All Planes on deck

Well almost any way.  Today I was fitting the doug fir tongue and groove paneling into the back of the case.

I needed a tight fit, so I slightly undersized the grooves.  Used my shooting board to size the length perfectly.  Evenfalls – Picture Frame Shooter shown.

Then trimmed the tongue and groove for a perfect fit using the skewed rabbet plane and 3/4″ shoulder plane.

Since I was dealing with individual pieces and not a single panel, I asked Marc (Wood Whisperer) for ideas about how to handle glue up.   His suggestion was to do a dry assembly, attach a backer board and glue in the middle to allow wood movement.

I think it turned out fabulously .. and its starting to look like a real case!

Workin’ on the Dado

Yesterday, I cut the lines, chiseled them out and then sawed out the sides.
 The hardest part of this whole endeavor was getting the saw started.

After some chiseling, the dados for the shelf, case divider and back panel were done.  The Mahogany didn’t give me any trouble to day.

So here are the steps:
1. Mark out the lines based on the center line of the shelf/divider and using the piece to size.
2. Chisel out a valley for the saw to fit.
3. Drill out the end so the saw will have an opening.
4. Saw the side walls.  I ended up using a block as a guide to get the saw started.
5. Chisel out the waste.
6. Finish up with a router.

I get better at sharpening .. and my dovetails get better

I’m getting better at sharpening and consequently getting better at my dovetails.  Less pull out and smoother surfaces for the joints to connect on.

 
I also got a new tool (jeweler’s saw) to help me speed things along (I’m soooooo slow).  Lack of shop time, a full time job and still pretty much doing most things for the first time makes for lots of time needed to complete a project.  But hey, whose in hurry, anyway?

Oh, and what’s with the pink tape?  Wellll .. I thought you’d never ask.  I’m off to a wood working class soon and bringing my own tools.  The pink tape serves two purposes:

1. I can see across the room where my tools are if someones using them.  It’ll help me keep track of them.
2. I’ve heard that most men won’t touch pink tools.  It’ll be fun to see if its true.  : D
 

Related links:
Chris Schwarz saw review

Encountering the reverse grain that I keep hearing about

Wall Cabinet – Dovetails laid out and partially cut

Time to start the next project – Guild Build # 2 – The Flippin’ Potty Cabinet