It didn't start out as a rant...

My digital life is in shambles. A big fragmented mess. Within the past year I have (orbiting me) a netbook, 2 laptops, desktop, tablet (not iThingy) and two phones. And all these things run a plethora of operating systems and I have no less than 5 clouds, none of which want to talk to each other!

My blog is hosted on blogger.com (should be obvious if you're reading this), but I can't find a decent app for webOS (again, obvious) nor Linux. I can boot most of my Linux devices into Windows, but I hate waiting thru the long boot times. I'd prefer to stay in Linux, since I do all my work in/on Linux.

I hope to figure this all out soon. I know I can post content more often. Ideally, I could start writing an article on my phone, save it to the server, pick it up and edit further on a tablet, laptop, whatever.


But Why No New Blog Entries?!?

My resolution for this year was to start a blog. Well that was easy. But the resolution should have been to develop a blog with regular content, participate in the blogging community and so forth. I have read and learned a whole lot from other bloggers. I have noticed that:

• bloggers love blogging about blogging
• women dominate the blogosphere and totally rule Pinterest
• there is an interesting connection between twitter and blogging
• it is a friendly, cooperative community (or I guess set of communities)

An unexpected thing happened on my way to blogdom: I first kicked out a few posts and one project -- namely the simplest step-wise and to describe. After that, I set off on a what turned out to be, megapost titled The Ongoing History of My Workshops or something grandiose like that. As I kept expanding the scope and adding or arranging stuff, other ideas for articles kept popping up. Demanding attention! And then the term conjured itself up, I couldn't help it. I apologize and warn that the weak should probably stop reading.

Anyway, I was blogjammed. I envisioned old time loggers dropping too many trees into the river so as to get a massive logjam. So sorry about that. It won't happen again.

This article that started with a rant now ends on a positive note: I am planning a series of articles about my experiences using prefinished plywood for furniture. I am curious to compare notes with any other woodworkers that may have experimented using prefinished ply outside the kitchen cabinets. Anyone?

It's late and I'm afraid if I read over what I just wrote that it would get toss in the trash. So...I'll just hit the Publish button :-)

Workbench TLC

Well this is a project that I've been able to put off for a long time.  My bench vice (and in fact whole work bench top) is in rough shape and in need of a little TLC.

The dog hole is cracked (too much pressure!)

I finally managed to crack the dog hole open by using too much force, which is what happens when you use it as a clamp rather than just a work-hold.  Happens.  When I found a chunk of wood that was the perfect size and I had already jointed 2 edges, I knew it was time to do it.  This should take no more than an hour (so 2 hours).

First step is to double check that the board is still flat and square since its sat around for a couple of years.  I'm in luck, all good.

Double check for flat and square

Just a few bolts to remove and it comes apart easily.  Well almost, but nothing a hammer didn't solve pronto (more on the "hammer" later, grrr).

Making it S4S the easy way on the planer...

Plane remaining edge

Plane face, now its S4S

Another time saver, the old facing makes a perfect template for positioning the holes.

I couldn't find a drill bit extender, so that goes on my home center list.  But for now, I drilled the dog holes as deep as the forstner bit could reach.

All Done


OK, all done and within two hours, that included a half hour of shop clean up.  What?  No "after" picture?
Um yeah, I had a real "Duh!" moment.  When putting the bench vice back together, I couldn't get the last bolt threaded.  Under inspection I noticed that I had foobar'd the threads by banging on it with a hammer during dis-assembly.  Don't do that!

So this story is TBD.  I tried to use a file, but gave up quickly.  I need to get this re-threaded at the local home center.  I wonder if Home Depot will do this?  They thread galvanized pipes after all, so I'll check.

The moral of the story:  Protect your threads, man!

UPDATE #1

I decided the best way is to grind off the (less than) 1/16" smashed end that is preventing the bolt from threading.  Unfortunately, I thought of this outside the workshop, so I'll fire up disc sander this weekend.  If it proves rough going, I'll switch to the grinder, using the side of the grinding wheel.
 
FINAL UPDATE

OK a few weeks ago, I finally coaxed the nut onto the damaged threads.  I confess that I ordered (from Amazon) a tap & die set for the 5/8" threads.  Although it complements my smaller tap/die, greatly enhancing my thread-making capabilities...umm... neither of the two 5/8" that came with the set did not match these threads.  So I resorted to grinding off a bit of damaged end -- I was careful not to go too far to leave enough to thread.  The nut still got hung on every tiny defect.  I used rifflers, files, grinder, curse words, all in rapid succession for about half hour.

So now, finally, here is the after photo:

Hurray, all done.  Although now every time I am reading Twitter I see several woodworkers completing these absolutely gorgeous work benches, complete with all the 16th century and 21st century knowedge of what a woodworker's workbench should be.  Well OK, I'm up for it.  Once I complete my current backlog of 4 other projects and assuming nothing urgent strikes, I am going to build one of those fancy, don't-dare-drop-a-chisel-on-it workbenches.  In the meantime, this will do.

