diy wood

I've talked before about how much I enjoy using milk paint; it's just fantastic. Very easy to use, non-toxic, lasts about forever in its powdered state, versatile (translucent wash/stain or completely opaque)and incredibly durable. What's more, it has the look of old fashioned paint because, well, it is old fashioned paint. What's not to love?

You can use the milk paint by itself for a dull (and sometimes slightly chalky) look that is quite nice, but I really like it with a coat of oil, or oil and wax over the paint. This evens out the color a bit, and produces a wonderful satin sheen. There is only one down side - it also changes the color; sometimes a little, sometimes a lot. Not a big deal, unless you are going for a specific look, then it's nice to know what will happen ahead of time.

In the past my solution to this problem has been to mix up some paint, paint a few sample boards, then oil it when it's dry. Not ideal. First, it wastes some paint. Second, the milk paint and oil continue to "age" for quite a while - so the samples are not perfect.

My new solution was so obvious it's silly. I ordered two sets of "color sticks" from my milk paint provider of choice: The Real Milk Paint Co. Okay, really I ordered four sets, two each of their "traditional" and "historical" sets - but I just combine them. One set I left plain, and one set I oiled. And "BAM!", instant samples of both oiled and non-oiled milk paint! I know, it's so simple...can't believe it took me years to figure this one out...Sheesh!*


Here they are matched up by color. The oiled set is on the bottom. You can see how some colors shift ever so slightly while others change dramatically. To keep them handy, I string them together on some twine and they hang in a corner of my shop:



Note: I've added a "milk paint" label to this post as well as some relevant previous posts. You can click on it in the "Post Categories" list if you want to read and see more about my experiences with milk paint.

*I almost didn't post this, because now that I thought of it, it seems SO obvious. But then I thought, "What the heck, maybe this will actually help someone..."

Well, it's been a busy couple of weeks since my last post. I had thought by now I would be posting some progress pictures of the bench project, but no such luck. First, we decided the time was right to completely replace the back deck. Second, Teague decided that CDs make great toys. Given the chance, he would sit and open them by the dozen - rolling them across the floor, walking on them, throwing them over his shoulder etc. He loved it; the CDs and I hated it. So...

Making boxes for the CDs to live in rose to the top of the shop list. My plan was to keep it simple. Long narrow boxes with a single handle on the front that would slide in and out on the lower shelves of the Shaker Cupboard. Construction wise, these were just glued and nailed butt joints. Process wise, it was an exercise in repetition. Repeatedly cutting duplicate parts is not something I tend to enjoy, but it did provide some interesting opportunities to learn, and relearn some skills.

Here's a shot of all the parts (actually, the stack of backs are not in the picture...) waiting for assembly. On the right is the first box I made to serve as the prototype. Here it is demonstrating that it would also be handy for holding DVDs. Hmm. Maybe another ten boxes are in my future...


You can also see that I just couldn't leave things simple. I decided it was worth the time to put a simple molding on the top edge of the box fronts. I chose a cove profile. Partly this was because I liked the visual effect, but to be honest, it was also because I had just acquired this plane, recently rehabbed it, and wanted to put it right to work on a project.

Planing the cove in the fronts also provided me with the perfect opportunity to relearn the power of hollow and round planes. The wood I had selected for the fronts had some wild grain and on one section, the cove molding plane produced some fantastic tear-out. Molding planes can't be reversed to cut with the grain for one section; they are strictly one-way planes. H&Rs on the other hand can work either direction. So, after looking at the tear-out for a few seconds, I heard the #6 round plane calling from the shelf: "Put me in coach!" I did, and he really cleaned up nicely!

You may also notice two saws in the last photo. Both are small cross-cut panel saws, but they have an important difference. The one on the bottom is my normal "go to" saw. It is 12 tpi with minimal set, and produces a very clean end grain surface. However, this wood had some serious reaction as it was cut due to stresses within the board. With the saw only an inch or two into the cut, the kerf was closing up on the saw blade like a vise. If this effect is minimal, you can sometimes just run the saw back through the kerf to widen it and provide enough relief. These boards called for more drastic measures. Again - to the bullpen! Enter the 9 tpi panel with more aggressive set. It does not leave as smooth a surface, but the extra set leaves a significantly wider kerf which does not close up and bind the saw. Just another example of how having multiple tools allows for a flexible approach. (If you didn't notice it, that was a thinly veiled rationalization for buying more tools...)

