split your free time. Blending the two hobbies I love to do, I just finished a Ski rack for some friends in the Tetons. The background mountain range is a silhouette of the Teton Range with space to hang up to 6 pair of skis. This project was inspired by a smaller version I have made as a key rack. I am sure the Ski Rack will be put to good use. Maybe soon to store some Herwiggys!

The Ruler Trick Upgrade

2010-01-24T10:14:00.000-08:00

For years now I have been religiously submitting some of my ideas to Fine Woodworking and Woodworking Magazines to have them posted in the Methods of Work or Shortcut sections. This past summer I submitted a Shortcut to Woodworking Magazine. The shortcut was a upgrade to the David Charlesworth Ruler Trick. The shortcut was published in the winter 2009 Woodworking Magazine. The Text read as follows.

"When polishing the back of a plane iron it is much faster to use David Charlesworth's ruler trick. The ruler raises the iron up on one side of the stone and creates a micro bevel or a thin back bevel on the back of the iron. When I tried to use a ruler it would sometimes move around on the stone. To prevent this I made a "ruler" out of thin steel flashing available at any home center. I took the flashing, removed all the paint and then bent the last 3/8" on either end to create a hook. The new ruler clips over the stone and does not move."

A Double Combo Stone

2010-01-24T10:11:00.000-08:00

Sharp Tools are a must when working with hand tools. The more I woodwork the more particular I become when it comes to sharpness. What I use to think was sharp 2 years ago I would consider too dull to work with today. To keep my tools sharp I use a series of Norton waterstones. I own a 200, 1000, 1000/4000 combo and an 8000 stone. I have found that I do not use the 220 on tools but really just use it to flatten other stones. I will also flatten stones on 120-grit drywall sanding screen on a granite surface plate to ensure they are as flat as possible. One of the first stones I purchased was the 100/4000 combo stone and it has seen heaps of use to the point it was becoming very thin. I was afraid that under the weight of the sharpening process that the stone might be flexing. To prevent this I Gorilla glued two stones together to make a thicker single stone. I glued a solid 1000 to the 1000 side of the combo stone. The trick works like a charm and it extends the life of both stones significantly.

Keeping It All Together

2010-01-01T20:22:00.000-08:00

After destroying a 2" square on the concrete porch at the shop in Mammoth I came up with a way of keeping the square in its place. The Lee Valley Mk. II Shop Apron has a front pocket that is the perfect size for a small engineer square. To keep the square in its place I sewed a 1/2" rare earth magnet to the back side of the apron. When the square is slid in the pocket the magnet is strong enough to keep the square in place when I lean over but can still be pulled out with ease.

Post-Its and Other Shims

2009-12-22T07:56:00.000-08:00

In the shop I use a lot of random small pieces of wood and paper to assist me with my work. I hoard all small piece of scrap wood and keep them in a zip lock bag. I find myself reaching for that bag of scraps to use them as shims. I use them to shim up my shoulder plane to keep it cutting parallel on a rabbet or even as a pad for my C clamps. The most helpful shim in my shop is the simple Post-it notes. These guys are great because they have a sticky end. I use them frequently on my shooting board to offer up a piece of timber "square" to the plane. This is a trick I picked up from David Charlesworth in his Shooting DVD. You can find a variety of uses for Post-It notes just give them a try. Setting the projection of a hand plane iron can be difficult. I use a curved iron in most of my bench planes and I want the curve as centered as possible. Most authors suggest using a white piece of paper as a background to site against as you witness the iron emerging from the sole of the plane. I find this difficult to see. I will use this method to set the gross projection and balance, but will fine tune the setting with shims. First, retract the blade into the body of the plane. Second, slowly advance the iron while sliding the shim back and forth over the mouth. Soon you will see and or hear that the iron is cutting the shim. By noting where the shim is being cut on the width of the blade you can compare it to the opposite side of the iron to see if your iron is balanced in the plane. I use small wooden shims, about 1-1/2” x 2” works the best. I use both long grain and end grain shims. I prefer the end grain shims because you can hear when they are cutting. This makes it easier to set the plane because I can hear it cutting rather that looking on the inside of the mouth to see if it is cutting. Long grain shims will get a fiber mark to illustrate the direction of cut. With the end grain shims this is of no concern. They can be used in any direction. I will try to make these shims from a close grained hardwood like maple. To make the end grain shims just take a piece of timber about 1-1/2 thick and 2” to 3” wide and slice a 1/8” to 3/16” off the end. Long grain shims can be cut out of stock but usually you can find some off cuts lying around.

