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Guitar Making

Feb 1st, 2010
by glennth.
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For the past few months, I’ve been fixated with videos on Guitar Making or luthier work.

The first set of videos came from The Wood Whisperer (though actually a viewer’s contribution).  It’s a 3 part series done by a viewer that is trying for the first time to build a guitar.

I think after searching the internet for videos on the subject of Guitar Making (and there are a lot), that my favorite set is from Steve Dickie.  You can find Steve’s Youtube Channel here.  The reason that his videos are my favorite is that his are more thorough and detailed giving a prospective guitar maker a good idea of what is ahead in the process.  That’s not to say that there are not good bits in other’s videos but Steve has so much more than any of the other videos that I’ve watched.  There is one downside and that is that we are missing the end.  It seems like there should be a part 9 which includes the Bridge and Strings and finally playing the guitar.  Even with this shortcoming, I highly encourage you to go through his extensive set of videos if this is a topic of interest.

It’s amazing how much confidence that these 2 video series inspire in a prospective guitar builder.

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Dovetail practice

Jan 31st, 2010
by glennth.
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Just a quick post.  In addition to the mortise and tenons, I have continued on with my dovetail practice.  I hope I’m reaching a significant milestone because I cut one of my best dovetails yet.  It was tight (except for one small corner) in all places.  A joint like that would be one that I could be very proud of in a real project.

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Mortise and Tenon Practice

Jan 31st, 2010
by glennth.
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I’ve been practicing Mortise and Tenon joints for the past couple of days.

I’ve found some things out about hand cut Mortise and Tenon joints.

  • Shallow mortise/tenons are easier to keep square
  • Conversely, deep mortise/tenons are much harder to keep square
  • Deep mortise/tenons can be tuned a bit to make square after they are cut
  • Keeping the mortise inside the marking lines is simpler than I thought (probably due to sharp chisels)
  • Using drill bits to plow out material sounds like a great idea but is much harder than I thought.  In order to accomplish this, you need to have a center line in addition to the other marking lines for the mortise.  Getting that center line exactly centered is quite a challenge.  That of course doesn’t say anything about how challenging it is to get the drill bit to start in the middle too.
  • Shoulders are super important to get a really crisp/tight fit.  It can be tuned a bit too.
  • Square in all directions is harder than it sounds


My first few were pretty bad.  As you can see from above though, I finally did pretty well.  My next one wasn’t so good though but I was able to tune it up and get a pretty satisfactory fit.  I’m going to keep practicing though and hopefully get a really consistent fit.  My next project (see earlier post) will have quite a lot of these joints so I need to get it tight.

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Mortise and Tenon

Jan 27th, 2010
by glennth.
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I decided that I should mix some Mortise and Tenon practice amidst my dovetail practice.  The real reason, is that I have done machine cut mortise and tenon but not very well.  Since this was a different technique given that I’m cutting them by hand, I was hopeful that I could do much better.

I used my new sharpened mortise chisels along with my new hand brace.  I’ve read that some people do the mortise entirely by chisels and I’ve also read that some folks use brace and auger bits to get the bulk of material out.  My first attempt at using the brace was a fail.  I had a center line to center the bit on but my first attempt was off.  It’s not really possible to put it back on center once a hole is started.  My second attempt with the brace was better but still off.  I used an awl to mark the center line and was only barely outside of the center.  I suspect this second time was not keeping the brace level and plumb.

So after these two fails, I used just the chisel.  WOW, that was the way to go.  I was able to keep with in the lines and it didn’t take much effort to cut the mortise out.  Of course, I’m getting really good at sharpening so I can attest that the chisel was very sharp.  I followed the technique to ease up on the shoulder marks.  Using this, the walls of the mortise were nice and square.  I was very pleased.  I did learn that a goose neck chisel would be very useful.  I had a tough time cleaning out the bottom.  I know the bottom doesn’t have to be as nice as the walls but I still wanted the mortise to it’s finished depth.