Here are the boxes assembled, awaiting clean-up and the mounting of the hardware:


Cleaning up the joints with a plane allowed me to enjoy another tool that has been patiently waiting to be put back into use. In the past, when it was time to plane end grain, I would reach for my Stanley #65 low angle block plane. This time however, I used my Stanley #62 bevel-up jack plane. (It's visible back in the first photo - and I guess technically it really is just a giant block plane...) I had picked this up at an antique show down in Oregon, at a truly gloatable price, but hadn't used it yet. Wow! This thing knew how to cut end grain! I think that #65 might just find itself sitting on the shelf more often.

For a cleaner look on the fronts, I deep punched the nails, drilled out the holes to 1/8th of an inch, and then pegged these with dowels. A few swipes with a smoothing plane wrapped things up.

And they're finished:


I'll try to post a picture of these in their new, 1 1/2 year-old proof, home as soon as I get a decent shot. Hmm, I probably just jinxed myself. Now Teague will figure out how to get the cupboard open, and I'll be back where I started. I gotta learn not to say stuff like that!

In my previous post I included a photo of my Millers Falls drill press in action. Since several readers made comments about this tool, I thought I would do a post with additional information and images.

The Millers Falls #23 drill press has a built-in clamp for attaching to a bench. Since my bench top is too thick for this clamp, I hold a short section of 2x4 in a vise and clamp the press to that. Note that for the purposes of taking pictures, I did not clamp the tool in the same orientation that I would for actually using it.


Your right hand powers the drill, while your left uses a compound lever to do the pressing. It works great, except that doesn't leave a hand to hold the work piece. It looks like it originally came with a dedicated clamp (see catalog image below), but mine is missing in action. I might try to build some kind of small, adjustable fence to use with this drill press - it's a little awkward, and slow, to clamp small pieces to the platform.


Here's a page from Millers Falls 1939 catalog that lists this drill press. I found this over at Rose Antique Tools, a great site with loads of old tool catalogs in pdf format - check it out. They sell old tools (and new) as well.


Surprisingly, this is one of the few old tools that I didn't have to travel to the lower 48, or to eBay, to purchase. I actually found this in a local shop - which is almost unheard of for me. The information they had was that it came down from Barrow where an Alaskan Native artist used it to make cribbage boards.

It was in great shape, and a total score. It only needed one small repair, to be shop ready. The clamp that attaches the whole mechanism to the vertical support, and thereby also controls the height adjustment of the drill press, was worn out. It could no longer clamp securely to the bar, so I replaced it with a clamp fashioned by filing the inside of an eye bolt to a square shape. After that it was just a matter of cleaning it up and oiling it.


This is by no means a required tool for a hand tool only shop. I've had it for at least two years, and only recently used it on a project. With practice, you can drill perpendicularly to a surface just using a hand drill (Millers Falls also made some excellent hand drills - I love my #2). When I have needed to drill consistent, angled holes (as for my spokeshave and brace racks) I made a simple jig by boring one hole at the desired angle and then using that to guide the bit on all subsequent holes. In fact, if you look closely at this picture from the previous post, you can see that I used that piece of 2x4 for just that purpose in the past (total coincidence).

Just a quick post on a quick little project...

My parents picked up this funky old medicine cabinet somewhere in New England, probably in Vermont. When I was growing up, it hung in the bathroom doing standard duty. Years later it made it's way into my home. Thing is, we didn't need a medicine cabinet, so it got pressed into duty as an entryway catch-all. It worked great, but was rather an unorganized mess. I decided to impose some order by adding a key rack.

Here's the cabinet sitting on the workbench:


And open:


The first step was determining the inside dimension at the point I would be attaching the rack. This is where the zigzag rule with sliding extension comes in handy.


The oak for this rack was salvage from a repair job on one of my brother's dog sleds. After cutting the piece to length, I did the layout for the pegs. Here I am using a combination square as a gauge for consistent distance from the edge. If my hand looks like it is in a slightly unnatural position, it is - it kept blocking the shot. And hey, what kind of pencil is that?


