Hand Planes: Who Would Have Thought

So I have been getting more and more comfortable with hand planes and they are not as scary as I thought they were.  It actually is easier sometimes to grab the plane over sandpaper.  I am not good at flattening board and probably won’t be anytime soon.  My latest discovery is using it when doing panel glue ups.  I would take it off the saw and glue it together.  It was close enough in my opinion.  The glue would “fill-in” the saw marks.  The saw did a good job, but there was always a glue witness line.  I started using the plane to clean the saw marks off the edges in hopes to get a cleaner glue line.  The difference is very noticeable.  The joint is tighter and if the grain is straight and similar it is tough to tell were the piece are put tighter.

Refurbishing a Bench

I was given the opportunity to refurbish a bench that my son’s teacher savaged from the trash.  I was thinking that it was going to be a small bench and sanding out some scratches and sharp edges.  It looks like it was a four foot long church pew.  The ends were chewed up by a dog and the seat was pretty scratched up.  I was told that I could just sand it down.  However, it was solid oak and could be a nice bench.  I did not want to just sand it out.

I had to first take it all a part.  It was only screwed together so it wasn’t too bad.  The hardest part was taking out the dowel plugs.  Once it was taken apart the parts that I could use were sanded down. I knew that I needed to replace the seat and the two sides.  Seat was easy.  The sides would need some template work.  That proved to be a little challenging because the edges were chewed up by dogs.  I ended up using edge band to build up the edge and then making a template out of plywood. 

I am not that experienced using a template and a router.  I had the bit but I still managed to mess it up pretty badly.  Here were my two big take a ways from the mistakes:

First is that quick grips do not provide enough clamping power to hold a template in place.  The template moved and I screwed up the top portion of the bench.

Second is that I should have cut the waste closer to the line.  As the router went from end grain to edge grain it took chunks of material with it. 

This is how I fixed it.  I had to cut off the portions that were damaged and put on new pieces.  This time I cut closer to the line and added a relief cuts.  I then used a few more hand screw clamps to secure the template.  It worked much better.

This was going into a classroom so I wanted to put a lid stay on it so that it would not smash fingers.  I bought a set that was rated for 40 lbs.  I should have looked at the install for those before staining.  I underestimated the space I needed.  I had to add a spacer block to make it work.

Staining and assembly went well. I used a minwax stain and let it dry for a week.  The top coat is shellac.  When I was finishing it, there were a couple of people interested.  My wife has also expressed interest in one.

Staining and assembly went well. I used a minwax stain and let it dry for a week.  The top coat is shellac.  When I was finishing it, there were a couple of people interested.  My wife has also expressed interest in one.

Triton Router

So I was able to use the triton router for more than just some profiling.   I needed to make some sides for the bench that I am refurbishing.  This required making a template and copying it to the solid panels for the sides.  Besides the epic setup fails the router worked great.  Quick grip clamps do not have the holding strength to hold the pattern in place while routing.

I have the TRA001 3 ¼ hp model.  There is plenty of power in the router.  I was cutting 1” oak and it did not bog down.  Probably the best example of power but it is more than enough for me.  Here are some of the features that I really liked.  The soft start:  It a slow start so there was not a lot of torque twisting out of my hands at the beginning.  Single wrench bit changing:  It is always nice to only need one wrench to change the bit and I did not have to hold a button to lock the spindle.  The ease of taking it on and off the table: I have to loosen a couple of thumb screws and the router can be unlocked from the table.  It is the same with putting it back on.

Here are a couple of things that I noticed and took a little while to figure out.  The router is not intuitive to use.  The spindle locks only when the bit is fully extended which locks the spindle and the bit is able to be removed.  The depth adjustment takes a little bit of getting used to.  There is an indexing and a plunge setting that take a little bit to get used to.

I am looking forward to trying out the table and all the features of the precision fence system.

Class is Out

I will have to say it was a great first attempt.  I learned a lot about interests and expectations of the students.  One of the biggest things I came away with was that not everyone needs or wants to know the details that I have learned.  I wanted to teach them the little things that I have learned that really has no bearing on what they are doing.  These topics included wood milling, defects, purchasing and cuts.  Really they want to make saw dust.  It was evident when they would “practice” on scrap pieces. 

I made detailed power points presentations to present information.  I learned quickly that this was boring and not very interactive.  I acted on this information a little later and stopped doing them.  They became more lesson plans than what was used to teach.  I think the lessons went better after I made that change.  I will still need to have the initial lessons on power point because of the amount of information the remaining will be in a shop environment.

Timing was also something that may or may not have been improved upon.  I could not have changed the day of the week, even though I knew it was not the best day of the week.  It was the only day of the week that worked for my family.  I need a second adult at the house for two reasons.  First, I have kids that will be all over the place and second, for safety.  Next year I will probably change the start time to August and end around Thanksgiving.  The holidays just got too crazy and I did not have as many open lab days because of soccer and craft fairs.

The projects were applicable and at an appropriate skill level.  We did not get to the step stool or the rubber band car.  Part of it was learning the timing of the class and the other part was the holidays.   I really liked how the car launchers came out.  We are still working on the toys.  Everyone got into the scroll saw and the puzzles.