On to the tenon.  I used the mortise to mark the tenon.  I did my rip and crosscut cuts.  I found though that I didn’t make one of my rip cuts deep enough and it caused me to go way to deep on a crosscut cut.  Even with this, I tried the mortise and found it was fat (whew!) so I was able to pear it down to fit nice and snug.  Though with the too deep of cut, the tenon broke off on the final fitting.

I will try and do this again and see if I can take some pictures for the next posting.

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Standing Laptop Desk

Jan 23rd, 2010
by glennth.
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As I said in my previous post, I think that my next project is a Standing Laptop Desk.  I decided to search Google Sketchup to see if there were any ideas that were close to what I had in mind.  I found one that is very close.

The basic dimensions for this project would be 40″ long legs with the legs being 2 1/2″ by 2 1/2″ thick.  The table top will be 18″ deep and 30″ wide.  Due to this table top size, I believe that I could have one drawer in the center.  Instead of the bottom shelf, I’d rather have cross members connecting the legs and an additional one in the center from side to side.  I think this would look nice out of the maple that would tie into the other furniture in the room.

As to the music stand, I think the same design without the drawer and having a desktop dimension of 18″ deep by 24″ wide.  Obviously, a tilting top needs to be on the music stand.

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Next Projects

Jan 22nd, 2010
by glennth.
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I am thinking, as I work more and more at my workbench (see Updated Shop Tour for pictures), that I will have to build one myself.  I am figuring out that certain vices function differently and that I may need to apply different ones to my preferred bench.  This picture is close to what I see as most functional to me.

I think that the few things I would change would be the tail vice which I’d like to be a twin crank vice.  I’m also wrestling with the notion of having storage or not under the bench.  My current bench has storage but the center support is not an option.  That all being said, I’m not willing to work on a piece of shop furniture at this point so I’ll put that one off for a while.

I think that my next project will be a standing height small laptop desk for my music station.  I may make 2 and have one (or both) have desktops that can be slanted so that I can use one for a music stand.  In this type of project, I expect to use mortise and tenons.  I also want it to be made of solid wood.  I have some nice tables in the room my music station is that I think is made with maple so that may be my wood choice.  I may also see if I can come up with a design for a music book and sound equipment stand.  My biggest goal with all these pieces is to make them look like furniture rather than quickly put together shop pieces.  Tapered legs, mortise/tenon joints and other details would contribute a lot to this.

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More dovetail practice – oak

Jan 17th, 2010
by glennth.
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As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, I have taken a path to practice hand cut dovetails.  In the first round, I worked with poplar.

Now, I’m down the path of using oak.  My first attempt (back before Thanksgiving) was a disaster.  I had forgotten how easy it is to split oak and I did split the oak when I tried to force together joints that were too tight (by quite a bit).

Today, I took the lessons of my previous attempt and to it slow and didn’t use force on either cutting the dovetails or fitting the dovetails.  Getting the joints tight enough to not have gaps seems harder with oak but after a little patience, I succeeded in a decent first attempt.

I’m using a Lee Valley/Veritas dovetail saw.  I think my biggest issue is cutting a square/straight cut.  I am having to adjust them by parring them down and that does not give me the best fit.  I will keep working with the oak and hopefully, this practice will be able to be applied to other hard woods as well.

Any readers who have had more experience and success that have any advice, I would love to hear from you.

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Kids Project – Toolbox

Jan 17th, 2010
by glennth.
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Xander (my oldest, 5th grade) is doing a research project on woodworking.  He decided that part of his research needed to be practical and so we have covered tool usage, technique, and safety.  In addition, he wanted to build a project.  Mitchell, of course didn’t want to be left out.

We decided on a simple traditional toolbox or caddie.  The kids saw pieces and sanded them.  They did some hand plane work and finished the boxes themselves.  I think they are pretty pleased with the results though I think they now expect to take some of my tools for their toolboxes.

