Birthday Gifts

Trying to the flatten the spaces between the knots in a Celtic cross is difficult with a chisel. Typically, you wind up with a 4-sided raised pyramid as you work the chisel into the wall of each knot, as shown in the first photo.

I tried using the chisel like a scraper with fair results. But a gift certificate to Woodcraft for my birthday from my partner's mom presented a much better option.

I purchased 3 bent chisels which gave me the leverage and angle I needed to remove the pyramid and flatten the background areas between each knot. You can see how well it worked in the two square-shaped recesses in the third photo.

The smallest bent chisel is less than 1/16" wide and works great on the skinny perimeter of the design.

Another one of my favorite gifts was a book that I had found in the Woodworking Library of Dan's Woodshop. I noted a number of other books that will be added to future wish lists.

American Country Furniture showcases projects built by The Workshops of David T. Smith. The projects range from very simple (spoon rack) to more challenging (corner cabinet). A short description of the origin of the piece precedes the plans and cut list for each project.

The photos are black and white and the step-by-step instructions are well-illustrated. I've already dog-eared about half of the pages in the book, which mark construction techniques or projects I'd like to build, like the ratchet candle stand.

It's a fun little book which would appeal to anyone who loves simple, country furniture.

Long's Park Art & Craft Festival

The Long's Park Art & Craft Festival is a juried exhibition of the products made by talented craftspeople who work in a variety of media. I sought out the woodworkers, of course, and asked them about their pieces.

First I encountered Joe Graham (Photos 1, 2, & 3. Photo #2 is from Joe's website), Windsor chairmaker and instructor/owner of Lenox Workshops in Ohio. Joe works with handtools and at the show used a workbench made from 3 slabs of thick, single-dovetailed wood, a stretcher, and tusk tenons. The bench didn't rack at all while he used a drawknife to shape spindles, so it was an effective, knock-down workbench—perfect for travel.

Joe, who studied with Mike Dunbar and Ernie Conover, offers week-long classes, including private room, all meals and materials. By the end of the week, you will turn a log into a Windsor chair, using only handtools. The classes focus on several styles of traditional Windsors, but Joe also offers his own adaptations in his product line.

Next, I met Sam Martin (photos 4, 5, & 6), who makes intricately-detailed scale reproductions of a multitude of vehicles and who co-wrote Making Toys: Heirloom Toys to Make in Wood. As if the amount of work required to construct his pieces wasn't impressive enough, he pointed out that all his vehicles have moving parts. Doors & tool boxes open, gates fold down, fire truck ladders extend, and spreaders on road graders move sideways and foreward and backward, just like on a real one.

The logging truck was my favorite and he explained that the miniature logs were cut from saplings on his property. I asked how he made the tire treads (shown on the road grader and on the vehicle above the cattle truck). He cuts the circle first and then uses a table saw jig which is equipped with a protractor that indicates where to cut the treads. His products make great gifts for collectors as well as grandkids. But if they were my grandkids, I doubt I'd let them play with these beauties unsupervised!

Brad Smith (photos 7, 8, & 9), owner of Bradford Woodworking, studied at R.I.T. and belongs to the Pennsylvania Guild of Craftsmen.

Brad builds unique and custom pieces, some of which incorporate his signature design element—ax handle legs—which are turned on an antique ax handle lathe. The lathe leaves a ridged pattern on the wood which ax makers would sand smooth. Brad instead allows the ridges to remain, which gives his pieces a handcarved, organic look.

His tractor seat stools, which include ax handle legs, also feature a reproduction tractor seat, produced by an Amish foundry in Lancaster County, PA, that comes complete with the Bradford Woodworking logo.

Be sure to check out Brad's website and also his blog.

The last woodworker I met was Todd Gill of TMG Designs (Photo #10). Todd is a recent graduate of East Carolina University and worked collaboratively with Brian Bortz to design the sofa tables in his booth. Brian designed the shape of the tables and Todd constructed them and designed the decorative inlay, made from metal and colored resin, for the table tops. All other pieces in Todd's collection are designed and built solely by him. He mainly works with veneer over mdf, which enables him to control wood movement and allows him to use highly figured species.