I have a feeling the class size is a little large for the equipment and size of garage I have.  I think a class size of five would be better.  I am comfortable with the age group I had: fifth grade and up.  My second grade son was part of the class and did really well.  The problem came in with fractions and problem solving.  He actually made all the projects himself. 

I did assign some homework and I did get some returned.  I really did not require it so I understand why it was not taken seriously.  I did get some good feedback.  I probably should put a little more emphasis on it and track it.

Goals for 2019

Tools:  I am looking at a couple of tools to purchase next year.  The first is a shop vac.  I really need to do some sort of dust collection.  I am also looking at a dust deputy to take care of a lot of the large shavings.  I am also looking at a jig saw.  I might just borrow one. I only need it for one project at this time. 

Projects:  I have two refurbish projects that I need to complete.  The first is a bench that goes to my son’s classroom.  It is something that was found on the side of the road.  It had been chewed up by a dog so the rough parts need to be sanded or replaced.  I will probably also refinish it.  I am excited about it because it is a nice piece made from solid oak.  The second is the toy wood oven I made a few years back.  I need to get it fixed up and donated. It was a fun project but it does not fit in the house anymore.

I also have the jewelry boxes that I have not finished yet.  This is one of those projects that is a goal this year to finish last year’s goals that I didn’t start the year before.  I have the tools and parts all cut out.  I have one more top to make and the groove the boxes.  I also have a couple of gifts for family that I need to make.  Not mentioned here because they are gifts.  On the last year’s goal list, I also need to make some camping boxes.

I have designed the next set of small vehicles. These are not as cost and labor focused than the other set but I am excited to make them.  They do require different thickness of wood.  I could not get around that.  I plan on making them in different colored wood this time to see if they sell better.

I would also like to do another class, possibly two, if people are interested.  I have not gotten any responses for the spring semester.  The goal is to take the class to the home school group.  I do have contacts; however there are things like insurance that I do need to check on.

Donations:  Since the toy drive is a big part of why I design and make toys I figured I would mention what I plant to make this year.  I am going to make another five sets of the small vehicles that I made last year.  I will also make five sets of this year’s small vehicles.  There are eleven different vehicles in this set.  I also plan on making five cradles and five rocking chairs.  This is a pretty big undertaking for this year.

Year in Review

This year was a fun year and a good year even though it started off rough.  First my scroll saw went down and getting another was problematic.  Shipping destroyed it.  The good thing is I now have two because I was able to repair my old one.  Then my drill press broke. I was not able to fix that because it was so old the model was no longer supported.  I needed to purchase another one.  Then my belt sander died.  I replaced it with a larger 6” wide belt.  This was truly an upgrade to the one I had.  That was the beginning of the year.  That was the rough start, but things turned around quickly.

I mentioned two of the tools that I purchased this year.  The only other tools were for the wood working class.  However, my son did win the Masters of Wood competition from Triton tools.  Those tools arrived in March.  I need to use the router and table more, I like it so far.  The saw is ok.  The only issue with the set is there is no real way to store the tools.  They just hang out where ever they are placed.  I designed and built a rack but it is not something I would load in the car and take to a job site.

Projects were smaller this year but more in number.  I started the building and grow series which was not economically feasible: too much time and too much precision.  So it developed into the small vehicle package.  There were 10 cars and 1 train.  The company that I work for is very focused on cost with an emphasis on standard parts and cost.  This “product line” was a result of those philosophies.  I was very focused on common rip components and parts.  I knew my profit margin and it was decent for a woodworker.  Alas, they did not sell as well as I hoped and I still gave half to charitable organizations.  That is what I do.  I made 20 of each vehicle.  It did take time but less than 6 months for 220 toys, is pretty good considering I work mostly on Saturdays.

I did a ton of puzzles, both in a board and free standing.  They also did not sell either.  I have a pretty good reason for it also.  They were too simple and too plain.  Live and learn on that one.  They are good practice.

My other project that I have been doing is the wood working class.  My first class is either ending or has ended (depending on when I publish this).  I think it went well.  We will see how the final projects turn out.  I over scheduled time at the beginning and under scheduled time for the final projects.  I have had several positive comments so I am happy.  There will be more information from future posts.  I do want to keep teaching this class.

From a business stand point I have been flat.  I did not do as well at the craft fairs as I had planned.  My plan sales were about the same.  I tried to get more plans in plan catalogs and failed.  Not sure why.  I am getting more views and hits on my etsy account.  It has generated more income than last year.  In fact, I think my online presence is growing.  More people are emailing me about the projects that have done from the plans that they have purchased from me.  I have had a couple people contact me because of my website for club information.

The other big news is that I have been in contact with a publisher.  Two of my designs are in their possession.  They are please with them, or they say they are.  I don’t know if they are going to publish them.  Time will tell and this would be another big step in promoting my plans.

Classes

The woodworking class is coming to an end at the end of the month.   I have not been as good as I had hoped in taking pictures.  Now that they have all the power tools they are going to learn at their disposal, the projects are going a lot quicker.  They also seem more engaged in the class.  I have changed up the format a little with less from a power point to more in the shop.  This seems to be working better.  They are now all working on the small toy cars. 

I would like to do again, but I will need another group of students.