I finally got to use my Millers Falls drill press on a project (Okay, this would be a good time to admit that more than a little of the motivation for this particular project was tied to using that tool). As I wanted the holes drilled at an angle, I attached a shim on the edge of drill platform to angle the wood.


Here's the result:


And with pegs in place:



To install the rack I nailed it through the sides with square-cut brads. I did not attach it to the cabinet back in any way, as that would be cross grain joining, and the thin, single board back is already split in several places.

Here it the end result:


Back in its place, open to show the now much more organized interior:


And closed, to hide the essential, but non-pleasing, detritus of everyday life behind a rather pleasant exterior:


I really enjoy looking at this cabinet on the wall. It's a little hard to explain, but I'll try. That my parents bought it and I grew up with it is one major reason - it's a heirloom of a sort. Its funky character in both design and construction is another. But the fact that it seems happy in it's place, above the Shaker style peg board I made to go with it, is probably the main reason. That's one part of our house that just feels "right" to me.

Now if only the rest of the house could be like that...

Here's the tool shot that would have normally been at the end of the moulding shelves project post:


My idea was to divide the group into smaller, task based, sets. It's a good idea, but somewhat problematic, as reality is not quite that organized. For example, should the bevel gauge be included with "layout" tools or "dovetail" tools? I chose both. Of course, the sharp eyed reader will point out that the same bevel gauge is NOT included in the full tool group photograph. Hmm. I guess it's not that FULL after all...

I'm not really trying to do anything more than the grouping, but I will include a few notes here and there. Anyway, here's my attempt at an organized tool breakdown.

Layout Tool Set:


Framing square w/ Veritas square fence*, shop-made marking gauge, 6' zigzag rule, shop-made panel gauge, pencil**, marking knife, dividers w/ pencil**, bevel gauge, 6" square.

* I like this fence, but wish it was thin on both sides, so I could use it on 3/4 stock in left and right orientation.
** Dixon Ticonderoga 1388-2/HB Soft, of course!

Dimensioning Tool Set:


Stanley #65 low angle block plane, framing square w/ Veritas square fence, cross-cut panel saw*, rip saw, shop-made marking gauge, marking knife, 6' zigzag rule, 6" square.

* Being on the shorter side, I prefer shorter saws - especially for cross cutting. This one is 20" with 12tpi.


Dado Tool Set:


Maul*, framing square w/ Veritas square fence, 6' zigzag rule, 3/4" dado plane**, Gramercy holdfasts***, batten, hammer, marking knife, story stick****.

* Like a lot of my shop-made tools, this was a quick and dirty prototype that just kept working...
** An Ohio Tool Co. 3/4" dado plane that came to me with a sketchy replacement iron, which I reshaped and hardened, and now it works great (Thanks again Dave!).
*** I am just loving these! My old system worked fine, but these are slick and a joy to use. If you are considering buying a pair, do it!
**** This should have appeared in the layout set as well. I don't know why I don't always make one of these. It was very useful, and saved me from cutting a dado on the wrong side of a line more than once.


Shaping Tool Set:


6' zigzag rule, half-round file (fine), half-round file (coarse), shop-made turning saw, Veritas spokeshave (round), Veritas spokeshave (flat), dividers w/ pencil*.

* Dixon Ticonderoga 1388-2/HB Soft. Don't ask...


Rabbet Tool Set:


Maul, sneaky framing square*, flat bladed screw driver**, Record #778 rabbet plane***, Gramercy holdfasts, 6' zigzag rule.

* NOT used for this task - don't know how it made it into that shot without me noticing.
** The set screws on the 778 are slotted - using the screwdriver is slower, but much more secure. No wandering fence or depth gauge here!
*** Or rebate plane for any Brits who might be reading this. Go Cavendish!


Surfacing Tool Set:


Stanley #7 jointer plane, Stanley #5 jack plane, Stanley #3 smooth plane, Stanley #65 low angle block plane.


Dovetail Tool Set:


Coping saw, pencil*, Lie-Nielsen dovetail saw (rip), shop-made marking gauge**, bevel gauge, Marples chisel, marking knife.