Set Up With the Best View Yet!

2009-12-19T14:31:00.001-08:00

Finally, the shop is set up and I can start working again. This is the first time in my woodworking career that my shop has been inside the house. This location has something to do with living in the icebox of America; Moose, WY. I really like the setup (in the kitchen as you can see) in front of the window. This offers great lighting and I can watch the snow fall as I work. On clear days I have a stunning view of the Grand.

Wax in the Workshop II

2009-12-12T14:01:00.000-08:00

Do not limit the possibilities of this simple product to just the hard rectangular paraffin wax. Paste wax in the workshop can help prevent rust, smooth surfaces, prevent glue from adhering where you do not want it, and assist with fitting drawers and lids.
Paste wax comes in many different brands and mixtures, but I have found that Trewax and Johnson brand paste wax work the best. All waxes are originally solid in form. They are then dissolved in a solvent, usually a petroleum distillate like mineral spirits. Once the solvent evaporates it will leave a thin film of wax on the surface.
I use paste wax to prevent rust on my hand tools when I am storing them for long periods of time. For day to day use I will apply a thin coat of camellia oil to each tool at the end of the day. Paste wax is great for preventing rust on all power tool machine tables like the table saw, band saw, planner, jointer, router tables and even use some on the fences as well.
Waxing the bed of a shooting board allows the craftsman to shoot all day long without it becoming arduous. Paste wax can help make your next projects parts fit perfectly. When fitting the lid on the Herwiggy humidor I used a thin coat of paste wax on the lid. When the lid was closed, tight areas would show up on the lid slip. I would locate these areas and take gossamer shavings to remove the material for a perfect fit. The same rules apply when fitting drawers in the traditional manner used by Alan Peters. Once the drawer is build, but before the bottom is slide in wax the drawer opening in the carcass. The wax on the inner surfaces of the carcass opening will burnish the high spots and allow the craftsman to achieve a perfect fit.

Wax and the Workshop

2009-12-09T14:25:00.000-08:00

Few tools make the cut when it comes to what I carry around in my woodworking apron. You will find in my apron a square, tape line, marking knife, pencils, sharpies, a pen, safety glasses, wooden shims for setting planes and a rectangular block of wax. In my work a block of wax is just as essential as a marking knife or a square. I find myself reaching for wax to ease multiple areas of my work. The usefulness of wax is not just limited to a hand tool workshop it has many uses with power tools as well. You can pick up a block of wax at any grocery store that sells canning supplies. Look for canning wax or paraffin wax. There are other types of waxes available, but they tend to be hard to find and more expensive than paraffin. Under $5.00 will buy you enough wax to last many work years in the shop. Here are just a couple of uses for wax in the shop.
Wax will help reduce friction making things slide with much less effort. Any time you have wood sliding over a surface it will drag because of friction. Try taking a block of wax and like a 3 year old with a crayon squiggle a line of wax on the working surface where the wood is sliding over. Any power tool machine table like a table saw, band saw, planner, jointer, router tables and even squiggle on the fences as well. Waxing the bed of a shooting board allows the craftsman to shoot all day long without it becoming arduous. Use the wax on objects that slide on top of wood as well. This is especially helpful with hand planes dropping the friction of the plane almost in half. Handheld routers can also benefit. When cutting wood with a hand saw wax can make the saw glide through the cut and slice the wood sweetly. Large panel saws always get a light squiggle a couple inches above the tooth line before they touch the timber. Dovetail saws and other backsaws will also benefit greatly and let you focus on sawing to the line not excessively forcing the saw. If you are tired of always breaking fret saw blades because of them binding in the cut running the block of wax on the back of the blade allowing it to cut into the wax will coat both sides of the blade and will turn your blades into marathon runners. This will work great in coping saws, power jigsaws and scroll saws. If you have ever snapped off a brass screw when installing that last piece of hardware in a project you know how frustrating this can be. Second only to drilling a properly sized pilot hole and pre-threading, wax can facilitate a smooth entry for any screw and prevent breaking. Wax is superior to soap in this application because soap can hold moisture and cause the screw to rust.
Wax will even help drawbore pins slide in without hitch into their designated holes. Recently while working on my bench the round brass bench dogs became very difficult to push up above the bench. A light coat of wax on the spring and far side of the dog solved the problem quickly.
Wax can prevent material from going where you don’t want it. Files can clog when working with soft metals like brass and even with certain types of wood. Running a block of wax against the teeth will fill in the gullets of the file with wax and will prevent clogging. I am eager to try this technique on rasps and floats. Next post I will talk about the usefulness of paste wax.

