Saturday 30 November 2013

Round the Bend

Currently on my bench is a bench.  A sitting bench.  This project started last Tuesday with a trip to KJP Select Hardwoods to purchases the cherry for the bench uprights and drawer components.  At the end of two weeks I have both of the uprights constructed.


The uprights are faceted.  Each of the eight staves (per upright) has a 4 degree bevel cut on the edge.  When all put together the have a slight barrel shape.  To get the best glue joints possible I hand planed all the beveled edges to remove the machine marks.  Then I planed the inside faces which will not be possible after glue up.

I then began prefinishing the staves (easier to do now), and this will also help in the removal of any glue squeeze out.


The finish is three coats of garnet shellac, followed by three coats of super blonde shellac and then two coats of wax buffed out with a cotton cloth.




Next week I wont be at the bench much as Adrian Ferrazzutti will be in at Rosewood Studio teaching box making.  With a full class means I give up my bench to a student, I will still be around helping out with the class and may be able to get a little work done.

Cheers 
Hans Christopher

Monday 18 November 2013

A Much Wanted Item

Yesterday was the bi-annual Tools of the Trade Show in my home town of Pickering Ontario.  If your in the Greater Toronto Area, and even if your not the show is the place to go to find antique tools and other cool things.  Yesterday I scored an Emmert pattern makers vice.

The vice as I bought it

The vice is in remarkable condition, it worked perfectly so all I needed to do was clean it up a little.  So today I did just that, I fully disassembled the vice (carefully) and cleaned off and out all the schmutz (a technical term).  Then I reassembled (carefully) the vice.

The built in metal dogs spring loaded and fully functional



Few things blur the line between beauty and functionality.  This vice really does just that.  It is an amazing piece of engineering that I have wanted for a while.  I cannot wait to get this mounted on a bench.


The thread and cam mechanism cleaned and reassembled

I also made a set of maple jaw liners for the vice, there a little nicer on wood then the cast iron.  I also plan to make some wooden dogs to use instead of the metals ones (again the wood is a little gentler then iron).

I finished restoring a walnut blanket chest recently as well.  A pain in the butt job, but it paid off in the end.