Business Card Holder

For my first project article I chose the simplest of projects, a business card holder, that consists of just two 6-inch scraps.  I need a simple project to write about in the beginning until I can get my writer's mojo on.  Yeah, may take a while... But I still think this item may be of interest; if nothing else it answers the age old question at the end of every woodworking project:  "What to do with the wood cutoff scraps?"

I really hate to just throw cutoffs away, especially when they come from expensive/exotic wood sorts.  I currently have no fireplace or wood burning kiln, so I can't take the easy way out.

This business card holder is a simple idea born out of necessity.  While preparing for an arts & crafts fare, I needed a way to present my business cards on the table next to the wares on display.  I didn't see any holders I really liked on-line shopping, so I grabbed a few nice looking cutoffs from the scrap bin and came up with this.

My scraps are bigger than your scraps
The dimensions for the card holder pictured was largely based on the size of scraps on hand.  I even, lazily, kept the 11 degrees on one edge and just matched it on the other 3 cuts.  The point is that these dimensions are just one example.  For such a project, just resize based on what you can scronge from the scrap bin.

The woods I used were ash and padauk, mainly for the contrast of dark and light color.  I found the look better when the foot is darker than the body, but any wood sorts will do.  In fact, you could easily omit the foot for a lower profile card holder.

• 1 ash    6" x 1 3/4"x1 3/4"

• 1 padauk 6" x 3/4"x3/4"

Route a 3/4" wide, 3/8" deep groove centered, length-wise along the bottom of the ash.  The padauk foot needs to fit snugly in this groove.  On the opposite edge (the top), route a 1/4" stopped groove to 3/4" depth.  Stop the groove at least 3/4" from each edge.

The top needs to be rounded and I found this easiest to do with a hand plane.  To guide your cuts, mark an arc on each edge with a compass.

Foot should fit snugly in bottom groove

Cut both ends of each piece to 11 degrees, so that a traposoid is formed.

Now clean up the handplaned top and also round over all the other edges.  A belt/disc combo sanding station will save you much sanding agony, but just a sanding block and elbow grease will get there too.  In any case, finish by handsanding.  Make sure to blend all the edges until all facets disappear.

Glue the two pieces together and when dry, put on a finish.  I used 3 coats of my favorite tung oil varnish.

Done.  Now my business cards have a nice home

Introduction

Hi, welcome to my blog about various projects, tips and tricks and other goings-on around the workshop.

I have covered a lot of ground in the last few days since my first post titled Preamble.  First and most important, the name and purpose (theme) of this blog is decided.  I was going to create the blog space and figure out the topic, but it seems you have to already name it to create the blog.  During the past few years I have collected various photos and details about my favorite projects, as it was always my intention to document and share these.  Mainly, these projects fall into one of the following categories:

• custom furniture design and construction
• tools and workshop
• scrap projects
• DIY and home improvement

So with the major decisions out of the way, the ideas for my first entries are rapidly forming and my head is filled less with questions and more with purpose.  I have no clue what writing style that will develop but I guess that takes time and practice.  My own writings tend to be over-edited and (too?) concise, however I'm thinking this is exactly the wrong style for a blog forum.

I welcome comments and suggestions, especially from folks that are experienced bloggers.  But please be gentle with this n00b ;)  Also, leave me a note to say hi, pointers to other similar sites and even suggestions for future articles.

Here's looking forward to a fun and interactive adventure!
Around the Workshop
Andy Warner

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Here is a sneak preview of my next article so as a teaser, can you tell me what this is in the photo below?

Preamble

I was tempted to name this post "random thoughts and confusion leading up to starting my first blog" but I think preamble is better.

So 2 years ago I installed wordpress on my (now defunct) website tenfingercabinetry.com and created a blog about construction techniques.  And there it sat, neglected and empty.  My head was full of ideas, but I had too many questions about what to write, in what style and even why to write.  As every other woodworker, I can discuss the craft for endless hours to anyone showing the slightest interest. But I'm not sure that my conversational rambling style would work as a series of blog entries.  I also imagined my audience would be folks that want to read an experts opinion, whereas I prefer to explore topics and learn together with the readers.  In fact my belief is that the ultimate blog would be largely written by the audience of readers/commenters/fellow bloggers and my role is more of a facilitator.  OK, uh-huh, so...where do we start?

I took a good, hard look at all the blogs that I enjoy reading to see what makes them tick, perhaps gaining some motivation for writing along the way.  It seems most of them are very rich in photography.  Its the pictures that tell the story; ideally just seeing the picture is enough to tell the story (mostly).  So, I want to improve my writing I need to become a photographer.

Now, two years later I'm in the software biz and woodworking is back to my favorite hobby.  Yet I still cannot shake the nagging feeling to "start a blog."  So much so that my new years resolution for 2012 is just that (see my twitter account).  No, I haven't answered any of my questions above, but added a big question:  What is the topic I should write about??

Well, given my vague notion of starting a blog, its time to set off on this journey of discovery.  I have a lot to learn!


-Andy Warner
January 4, 2012