Two Toolboxes for Two

2009-10-29T17:18:00.000-07:00

This past couple of weeks I have been working on a pair of toolboxes for two very important people. The first was for Clay Raterman. Clay was born in March 11th, 2008 to Ben and Alaya Raterman. He was born on the same day as Aimee. As a Hanna family tradition for the birth of a son the toolbox came equipped with a ball-pein hammer. The second toolbox was for Aimee, my wife, as a bike mechanic toolbox. Both toolboxes were based off of the first toolbox that I built over 10 years ago. Clay's box was constructed with Cherry and Mahogany and an accent of Ebony in the handle. Aimee's box was constructed with Mahogany and Poplar and an accent of Holly in the handle.

Just Scrapin' Buy

2009-10-21T20:36:00.000-07:00

During a visit to the huge metropolis of Reno, Nevada I made a familiar stop at the local Woodcraft. Once in the store I was met with a sign informing patrons that the store was closing! This was not good news as I have shopped at this Woodcraft for 3 years now. That thought quickly left as I read on, 30% off everything in the store. Needless to say I picked up a tool that I made a spot for in my tool tote 2 years ago but thought I would never bring myself to actually buy one, a Lie Nielsen #212 Scraping Plane. I just tuned it up last night and am really happy with its performance. Finally a way to deal with unruly grain!

Wax It With The Nugget

2009-09-27T20:09:00.000-07:00

I did not know what to say when my younger brother asked me to create a shoe shining box for him. I was even more in shock when he told me how big he wanted it, 14"X16"! When I hit the drawing board designing the box I decided that a frame and panel was the only option for the top. The entire piece was constructed of solid wood and designed to endure lifetimes of use. The box was constructed with Black Cherry and Yellow Poplar. I chose to challenge myself and try hounds-tooth through dovetails for the carcass construction and they turned out spot on. The fish shaped structure on top is a foot prop. I know that my brother will be able to fit everything that he will ever need for shoe shining (and maybe even the shoes themselves) for the rest of his life. By the way a nugget is a ball of wax for shoe polishing.

Herwiggy Up In Smoke

2009-09-25T10:14:00.000-07:00

The Herwiggy Nation can now smoke in style. Mark Lobsinger commissioned this custom humidor with the Herwiggy logo front and center. The humidor is 9" X 12" X 5" and will hold 25-30 cigars for premium ageing. The entire piece was constructed of solid wood and was designed to endure lifetimes of use. The main box or carcass is Black Cherry. The Bird’s Eye Maple handle is mortised into the lid. The carcass was constructed with miters reinforced with keys and pinned at the corners. The keys are Bird’s Eye Maple and the pins are cherry. Holly inlay was set into the background of the lid. The Spanish Cedar interiors are intentionally left unfinished. The aroma of the cedar adds to the taste of the cigars as they age. The interior sidepieces were not glued in place and lock in when the humidor is seasoned. The exterior was finished with a Watco Danish Oil (Natural Color). The entire piece has been top coated with paste wax. This was a deviation away from my typical dovetailed carcasses using a birdhouse jig to shoot the long miters for the corners. The humidor also has a significant amount of hardware that is associated; humidifier, hygrometer, lid support, and the normal hinges. I guess I cannot speak to how well the humidor works till I sample from its storage.

The New Traveling Bench

2009-05-26T17:16:00.000-07:00

These are some pics from the new bench that I just completed. A description of the bench with some detail shots to follow.

The vise is perfect for dovetailing!

Vise was fabricated from a vener vise screw and a blackpipe tee.

