tbwells- beautiful shed. what wood did you use for the horizonal slats? I've seen lots of delicate stuff like that, that ends up weathering badly with lots of warping within a few years.
TK - It was actually a temporary installation at a botanical garden, so it was meant to be taken down. Our modest budget only allowed for pine and we had to build on site so most are nominal dimensions for easy construction. We coated it with a natural deck sealant, and now that it resides in my friends backyard it has held up pretty nicely
I spent the last year with a DeWalt 13" portable planer (the shop's primary planer) that was surprisingly well-made and effective. [The only oddity to its design is a repeat-depth stop (far left in the picture); I decided its use could actually damage the machine so I disabled it.] The 3 disposable double-edged knives locate automatically but seem to dull fairly easily. Lots of clever details; feels good and works well. Nice to look at, to !
well this is sort of cheating since it's not mine, but i did work on it so i thought i'd share. These are some furnishings for a church outside of new olreans I worked on while at this shop. To combat the intense humidity, some of the larger pieces were hollow inside with sliding mechanisms that let the wood expand and contract without disturbing the external appearance. Definitely learned a lot there:
do you think the shop would be receptive to people checking out their operation? as mentioned I'll be going down in march but there is another trip in early summer that may benefit from having a contact there.
The first three images are all laser cut. All of the acrylic in the hoverbar is laser cut plus a few other small components (the small frame box the batteries sit in and potentiometer frame. Everything else was hand cut using table saw, chop saw, hand router, band saw, etc. Virtually no CNC except for the aluminum piece the motor nests in. It being one of the nicer single pieces within and one in which I do not have one picture of. =(
whats the scale of the friction box? my (probably wrong) assumption was that the material seemed too thick for laser work. but now in hindsight I see what what I thought were sealed end grains might actually be laser burns.
The first three images are all made from 1/4" birch plywood. The friction box is maybe 6"x6"x6". And yes, that is charrred wood on the ends... I hated sanding and finishing most of the laser cut shit I made. It was waaay to tedious and time consuming for my intentions (and patience).
Pixel.. I would definitely drop them a line. Their shop is huge and in an old warehouse on the river in the Bywater neighborhood. Dean Kageler, the owner, is a really nice guy but usually really busy, so I would drop them a line sooner then later depending on if you want to work with them or just check the shop. I haven't worked there in 6 years so I don't even know if he'll remember me, but send me and email if you want my contact info to drop my name when you contact him.
Also, i would try and contact NOdesign, they also do a lot of nice work. looking forward to seeing how your trip goes, love the work you showed above.
Yeah. That is one thing I find disconcerting about a lot of these images I have... there's very little scale reference. I find it can make viewing the piece awkward. Hell, even the Hb in those pictures above has very little to reference its scale (6' long x 2'-10" wide x 3' high).
It goes with the territory. Average: 1 Band-aid per week ? Lots of little scrapes and dings. Splinters. Occasional back pain. Dust. All part of the fun.
Hallo -- I get nostalgic about hand routers, still has my both Scheer heavy duty stored , well this is not to complain about small routers but in my world there are only one, and that is Scheer.
But what I want to contribute is the knowleage about dovetail tables , -- with Scheer all carpenter shops got an oppotunity to copy route divetail corners , halve-hidden or whole mashin dovetail corners are simply so easy with heavy profesional mashines, and with the Scheer table I made dovetail corners in one and a halve inch boards, boards in plexiglas to can be dovetailed , wood and plastic can be, and knowing the set up procedure it is only a minut to change setup for a different thickness.
-------- Now I know there are cheap and lightweight dovetail extras, but I will not say anything good about that, hand routers is about knowing a few important facts about what you can and shuld newer even try, and solid tables, beside the heavyer a router , the less noise and smoother finish. And allmost forgot ; use router templates, in fact it is better to manufactir the template than start routing without one.
Every amateur woodworker in America bought a router dovetail jig, sometime in the 'seventies. Nowadays, cabinetmakers in business to make money buy dovetailed drawers from the nearest specialist supplier, who offers them in made-to-order sizes and materials -- even multi-piy -- at prices that can't be equaled by the cabinetmaker himself, router jig or no router jig.
Today's project: a neighbor needs a replacement door for an old out-of-square cabinet in our building. I don't have a shop, just a router and some tools. I decide on a lap-jointed 1x3 poplar frame -- but how to control depth in the routing operation ?
Routing ends in pairs,
and flipping them,
leaving a bit of hand work, did the trick.
