Friday, September 30, 2016

Blow job

We had a bit of a breeze this week.  The biggest tree in the yard got hit with a micro burst, or down draft, or some other such weather phenomenon.  I guess Mother Nature thought we needed a bit more fire wood stocked away.  Took a while to get it all cleaned up, and there is some still yet to do.  This is not what I had planned on releasing for a video this week, but sometimes life throws you a curve ball and you just have to go with it.



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Sunday, September 25, 2016

Building a Track Saw guide

Well, I have been working on the coffee table for Sally.  There have been a few photos put up if you recall.  I am finally getting down to getting into the series of videos for that build too.

First of all, I needed something to cut a straight line through the slabs.  A track saw is the perfect vehicle for this job.

I found a scrap of plywood and some cut offs of some ash, and, using the table saw to put a dado into the plywood, I fitted them together.  Because of the dado being made like this, the guide bar has no choice but to be as accurate as the table saw and its fence.

I captured most of it on video, and spent the afternoon editing it today.  Not really part of the coffee table build, but I needed this in order to start on the job.

The next one is not part of the build either.  I had to do some maintenance on the thickness planer before I started milling the wood for the coffee table.  The videos are always a few weeks behind what I am doing....well, usually.  Sometimes I get an idea and put it into action ahead of other things too, so they are not always in order.

I am still struggling along with the coffee table right now.  Trying to get dove tail joints fitting right.  I have not cut many of them, so it is not one of the things I can just bang out like some folks can.  But I am being (or trying to be) patient and taking my time.  There still is a ton of work to do on it and I am still experimenting with the finish I plan on doing.  I could have made more progress on that, but I have been busy in the yard helping Sally do some gardening/landscaping with moving some shrubs and making flower beds.  Of course, there are other things happening around here too.  With the oncoming autumn, the chimney needed cleaning and all sorts of other things need doing too.  Not much of that makes it to video, but I don't think there would be a lot of interest in the mundane day to day things that go on around here.

So, any way, here is my latest video on making a track saw guide for the circular saw.  I hope you enjoy it and maybe it will give you enough to go on to make your own.


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Sunday, September 18, 2016

Record #4 Rehab

I picked up a little gem at a yard sale.  I bought it so I could give it to my son as a birthday gift.  He has been coming over and we have spent a bit of time in the shop putting together a few projects.  I think he may have been bitten by the woodworking bug and it is one thing I would like to encourage.  This Record #4 needed a bit of TLC to bring it back into good shape.  Made in the mid '50's, it is about 60 years old and was in pretty good shape to start with.  At least everything but the iron was, and that is the most important part.  So, with a couple of days worth of work put into it, I got it to satisfactory condition.  I got it wrapped up and given it to him and he really likes it, and now I can release the video.

I must say, that this was a marathon of editing and my internet connection is slow, so it took a long time to upload too.  Still, it turned out to be one of my longest videos.  I suppose I could have cut it into 2 parts but I think I would have lost some continuity doing that.  So, grab yourself a cup of coffee, sit back, relax, and I hope you enjoy watching something I enjoyed doing.

I should point out that the Dremel tool used on the brass has a cotton cone shaped buff in it.  It is not a stone, and I am not grinding on it.  Just some polishing compound and a bit of time.


As always, please hit that thumbs up button.  Like, share, and subscribe.  My You Tube channel is pretty small and I need a bit of encouragement to keep doing this.  I don't make any money at it.  Not that that is the point of it all, but a bit of growth would be welcomed.  I am not much in the know as far as social media is concerned, so I have to rely on what I can to get the word out, and that means depending on others to spread it.  Leave a comment, I will answer back and

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Monday, September 12, 2016

Cooler weather finally

The heat and humidity has finally gone with August.  Temperatures have finally gotten to the point that moving around is more comfortable.  This means summer is passing and we have started to take the pool down, but it also means a bit more time in the shop.

I have a few videos on the go.  One is a birthday gift, so it is on hold for editing and releasing, but I should have another come out near the weekend.  Last January, for Sally's birthday, I promised her a coffee table.  Last May I went and got some nice thick ash slabs for it.  I have started the build on that and I am keeping the camera rolling.  This will probably turn out to be another multi part build, so stay tuned for that.  The slabs have sat in the shop all summer waiting for this.  They are a full 2" thick, so it will be a heavy unit.



It is taking a lot of milling and working to get what I want, but the top is pretty much together.  The slabs were all consecutively cut, so I got a bookmatch on the top.  I joined them up with the sapwood in the middle, so I get a nice colour variation through it.


Yes, it may look the size of a cutting board, but it is 24" wide.  At almost 2" thick, you can see where the weight is coming from.  I am calling it the Winfield Fade, after noted hot rod builder Gend Winfield, who was famous for much the same look on many of the cars he built.  Just Google him and check out some of his cars.

I liked the look so much, I carried it into the leg slabs for continuity.  Here, they are still in rough dimensions, laying beside the top.




So, trying to keep some pleasing proportions, the top is 24" wide and will be 24" off the floor.  One of Sally's specifications is that it be a little tall as we use the coffee table for our laptops.  The legs are 12" wide, and the feet that they will be mortised into will have a width of 18" (which are roughed out, mortised, and glued up today, alas, no photo).  There will be no bottom stretcher, as Sally wants the dog to be able to walk under it (like that will ever happen).


She has some foibles, that is for sure, but she has our heart too.  She won't even walk across the part of the rug that covers a heat register.  

So things are going on around here and I have been busy enough.  I don't take time to blog much except when I release a video, but I thought it was about time to give you all an update with some photos the way I used to do.  I hope you enjoy following along, there will be more videos in the future, so hang in there and see some of the neat things that are going on around here.  In the meantime, as always.....

Thanks for dropping by!

Friday, September 02, 2016

Wayne's World Strat....the video

A nice guitar, built well and came at a reasonable price.  This one has been modded and refinished.  It is the owners #1 guitar.  I really liked this one, but I am partial to Strats to begin with.  The owner also owns the Telecaster that I did a previous video on.

Party on Garth.....Schwingg!