I’ve had times when I need to hold thin pieces for planing or temporarily attach a piece so I can see it. Here a cool trick for doing that and it doesn’t involve double sided tape. See the video for more ideas and a more thorough explanation.
I decided to upgrade the tool rack in my Dutch tool chest. I’m an avid reader of Chris Schwarz Lost Art Press blog and a while back he posted this blog entry – The One in Which I am Slapped by Someone. In this blog post, he details how this design allows a more flexible tool storage. I created a double layered version to hold both tools and saws.
The chisels I have stored in the chest aren’t my regular chisels, but a few specialty chisels that I have. When I travel, I’ll replace these with my daily use chisels. This arrangement also freed up some space to allow more roomy storage.
Below are Ernest Sarjeant’s 8″ dovetail saw and 3/8″ wide bronze shoulder plane. Both are probably my favorites out of the collection, although that might change once I start using the carving tools in earnest (did you see that .. what I just did .. play on words .. tee hee 😀 ).
Any way, I included some of the details that make both these working tools special to me. Mark @ Bad Axe Tool Works set me up with a new plate and Konrad at Sauer & Steiner provided the new blade for the small shoulder plane. I couldn’t be happier with both products. The saw plate is beautiful and perfectly fit. And the shoulder plane blade is a masterfully made with razor sharpness.
Enjoy the photos.
So a friend of mine wanted to build a toy chest for his daughter and asked for my help. So I suggested the six board chest since its a pretty quick project and he agreed. Turned out it was the right level of effort and its coming together fairly quickly.
The amazing part about this chest is that its cross grain construction and we’ve yet to use any glue. Its made of quarter sawn vertical grain Douglas Fir, but vertical grain was an aesthetic choice not a construction need. The chest depends on nails to hold it and keep it together.
Here’s a couple of progress shots.
Wanna know how to build one? This DVD will give you all the details:
1) Best turned project: Adam Wroten’s light sabers.
The force is strong with young Adam, as he turned the handles on his light sabers. Using PEX tubing and some inexpensive flashlights, he is ready to rule the galaxy…
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| Adam’s light sabers |
2) The greenest project: Krishen Kota’s lobster sign.
Take some scrap wood, put it together with a great image, and you have a beautiful hand-made sign that would be fit for anyone in your family. A great reuse of materials!
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| Lobstah, anyone? |
3) The best project to fit inside a USPS flat rate shipping box: Brian Igielski’s candle centerpiece.
This project’s simplicity made it a favorite, with the sloping sides and alternating species of wood adding a touch of elegance to any holiday table.
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| Brian’s Candle Centerpiece. |
4) Best for a child: Chet Kloss’ child block carts.
What child wouldn’t love one of these colorful block carts? Chet made these babies to be fun, exciting and something that kids could enjoy for hours!
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| Chet’s fleet of block carts |
5) Best for an adult: Marilyn Guthrie’s flag box.
Not only is this a great box for a commemorative flag, it’s also a beautifully built version of it. We loved the use of the splines to hold the edges together.
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| Marilyn’s flag box |
6) The coolest tip: This one came from Gary Shuler. He made a number of cribbage boards as gifts, and gave us a few golden bits of advice, including making an extra board or two in case something should go wrong during the build, and finishing the boards before drilling the holes, making finishing a little easier.
And, for the best overall gift, it was a tough choice. We had to go deep into the monkey cage on this one to find out, but this year, the best overall prize goes to Brian Eve for his Coffee and Cream Roorkee Chair. I mean, who wouldn’t be pleased to receive a fine piece of furniture like this?
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| The chair in all of its glory |
Congratulations to all of our winners, and we hope you enjoy your gift packages courtesy of the Gorilla Glue Company!
By the way, we will have more opportunities for prizes, including the upcoming Get Woodworking Week. Mark your calendars for the week of February 8 – 14.
sheworkswood.com 