I bolted the bench to my table.

The benchdogs are going to make woodworking a lot easier.

The new shop all set up after 7 months off.

But Do You Have a 275lb Anvil?

2009-05-26T16:54:00.000-07:00

If you have done any woodworking with hand tools you know that sharp edge tools are central. Plane Irons, Chisels, Marking knives, Panel Saws and the list goes on. Just last week I wanted to add to my tool collection with a tool that is no longer made, a Striking Knife. Since these ancient tools are no longer made and used ones are hard to find I turned to my local blacksmith. Lucky enough for me my local smithy is my brother, Nick. I commissioned him to forge a striking knife out of an old flathead screwdriver. The shape and feel turned out great and we hardened the steal in oil. This striking knife will be used for marking out lines for crosscutting with a panel saw. I also have just put into use on my new workbench a holdfast that was also forged out by Nick. The holdfast is a great way to hold your work down to the bench. One whack with the hammer and it is fixed. One more whack to the back and it releases. Next time you want a tool that is not manufactured any more look up your local smithy.

The knife blank in the coals. (In the middle of the coals)

The finished product.

Holdfast in use.

Thanks to the best blacksmith that I know!!!

Old Friends

2009-04-10T12:42:00.000-07:00

Today I retired two good woodworking friends, my apron and my Lie Nielsen cap. The Apron will live its new life in WV as a backup apron as I could not throw away this woodworking icon. Aimee hand made this apron for me back when I was in high school. It has been with me for every woodworking project since and has served me well. Its replacement is a very nice and light Lee Valley MK-II apron. I will give a review of this apron once I put it through some projects. Some aspects of the original apron I would change would be a flap over the pockets at the bottom. Because the pockets are open they catch heaps of dust and wood chips. The apron is also doubled up material in its thickness that makes it durable but heavy, light is better. I also had to modify the original apron with cross back suspenders to take the weight off of my neck strap. As a side note these “ruler” suspenders were my grandfather L.C.’s favorite pair.

I have also replaced my original Lie Nielsen cap with a new one. (Same color for all that were worried!) This was kindly given to me as a gift. Maybe someone was trying to tell me something about the old hat, sweat rings and all. Well I hope to be wearing both of these items in the next months as I set up shop again, only this time with a new view.

–Cheers

A Cottage of Asbestos

2009-03-13T00:47:00.001-07:00

During our last trek in the Tablelands area of Kahurangi National Park Aimee and I spent two nights (Rained out) in the Asbestos Cottage. The Cottage was built Circa. 1900 and is a standing history of the area. Once inside the woodworking history of the cottage really showed it self. All of the timber in the entire building was all pit-sawn native timber. Pit-sawn meaning each board was ripped by hand out of a log, no saw mill here. Basically two carpenters would take a log and straddle it over a dug pit. One carpenter would jump in the pit and the other on top of the log and they would start to saw the log lengthwise with a large two man rip saw. As I looked around the cottage I was surrounded by what seemed to have taken thousands of man hours to make. That will make you appreciate s4s timber.

Saw marks on floor boards.

Note the Log Dog used to hold the logs during the pit-sawing process.

Organic Brews With Chippies?

2009-03-13T00:33:00.000-07:00

(Another day in the books at CFW and this is how we wrapped up the day.)

While traveling in NZ I found that the locals not only call their fries chips but their carpenters chippies.

Counsel of His Own.

2009-03-11T21:47:00.000-07:00

A picture from inside the Centre for Fine Woodworking, NZ.