* Do I have to say it again?
** Sharpened to a knife point.


Boring and Fastening Tool Set:


Millers Falls 6" brace*, phillips hex driver bit, hex driver adapter**, no-name egg beater drill***, twist bits, hammer, bit gauge, 6' zigzag rule.

* Smaller braces are great for driving screws - much faster rotation, but still plenty of power.
** Not really needed - the brace chuck can hold the hex driver on its own, but it's so stubby it is hard to see what's going on - the adapter improves visibility greatly.
*** With the c. 1976 price from Jim Klauder & Sons Country Hardware in my Dad's handwriting - not the best drill in my kit, but my favorite.


Well, I don't think I will be doing this for every project. It's too much work for one thing, and it would probably bore most readers to tears. It was kind of interesting as an exercise in classification - at least for me - but maybe I'm just strange that way...

As I've mentioned in the past, I'm fairly addicted to moulding planes. My collection (all users, of course) has been growing steadily and it was time to make some additional shelves. At first, I was just going to make a third unit using the same design as the first two, but with a different top profile. But after looking at the space available, and visualizing the three shelving units as a whole, I decided to make this unit larger to serve as a sort of center piece, flanked by the two existing units.

Here's the plan I came up with on paper:


The smaller bottom shelf is for holding short sections of moulding profiles, as well as my plane hammer.

Here's the stock waiting for layout. The sides and bottom are full width, but the shelves are narrower to allow the back to be set into rabbets, hence the panel gauge.


The four shelves are housed in dadoes. There are a lot of ways to cut dadoes, but after trying most, I've settled on using the tool dedicated to that purpose - the wooden dado plane. For this project, I used a plane that my fried Dave sent me. It was fast and easy; thanks Dave!


Next came the shaping of the tops and the rabbets. Each side is topped with an ogee, or cyma recta, which has the upper section concave and the lower section convex. Layout was simple with a pair of dividers. I cut the curve with a turning saw and cleaned it up with spokeshaves. As this is strictly shop furniture, I didn't bother with stopped rabbets - so if you are extremely tall or very short, you'll be able to see the gaps. I can live with that.


Here's a shot of the shelves in place. All three are hanging on French cleats, which I use for hanging almost everything in the shop. If you are not familiar with these, they are two cleats, one screwed to the wall and one to the shelves (or whatever), with complimentary 45� bevels. This system uses the weight of the shelves to lock them to the wall. It's simple, strong, and very flexible. These interlocking cleats are visible in the photo below if you look very closely at the top, rear of the right-most unit.


And with the moulding planes home to roost:


This one's just a fun detail shot:


Traditionally, I end a project post with a shot of all the tools used on that project. This time I am going to do things a little differently; I'm writing a separate post with shots of the tools in task groups. I'll try to have that up in the next day or so...

Okay, I finished the "sketch" of the new bench design. "Sketch", because I didn't actually draw it - it's more of a photo shop type deal. I started with a photograph of a bench that I liked, but it wasn't quite right. I decided to try an experiment with the computer; it was fun, and frustrating too.

First, I cut the bench out of the original picture - fairly sloppy, as I was none too sure this would even work:


Then I did the following to get the first version of the sketch:

1. Made "repairs" to the bench - missing back slat etc...
2. Transformed to B&W - just thought it would look better this way...
3. Cut a chunk out of the middle of the bench to shorten the overall length.
4. Merged the remaining pieces back into one bench - you can still see the "scar" if you look closely, it's particularly easy to spot in the bottom slats...
5. Reconfigured the back and side slats. Basically, every two slats where joined into one wider slat - so 14 back slats became the 7 in the final design.
6. Ran a "pencil sketch" filter to make the image more sketch like; this also helped to blend the changes/additions into a more uniform whole.


Of course the bench will need a cushion, so for the second version I did the following:

1. Created a virtual cushion for the bench.
2. Shaded the cushion for more of a 3D effect.
3. Applied a texture filter to give the cushion a more realistic surface.
4. Applied the same "pencil sketch" filter to the cushion so it would look like it belonged in same sketch as the rest of the bench - well, sort of...


Now I need to work up some measurements from the images, make adjustments as required, and get to work!