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Updated Shop Tour – Detailed

Jan 16th, 2010
by glennth.
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Since well before Christmas, I’ve been working on a background project.  Making my work areas more efficient.  In the couple of little projects that I’ve done since this Summer, I’ve realized that a few things needed to be moved to a better location.  Here is the results:

Main Workbench:

Rather than building a bench from scratch, I bought one.  Many of the inexpensive benches are very light so I’ve anchored it to the floor for stability during planing and such.  With the bench, I’ve made various bench hooks and such which have proven very useful.

Next a Dedicated Sharpening Bench:

This bench was my quick and dirty attempt at bench building.  Rather than get rid of it, I’ve turned it into my dedicated sharpening station with my Tormek, water stones, and granite stations.  I love having this set up all the time.  I’ve already been more inclined to sharpen blades when they start cutting funky.

Tool Cabinet:

I designed and built this tool cabinet with scraps from my shop.  It has turned out very well to house my chisels, measuring tools, and hand planes.  On the outside, I’ve got magnets holding my measuring tools.

On the inside are my chisels, hand planes, files, marking gauges, and mallets.

Hand Saws:

Next to the tool cabinet, I have my various hand saws.  This is a collection that is still being developed.  Based on reviews and trials, I’ve selected some of the basic saws I need.  I’m really focusing on Western saws though I have a few pull/japanese saws.

Next to the main saws, I have more saws along with my brace and hand drill.  This is also the port to the dust collection shed (see later in this post).

Sanding Station

I have a Rigid sanding station sitting on top of my Craftsman toolbox which holds hammers, screw drivers, wrenches, plyers, and such.

Router Table and Planer:

I have a cabinet (originally a flip top but I found that it didn’t work nearly as well as my fantasy) which houses my power planer and my router table (again I chose to go for a kit from Benchdog instead of designing and making one of my own).

Drill Press:

I have a Delta bench top drill press on a shop made cabinet.

Bandsaw:

Here is my Delta 14″ bandsaw.  I need to get a new blade and tune it up.

Festool:

Here is a shop made bench with a Festool work surface on top.  In the cabinet is my routers and bits and other non-Festool hand power tools.

Here are my Festool tools including a vacuum, circular saw, sander, jig saw, Domino.  I love my Festools (including the rail guides which I have in various sides).

The rest of the shop:

Notice that my dust collection is outside the shop.  Dust collection includes a floor sweep and 2 flex hoses on either side of the shop that can connect to the router table, bandsaw, planer, sander.

Basically, I’ve optimized my 12′x16′ shop space for hand tools and some limited power tool usage.

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Another new tool – Brace and hand drill

Jan 11th, 2010
by glennth.
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Yesterday, I made a post about getting a new tool (which arrived today).  I forgot that I had also ordered a Hand Drill (eggbeater drill) and Hand Brace.  As I move to using hand tools, this is a new set of tools that I’m excited to use and experiment with.  I have hand drills and a drill press that I expect to still use but I’ve seen Saint Roy, use braces and hand drills and been impressed at how quickly they do their job.

I expect that keeping the tool square and plumb to the work surface will be  a challenge until I develop some skills with the tool.  If there is any advice from anyone on usage, I’d love to hear about it in the comments.

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Expecting New Tool – Low Angle Jack

Jan 10th, 2010
by glennth.
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Having your hobby live on a tight budget, you have to save and buy up.  This can take month and requires a great deal of patience.  Well, my patience is paying off.  I had saved up so that I could buy a few tools.  One that I’m very excited about is a Lee Valley/Veritas Low Angle Jack Plane.

I already have a Leigh-Nielsen Jack Plane.  I’ve got this one set up as a rough tool.   I wanted another plane about the size of a Jack for doing slightly finer work, much like a Jointer Plane but not as long.  Some boards are just too small for using the Jointer but smaller planes like Block Planes are too small for the board.

Another way would be to get a different blade but I also wanted the benefits of the low angle plane so I figured it would compliment my other hand planes.