Today was a good day. I was fortunate enough to pay a visit to the Centre for Fine Woodworking in Nelson, NZ. I had originally planned to take a short class at the school while on holiday, but time did not cooperate. Instead I just stopped in to have a look over the place. As I stepped into the benchroom it was a breath of fresh air. Benches, planes, timber, shavings, and workers of wood abound. (Note good day!) The Centre was started by David Haig and John Shaw, both pronounced woodworkers in New Zealand and have taught in the States as well. (Check out http://www.centre-for-fine-woodworking.co.nz/ for further info.) My intent was to just have a short visit and head out, but I was invited to stay the whole day. To start off John invited me over to his bench, pulled out some native timbers and a Veritas Low Angle Smoother, and let me play. The species I was working were Matai and Totara, which took the iron remarkably well. I had this vision that New Zealand timbers would be dense and hard like the horror stories I have heard about Australian hardwoods. I was surprised to find that most NZ timber is quite soft. As I planned away in bliss John brought over a wooden Krenov style plane for me to test drive. Come to find out later that plane I was using was an ORIGINAL James Krenov plane. James gave it to John during a visit to NZ before John spent a year with James at the College of the Redwoods. I asked John and Dave a lot of questions throughout the day about woodworking and their backgrounds. David revealed he is mostly self taught, learning the "hard way". While talking with David in passing he muttered a paraphrased quote that I later found from Hunter Thompson. "No man is so foolish but he may sometimes give another good counsel, and no man so wise that he may not easily err if he takes no other counsel than his own. He that is taught only by himself has a fool for a master." - Hunter S. Thompson (1939) What David was trying to say really stuck with me. It showed me the importance of woodworking instruction and the need for me to sit under the tutelage of other woodworkers. Not that self teaching is inadequate but I think instruction can take some of the frustration out of learning a craft and it passes on generations of knowledge learned the "hard way". I think we can all learn from each other and not just rely on the counsel of our own.

An original James Krenov plane.

Some old Stanleys.

Rob Cosman's Scraping Wood

2008-11-17T13:55:00.000-08:00

During the latest visit back to the Wild and Wonderful West Virginia I was fortunate to have the pleasure to hang out with family and old friends. One of those friends was not in West Virginia though. Rob Cosman hails from New Brunswick, Canada and I paid him a visit through his new DVD Scraping Wood. This 9o minute DVD shot in High Def was Rob's latest addition to the instructional line of DVD's that have helped me hone my woodworking skills. To be honest I was a little skeptical of this DVD only because I had previously purchased and watched Christopher Schwarz's excellent Handscraper: Understanding, Preparing and Using the Ultimate Finishing Tool. Chris's DVD really set the bar high with excellent information and easy to use techniques. Scraping Wood was very much a review of how to prepare a card scraper although Rob's techniques differ from those of Chris's. Scraping Wood goes on to review the #80 cabinet scraper and three scraping planes, the #85, 212, & 112. Rob really emphasizes the importance of the burnisher and its level of polish. He also advocates the use of a flat burnisher over a round burnisher to spread out the pressure. I am eager to try this in the future to see if I can tell a difference. Overall, Scraping wood is some of the best video quality that I have ever seen in any woodworking video. It is very well organized and full of excellent advice. I am glad I own the DVD and can’t wait to watch it again.

P.S. And congratulations to Cody, Wyoming for hiring one of the best Paramedics in the lower 48...As a faithful Cor Woodworks Blog Reader you can borrow Scraping Wood any time!

A Tale of Two Tops

2008-10-29T15:24:00.000-07:00

The latest project at COR woodworks was a Pipe Box for Zach Lysdahl. This was the last project for the 2008 season in Grand Teton National Park. The shop is all packed away and ready to rest in Denver for the winter while Aimee and I explore south of the equator. The wood that I constructed the box with was Black Cherry and Curly Maple. The carcass was assembled with mitered through dovetails and the lid is a sliding lid allowing the contents to be easily accessed. I originally used curly maple as the top with a finder pull bored out and holly inlay set into the bottom of the pull. When fitting the top the resulting fit was disappointing. Needless to say I created a second top, this time out of cherry. I also decided to change up the look and design of the second lid. I accented the cherry with a strip of holly and ebony inlay and used a maple dovetail key as the finger pull. The fit on the second lid was spot on and I was very pleased with its piston fit. The over all dimensions of the box are 6X9X3. I would have to say that the color contrast of maple and cherry with a coat of Danish oil is one of my favorite wood combos.

COR Woodworks

2008-10-29T13:33:00.000-07:00

“The highest reward for a man’s toil is not what he gets for it, but what he becomes by it.” -John Ruskin
In 2006 I started COR Woodworking to use my passion, woodworking, to better peoples lives. My hope is to bless people that I have come in contact with. Through certain pieces I desire to meet a need and use my work to sharpen a fellow individual.
The symbol of the Hand Plane is a metaphor of Proverbs 27:19 “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another”. Iron will only take a sharp, long lasting edge if it has been properly tempered. This tempering process is fulfilled by supporting each other, allowing the iron to be prepared to receive an edge thus enabling the plane to do its job successfully. The word cor is Latin for more at heart. The word courage was derived from the Latin cor. I try in every piece I construct to present not just a piece of furniture but an element of encouragement. -Cheers

You Know This!