The other problem was how to assure a fit to the opening. To start, I cut the stiles and rails to a snug fit and traced the saw-cuts with the pieces in place. Glue-up also uses the opening as a jig:
Tomorrow I'll trim the ends of the stiles and rails, after applying the face-mounted hinges. Easy ! A screen of 1/4" hardware cloth will be applied to the back of the frame by the owner (don't ask -- it's an art project).
First time I used it. It's a keeper ! Someone left it to me when moving out of the building. Once I figured out how to open it, the rest was easy. I made immediate use of the removable "plank." Wish it had the more recent bamboo top. . .
I earned my keep as a finish carpenter for quite a while, and so I have a very healthy manly tool fetish as well.
It's funny, though. For all the meticulous joinery I've done, I've gotten to the point that I'm far more enamored with building things in a far less fussy way. If I never cut another dovetail or cope some elaborate molding down to a hairline joint, I'm fine with that...
Lletdownl was sort of apologizing for the lack of "finish" on his shelves, but that's the kind of stuff that just really intrigues me. Stuff that takes a fraction of the time and cost to actually build, but maybe relies a lot more on interesting ideas.
I'm sorry -- the folding workbench ? It's a Black and Decker Workmate 550. Heavy and awkward when folded, but sturdy and stable when in use. The top is in three pieces, which slide (and tilt) via a pair of cranks to apply clamp pressure when needed. http://www.right-tool.com/blacdecwor55.html
I agree with SandRoad. Complex joinery is a pleasure and a fetish both. Perhaps it's easier to dismiss after one has accomplished it -- but I enjoy trying to design for simplicity of construction as well as appearance. The real modern woodworking miracle is probably our glues: A sufficiently large glue surface is all that is need to make a joint that is stronger than the wood around it. The door frame above has no mechanical joinery, only glue to make it permanent. That was the point (as much as anything else) of this piece:
SDR, that first image of the door frame: Why are you using the draw saw? Is it to keep the router from roughing up that top edge? Also, what were you chiseling in the 5th image?
has anyone found a semi cheap dust collection system for home shop use? my dad wants me to install something for his tools at home. it'd need to hook up to a table saw, and be able to hook up to a couple hand tools (routers, sanders, etc)
also has anyone made a homemade downdraft table or the like? (don't know if that's exactly what it's called..) but something you could sand on top of and it sucks the dust down.
Oh, I'm not dismissing it, SDR -- I just don't personally want to do it anymore! I still know and appreciate the other side, and your FoldCubes look like they are done extremely well. Nice work.
John C., I'll check that link out...thanks! I don't think I've heard of him...
Lars is right as to the first -- and there's another reason: the cut had to follow a pencil mark made when fitting the frame pieces into the out-of-square opening, and the easiest way to do that was to place a scrap piece of material next to the pencil line, as a guide (not shown) for the saw.
The chisel was used to remove the sliver of material left standing between the router cuts (one is visible in the photo). That material was the only thing keeping the router base absolutely parallel to the surface of the board, for a true joint.
That's right, SandRoad. In the shop, I would have used a dado set on the table saw to quickly make this joint. I'd still make the initial (slightly out-of-square) saw cut by hand, probably.
the love of creating with your own hands and the pleasure of sawdust
Competition a friend and I did, got to build the project if selected - First time image poster, so here goes...
pixel those benches are amazing, i really love the garden... really impressive
tbwells- beautiful shed. what wood did you use for the horizonal slats? I've seen lots of delicate stuff like that, that ends up weathering badly with lots of warping within a few years.
pixel- nice ipe!
TK - It was actually a temporary installation at a botanical garden, so it was meant to be taken down. Our modest budget only allowed for pine and we had to build on site so most are nominal dimensions for easy construction. We coated it with a natural deck sealant, and now that it resides in my friends backyard it has held up pretty nicely
the sealant is the key. I'm a fan of natural oxidation and weathering of wood, but small sticks like you used need protection... What was the budget?
Nice. . . Keep up the good work. Love jump's pavers, just to name one.
I made a mirror pair of these FoldCubes. Making stuff is fun.
(Sorry -- I didn't feel like resizing.)
I'm jealous of all of you, I want a shop!!!!!
