So thankfully I put together some test joints with my nails before I put them in my final pieces. It was splits-ville three times before I got the right size pilot hole.
I got a chance to make my rabbets for the front and back of the chest. This project is still a surprise for the spouse so every time I work on the chest, I have to clean every thing (to hide the shaving) and cover things up. So my shop is cleaner than normal in the midst of a project.
Yipppee! .. I started working on the joinery! (No more milling) Here’s a few shots of the progress.
You can right click on a photo and open in a new tab to get an enlarged picture.
I’ve been meaning to put up a post in response to this post. BUT .. more importantly, I’ve been wanting to replace my Tormek with a regular, faster bench grinder. So, I finally did it and bought a PORTER-CABLE 8″ Variable Speed Bench Grinder.
My method of sharpening is pretty much what I’ve picked up from Chris, so no real surprises. So for what it’s worth, here’s a quick gallery of photos with one little grinder trick that I picked up in a class I took from Chris.
BTW if you have a subscription to Fine Woodworking Online, here’s link to a good article on grinders:
When milling wide boards, I often put a line in the middle of the board so I have something to target. This helps me weight my plane properly so that I actually flatten the board.
To quote Robert Wearing in his book “The Essential Woodworker” – “At the start of the stroke there is strong pressure by the left hand on the knob, while the right hand on the handle pushes straight forward. In the middle of the stroke the down pressure is equal by both hands. At the end of the stroke the positions are reversed … “.
The way it was explained to me in my first hand planing class is that you’re digging out a bowl. So my red line is the middle of the bowl and I work to make it disappear.
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