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Not Woodworking – Electrical Soldering

Jan 6th, 2010
by glennth.
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About 2 years ago, I went out and got a “real” soldering iron under the supposition that the crappy Radio Shack (or “Shack” as it is now known) was the cause of much of my bad soldering both electrical and plumbing.

Well, this was the first time that I had a need for electrical soldering (circuit board component).  You see, my car alarm remote (for Kathy’s car) wasn’t working and I thought it might be the battery.  Much to my surprise when I opened it up, the entire battery holster assembly just popped right out.  After a few false starts, I actually soldered it back on and it works.

I wonder how this might help plumbing soldering!

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Back to practicing dovetails

Nov 14th, 2009
by glennth.
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I’ve mentioned in the past that I am practicing hand cut dovetails (see Practice Update).  Our family had a run with the flew so it’s taken a few weeks to get back into a normal groove.  I haven’t been to the shop in almost 3 weeks – not good.  I’ve cut up some blanks.  This time I’m doing OAK instead of POPLAR.

Dovetail practice - oak 1

I’ve tried one attempt and it was a disaster.  I’m apparently using too much force/muscle (which I tend to do since I have some).  OAK is very hard but it seems a bit brittle compared to the poplar too.  I managed to split the blank I was working with.  This is due to force and maybe I need to sharpen my chisels (though I’m sure they are pretty sharp).  I’m going to do some sharpening and try a more gentle approach and see if I can get this done.  Wish me luck.

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New Router Table – Bench Dog

Nov 14th, 2009
by glennth.
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After selling my table saw (see For Sale – which is sold), I needed to have a router table.  Yes, I know that I am going to a more hand tool model but I think that routers are too useful for too many tasks to eliminate completely from a shop.  For instance, I can’t envision owning a lot of moulding planes that are often expensive because they are driven up in price by collectors.  Also, while I am getting better at my hand cut dovetails, I could not really envision cutting box joints by hand (I see the artistry in dovetails but box joints, while nice looking, are much more utilitarian to me).

So I wanted a small, bench top router table.  One reason for the bench top, is that I don’t have space for a dedicated routing station (you’ve seen pictures of my shop in Shop Tour).  In addition, having used a standard bench height router table, I have often wished it could be higher for better control and a bench top router table is definitely higher.  I also wanted an enclosed router table for better dust control as routers are, by their design, very dusty creatures.  There are a few options out there but I think that the Bench Dog contractor table was the best option for me.

Router Table 1

It required full assembly.  My only complaint is that the instructions (yes, I read the instructions) had really awful pictures and diagrams.  These pictures were apparently photocopies of photocopies to a painful degree and very hard to use as references.  It went together well and I only had to reverse directions (take apart and reassemble) ones on the top (it has these metal brackets and as I said, the pictures were not very legible).

It has a flexible insert for many router models and a great base for a nice clamping method.  The fence and miter slot look very useful for jigs and the like.  I am looking forward to using this table.

Router Table 1

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School Project – Science

Oct 14th, 2009
by glennth.
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This year one of my volunteer areas is helping Xander’s 5th grade class in science.  Sometimes this is preparation work and sometimes it is in class room help.  I’ve been doing it for about a week and have been enjoying it a lot.  The kids seem to be having fun.

This week Xander’s teacher asked me to prep and experiment for testing how leverage works.  I am posting this here because it loosely involves woodworking – ok it’s only Popsicle sticks but still…

Below is the prototype of what I needed to make.  It’s a Popsicle stick with 2 cross members (1 cm in length) and gradient marks 1 cm apart from the lowest cross member.  This will allow them to adjust the fulcrum point on the Popsicle stick.

Sample or Prototype

Here are some shots at different stages.  I used a 2 part glue.  It’s messy and I really don’t like to use it (you have to wear gloves and it smells) but it’s instant so I could get it done all in 1 day.  I had to glue up about 100 of these.

Parts First glue ups Finished for the 3 classes

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