*sobs heavily*
I ache to do something of this sort -- only better, of course (?) !
http://www.archidose.org/Jan08/28/dose.html
I need a planer/jointer...
get a planer thats bigger than 12"... delta makes a 13" i think.....
biscuit jointers are good to have..........
i wont touch a regular jointer though
a hand electric planer is also good to have..... i got a bosch one
I've been eyeballing the MiniMax combo unit that comes in both 12" and 16" flavors, but at this time I don't have room for it in my shop.
time to have a few links:
power tool essentials
tools gone wild
laser cutters
I spent the last year with a DeWalt 13" portable planer (the shop's primary planer) that was surprisingly well-made and effective. [The only oddity to its design is a repeat-depth stop (far left in the picture); I decided its use could actually damage the machine so I disabled it.] The 3 disposable double-edged knives locate automatically but seem to dull fairly easily. Lots of clever details; feels good and works well. Nice to look at, to !
http://www.amazon.com/DeWalt-DW735-13-Inch-Benchtop-Planer/dp/B0000CCXU8
A jointer is essential for straightening and flattening solid stock prior to planing -- get used to it ! (Not as scary as a shaper, right ?)
Combination machines usually contain compromises, but I haven't seen the MiniMax
well this is sort of cheating since it's not mine, but i did work on it so i thought i'd share. These are some furnishings for a church outside of new olreans I worked on while at this shop. To combat the intense humidity, some of the larger pieces were hollow inside with sliding mechanisms that let the wood expand and contract without disturbing the external appearance. Definitely learned a lot there:
Love the look of the solid wood!
^ love the use of the end grain.
do you think the shop would be receptive to people checking out their operation? as mentioned I'll be going down in march but there is another trip in early summer that may benefit from having a contact there.
Great stuff folks. M, love the pavers. PW that bench rocks.
plum bob case
drawer mock-up
friction box
url=http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=johnwcline]hoverbar[/url]
^ primarily CNC/laser cuts, no?
The first three images are all laser cut. All of the acrylic in the hoverbar is laser cut plus a few other small components (the small frame box the batteries sit in and potentiometer frame. Everything else was hand cut using table saw, chop saw, hand router, band saw, etc. Virtually no CNC except for the aluminum piece the motor nests in. It being one of the nicer single pieces within and one in which I do not have one picture of. =(
whats the scale of the friction box? my (probably wrong) assumption was that the material seemed too thick for laser work. but now in hindsight I see what what I thought were sealed end grains might actually be laser burns.
The first three images are all made from 1/4" birch plywood. The friction box is maybe 6"x6"x6". And yes, that is charrred wood on the ends... I hated sanding and finishing most of the laser cut shit I made. It was waaay to tedious and time consuming for my intentions (and patience).
Pixel.. I would definitely drop them a line. Their shop is huge and in an old warehouse on the river in the Bywater neighborhood. Dean Kageler, the owner, is a really nice guy but usually really busy, so I would drop them a line sooner then later depending on if you want to work with them or just check the shop. I haven't worked there in 6 years so I don't even know if he'll remember me, but send me and email if you want my contact info to drop my name when you contact him.
Also, i would try and contact NOdesign, they also do a lot of nice work. looking forward to seeing how your trip goes, love the work you showed above.
completely understood, for some reason I was scaling that up substantially in my mind.
Yeah. That is one thing I find disconcerting about a lot of these images I have... there's very little scale reference. I find it can make viewing the piece awkward. Hell, even the Hb in those pictures above has very little to reference its scale (6' long x 2'-10" wide x 3' high).
did anyone notice the flesh colored band-aid on pixel's finger (the one with him and the router)
It goes with the territory. Average: 1 Band-aid per week ? Lots of little scrapes and dings. Splinters. Occasional back pain. Dust. All part of the fun.
Hallo -- I get nostalgic about hand routers, still has my both Scheer heavy duty stored , well this is not to complain about small routers but in my world there are only one, and that is Scheer.
But what I want to contribute is the knowleage about dovetail tables , -- with Scheer all carpenter shops got an oppotunity to copy route divetail corners , halve-hidden or whole mashin dovetail corners are simply so easy with heavy profesional mashines, and with the Scheer table I made dovetail corners in one and a halve inch boards, boards in plexiglas to can be dovetailed , wood and plastic can be, and knowing the set up procedure it is only a minut to change setup for a different thickness.
-------- Now I know there are cheap and lightweight dovetail extras, but I will not say anything good about that, hand routers is about knowing a few important facts about what you can and shuld newer even try, and solid tables, beside the heavyer a router , the less noise and smoother finish. And allmost forgot ; use router templates, in fact it is better to manufactir the template than start routing without one.
Have a nice earmuff .