2008-10-29T13:05:00.001-07:00

Living the transient lifestyle has its perks, but it also comes with its challenges. Loving to woodwork but never having a "Shop" can be one of those challenges. I can be seen in the picture above working last week in a random snow squall in the Beaver Creek Housing area. Fervently trying to finish a box for a friend here before we move everything we own and become homeless for the next six months. (Note the sheet used to block the winds!) Am I crazy? As Mark Lobsinger would say "You know this". I enjoy woodworking because it is a constant challenge, a test of skill. There is always a new way to accomplish a task and a new skill set to be learned. I am fascinated with working by means of my hands and building something I can be proud of. Woodworking is a life long education. I hope I can only afford the tuition. "The woodworker is slow, but the wood is patient." –Chinese Proverb

The Pencil is Mightier than the Sword

2008-10-18T12:30:00.000-07:00

During a snowy day last week I decided to turn to my list of backlogged projects to fine something to build. I decided to create a modified pencil gauge that David Charlesworth describes in his book Furniture Making Techniques- A Guide to Hand Tools and Methods. David describes the modification of a pin marking gauge by pulling out the pin and drilling an angled hole to place a pencil in. This pleasant angle of the pencil allows you to see the pencil and where it is marking at all times. This is hard to see if the pencil tip is directly under the gauge bar. The other important feature of this design is the channel in the face of the gauge. This allows the body of the pencil to be recessed into the head, allowing a line to be drawn very close to the face. After using this gauge for a week I wonder how I ever worked without it!

Chopping Dovetails or Carrots?

2008-10-12T08:10:00.000-07:00

In 2005, while in Grand Teton National Park, I took my woodworking to the next level and built a portable workbench. I designed and built this bench blindly, without ever seeing one of its kind. Needless to say over the past three years the bench has seen many a project slide over its top. As I used the bench more and more I learned of its shortfalls and begain to design an updated version of the portable workbench. The new workbench is close to completion and I will write about that in a later blog. That being said I decided to recycle the 8/4 hard maple from the old bench and create a butcher block for a friend. In its reencarnated state I hope it will carry on the spirit of creativeness that it bestowed on me over the years.

Desktop Organizer 2008

2008-09-04T09:08:00.000-07:00

Desktop Organizer 2008
I just finished up and prepared the latest project for shipment to the coastal area of Washington. This desktop organizer was built for Ryan Finnerty, who in May completed a Masters of Fine Art program from the University of Washington. This piece was commissioned by Maureen Finnerty, Ryan's older sister.

This is a copy of the description that was sent to Ryan:
This Desktop Organizer was commissioned by Maureen Finnerty. The entire piece is constructed of solid wood and is designed to endure lifetimes of use. The structure or carcass is constructed with Black Cherry (red in color). The drawer fronts are Curly Maple (light tan in color). The bottoms of the drawers are Yellow Poplar with Black Cherry for the rest of the drawer components. These species of timber are domestic hardwoods grown in North America; no exotic timber was used. The carcass was constructed with through dovetails at the corners. The drawers were constructed in traditional fashion using solid wood and time-honored joinery practices. Room was allotted in the drawer openings to allow for expansion of the wood as it acclimates from the dry Wyoming air to the humid Coastal climate. The back will appear proud of sides and the drawers might stiffen up as the wood acclimates. The piece is finished with a Watco Danish Oil (Natural Color) with a topcoat of paste wax. If scratched this finish can be easily repaired by adding more Danish Oil to the damaged area and re-waxing with any furniture grade paste wax. I hope this piece brings as much joy as it brought me in the process of constructing it.

The timber milled up and ready to be hand-planed.

The sides with dovetails cut out.

Assembly of a drawer.

Finished Shots!

Disaster did strike once. A large chunk of a drawer front blew out while chopping the half-blind dovetails. That is why we always mill up an extra piece.