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8 September 2014 at 3:22 pm #68392
I’ve been using the HF clamps pretty much exclusively when gluing. I just buy what I need for a project and go with it. I have not had any heads break off on me in over a year of use. I’d say go buy a couple and try them out. At HF prices, it’s hard to worry too much about them.
I also have some Irwin clamps, but I don’t tend to use those for actual glue-ups. More for work holding or clamping feather boards to my bandsaw table. They’re the grip handle and not screw-handle types, so I don’t get as much pressure from them.
10 December 2013 at 4:14 pm #23520Nicely done, Ken. When I get some other projects done, I’ll be looking to these shelves and your others from the previous thread for inspiration to make my own.
3 December 2013 at 1:59 pm #22943Here is a picture with two coats of shellac on it. It’s actually my first attempt at finishing anything ever, and I am bad at taking photos. It’ll probably need some sanding and another coat before I’m happy, I think.
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You must be logged in to view attached files.1 December 2013 at 8:44 pm #22766Thanks Eddy, I’ll add a gallery picture once I get it all finished. I am mixing up some shellac now (for the first time ever) so we’ll see how it turns out. I have 4 colors to test out before I know what color I want to use to finish this piece, and it’s taking a fair bit to dissolve all the flakes.
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You must be logged in to view attached files.21 November 2013 at 1:40 pm #21911Well done Jay. I’m sure you’ll be making all kinds of neat stuff on there for years to come.
12 November 2013 at 3:40 pm #21330I’ve found that the key to getting a good straight bevel is consistency. It took me a long time before I could freehand sharpen to an angle. You just need to start very slowly and practice keeping your hand steady and moving straight.
You’ll eventually get a good feel for it, and be able to go faster as you practice. It feels and sounds rougher if you’re taking too much off somewhere or angling your hand the wrong way. If you’ve already got a bevel a bit out of whack, it may be a good idea to use (or build!) a guide to set the angle and get it sharp the first time, and then work on maintaining that angle while getting a good feel for the right motion and pressure to use free-hand.
The key here is to practice a lot, and before long you won’t remember why you were having trouble in the first place. Just like with planing and sawing, you need to get your muscles to learn what your brain already knows. Keep at it and it’ll be second nature in no time.
9 November 2013 at 6:53 pm #21113For me, I must finish my saw bench, then move on to a big breadboard (18″x24″) for making pie crusts on, followed by some night stands and a coffee table inspired by Greene and Greene style furniture.
Also, down the road somewhere, I plan to make a chessboard table with drawers for storing pieces. Now I just need to stop working so much so I can build it all.
9 November 2013 at 6:48 pm #21108Here’s mine. Right next to the couch in the living room of my apartment, hand tools only, shelves are a somewhat recent addition. Got a small shop vac for cleanup, and working on a saw bench to go under the main bench currently.
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You must be logged in to view attached files.9 November 2013 at 2:20 pm #21093I went for some middle ground, and used poplar. When working with nice hardwoods, it doesn’t mar it, but when working with pine I typically need to be careful not to crank on it too much. I think Paul has said he uses 3/4″ plywood for his.
In the end, just about anything will work if you pay attention and realize that the softer of the two will probably give a bit and plan accordingly.
28 October 2013 at 3:43 pm #20467Eddy, Please update once you’ve used them for a while. While I’d love an Auriou rasp, I lack the funding to get them at the moment. If the Narex work well for you, I could probably afford to pick up one of those instead for the time being.
28 October 2013 at 2:35 am #20442An update for anyone who was following along. I cut a great many slots in the dado, then chiseled it out. All in all it probably took me around 45 minutes, which isn’t much longer than it takes me on one of the non-knotty dadoes.
The final surface finish was better than my first attempt, but some of the knots broke out a bit. My third and fourth dado turned out better than both of the previous, and I used the same method of cutting many slots in the board before chiseling it out. This made it much faster, and easier to remove most of the waste before using my router plane for the final surface. The last two only took around 30 minutes each from start to finish.
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You must be logged in to view attached files.23 October 2013 at 11:36 pm #20305Sounds good. Thanks for the advice everyone. The sawing many slots trick is something I didn’t consider, and I expect it will make my life quite a bit easier.
23 October 2013 at 3:46 pm #20280Hey Stephen, I’m in a fairly similar situation as you are, and I’d advise you to give it your best shot, and keep going. The first twisted picture looked just like mine did after my glue-up, and I’ve now got a mostly flat workbench that I can use. It may not end up being perfect, but you’ll surely learn a lot and end up with somewhere to work on other projects.
I know if I started over, I’d be able to make a much better bench, but I’m still happy that I kept working on the first attempt, and fixing my problems, as I’m now much better at planing large areas, hand-cutting mortises/tennons with a chisel and saw, and making dadoes. All these skills will help me make better furniture going forward, and the experience of building the bench was invaluable to me.
My bench isn’t even totally finished yet, but it’s far enough along that I can use it. So do your best, make it as well as you can, and realize that it’s not about making a perfect bench the first time, but learning the skills for your future as a woodworker.
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You must be logged in to view attached files.12 October 2013 at 3:55 pm #19878[quote quote=19870]I kind of wanted to point him in the right direction of getting some “quality” tools within his budget constraints. At his budget of $500, I wanted to suggest at least 1 tool that he should “splurge” a bit more on type thing.[/quote]
Based on this, the only tools I bought new from the list above were the combination square, chisels and EZE-Lap 8″x3″ stones. I’ve also since bought a rip-filed 14tpi Veritas Dovetail saw with molded spline, and I’ve been very satisfied with it. But for the most part, I’d keep an eye out at yard sales, ebay and flea markets, as you’re likely to find better tools there than you can buy new on the budget you listed. A couple Lee Valley or Lie Nielsen planes would wipe out the whole budget in one go, and the old Stanley planes on ebay will work just as well if properly restored and cared for.
For the record, the aluminum hollow clamps from Harbor Freight have worked great for me. I also use some of the Irwin clamps for work holding, but if I had to chose between the two, I’d go with the HF aluminum ones, as they are more reliable for glue-ups.
If I had to do it all over again, I’d probably buy the same tools I did last time, but spend a bit extra on a good saw up front, but keep the rest used as described.
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