Every amateur woodworker in America bought a router dovetail jig, sometime in the 'seventies. Nowadays, cabinetmakers in business to make money buy dovetailed drawers from the nearest specialist supplier, who offers them in made-to-order sizes and materials -- even multi-piy -- at prices that can't be equaled by the cabinetmaker himself, router jig or no router jig.
drees!
Today's project: a neighbor needs a replacement door for an old out-of-square cabinet in our building. I don't have a shop, just a router and some tools. I decide on a lap-jointed 1x3 poplar frame -- but how to control depth in the routing operation ?
Routing ends in pairs,
and flipping them,
leaving a bit of hand work, did the trick.
The other problem was how to assure a fit to the opening. To start, I cut the stiles and rails to a snug fit and traced the saw-cuts with the pieces in place. Glue-up also uses the opening as a jig:
Tomorrow I'll trim the ends of the stiles and rails, after applying the face-mounted hinges. Easy ! A screen of 1/4" hardware cloth will be applied to the back of the frame by the owner (don't ask -- it's an art project).
dammson -- you mean this ?
http://www.huntercreekinc.com/dreescat.pdf
How do you like that work bench SDR?
First time I used it. It's a keeper ! Someone left it to me when moving out of the building. Once I figured out how to open it, the rest was easy. I made immediate use of the removable "plank." Wish it had the more recent bamboo top. . .
I earned my keep as a finish carpenter for quite a while, and so I have a very healthy manly tool fetish as well.
It's funny, though. For all the meticulous joinery I've done, I've gotten to the point that I'm far more enamored with building things in a far less fussy way. If I never cut another dovetail or cope some elaborate molding down to a hairline joint, I'm fine with that...
Lletdownl was sort of apologizing for the lack of "finish" on his shelves, but that's the kind of stuff that just really intrigues me. Stuff that takes a fraction of the time and cost to actually build, but maybe relies a lot more on interesting ideas.
Thanks! What brand is that one?
^ I was going to ask the same thing.
check your email Pw.
I'm sorry -- the folding workbench ? It's a Black and Decker Workmate 550. Heavy and awkward when folded, but sturdy and stable when in use. The top is in three pieces, which slide (and tilt) via a pair of cranks to apply clamp pressure when needed.
http://www.right-tool.com/blacdecwor55.html
I agree with SandRoad. Complex joinery is a pleasure and a fetish both. Perhaps it's easier to dismiss after one has accomplished it -- but I enjoy trying to design for simplicity of construction as well as appearance. The real modern woodworking miracle is probably our glues: A sufficiently large glue surface is all that is need to make a joint that is stronger than the wood around it. The door frame above has no mechanical joinery, only glue to make it permanent. That was the point (as much as anything else) of this piece:
Sand, if you are not familiar with Allan Wexler's work, you should check him out.
SDR, that first image of the door frame: Why are you using the draw saw? Is it to keep the router from roughing up that top edge? Also, what were you chiseling in the 5th image?
my two guesses.
didn't want to chip out the poplar so he cut out the edge of the joint.
and the router leaves a slightly rough surface even if you pass over the tenon a number of times...so you use the chisel to clean it up a bit.
general question:
has anyone found a semi cheap dust collection system for home shop use? my dad wants me to install something for his tools at home. it'd need to hook up to a table saw, and be able to hook up to a couple hand tools (routers, sanders, etc)
also has anyone made a homemade downdraft table or the like? (don't know if that's exactly what it's called..) but something you could sand on top of and it sucks the dust down.
Oh, I'm not dismissing it, SDR -- I just don't personally want to do it anymore! I still know and appreciate the other side, and your FoldCubes look like they are done extremely well. Nice work.
John C., I'll check that link out...thanks! I don't think I've heard of him...
Lars is right as to the first -- and there's another reason: the cut had to follow a pencil mark made when fitting the frame pieces into the out-of-square opening, and the easiest way to do that was to place a scrap piece of material next to the pencil line, as a guide (not shown) for the saw.
The chisel was used to remove the sliver of material left standing between the router cuts (one is visible in the photo). That material was the only thing keeping the router base absolutely parallel to the surface of the board, for a true joint.
The other way to router the full surface is to build a jig that is sometimes as much project as the project.
[insert after first paragraph] That was easier than trying to get the router cut right to the pencil line, in this case.
That's right, SandRoad. In the shop, I would have used a dado set on the table saw to quickly make this joint. I'd still make the initial (slightly out-of-square) saw cut by hand, probably.
I love the feel of the "Japanese" saws as you pull them through the wood.... Aaaahhhh.... always makes me want to use those for everything...
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