The designs have a contemporary feel, and Todd told me his products sell better in certain larger cities that appreciate modern furniture. The market, he said, changes with each year and it's difficult to predict when pieces will sell or not. Todd works part time in his business, participates in 10 shows a year across the country, and works as a sub contractor for other furniture makers.

He was also the youngest participant at the show, in his early twenties, and it was refreshing to see this kind of talent in a young woodworker.

Be sure to visit the woodworkers' websites for more information about them and their works of art.

I Lean to the Left

Some of you may be surprised or even a little disappointed to hear that, but it's true.

No matter how hard I try to keep even pressure on my plane, the edge I'm jointing becomes sloped to the left. Knowing this about myself, I take a conservative approach to jointing by frequently checking my progress with a square.

You might think the way to remedy the problem is to lean to the right. But that would only result in a peaked ridge down the middle of the board with slopes to the left and to the right.

Instead, seat your plane firmly on the right side of the edge of the board (photo 3), being sure to keep the plane perfectly flat. Don't get too radical—only take a pass or two. As you continue to plane, gradually migrate towards center until you produce a shaving that equals the entire width of the edge.





I'll continue to practice and someday I'll be able to take moderately level shavings right from the start.

That's because keeping centered is my primary focus.

EAIA Meet Up

An Early American Industries Association meet up is scheduled for October 4 in Dillsburg, PA.

The following information is printed with permission from Tom Graham, who asks that you contact him or Dana Shoaf if you plan to attend, so they can get a ballpark number of attendees (email addresses for both are below).

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Thought any of you, particularly those in PA, MD, VA, WV or even DE or NJ might be interested in this upcoming event. Besides its annual meeting, members of the Early American Industries Association (EAIA) have started to organize more local events. On Saturday, October 4, there will be one at Historic Dill Tavern, 227 N. Baltimore St., Dillsburg, PA 17019. The tavern is located on 2 acres of land, has a fascinating history and architectural features, and spacious meeting room and modern necessary facilities. It is conveniently located at the intersection of Route 15 and 74 between Harrisburg and Gettysburg just east of Route 15.

The meeting will last from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. and include:
a.. Morning Tailgating
b.. A talk by EAIA member and traditional builder Sam McKinney on the restoration of Dill Tavern. Sam has been painstakingly restoring the tavern since 2005.
c.. Day-long hearthcooking demonstrations.
d.. Display on the equipment and weaponry of the Continental Soldier of the Revolutionary War, including flintlock firing demonstrations.
e.. Historic masonry demonstrations, building a bake oven chimney.
f.. A chance to catch up with friends and talk about tools!

Other presentations are being developed, and several tool dealers have been asked to attend and set up. Cost is $12.00-pay at the door. Proceeds go to the Northern York County Historical and Preservation Society and EAIA and are tax deductible. If you would like to sell tools at the morning tailgate, please email EAIA board member Dana Shoaf at 2willowoaks@comcast.net and let him know. If you would like to put on a demonstration or give a talk, contact Dana as well. To learn more about Dill Tavern, visit its web site at www.dillstavern.org. Check EAIA's website frequently for more updates on the meeting and registration information. You don't have to be an EAIA member to attend. Anybody who is interested in traditional crafts, hand tools, woodworking, early industries and re-enacting is encouraged to join us.

Hope to see you in October!

Tom Graham
(540) 338-7738
tmajgraham@erols.com

Woodworking Classes

The topic was "Sam Maloof style rockers" at last night's woodworking club meeting. Two people presented: one who had visited Sam's shop twice and had built one of his rocker's a decade ago, and another who had just returned from taking a class at Marc Adam's School of Woodworking.

Much time was spent discussing the joinery that is required for building these rockers. The rockers themselves are constructed with laminated strips of hardwood which are glued together and bent to position using a form. The arms are doweled to the legs and the legs are doweled to the rockers. The back spokes are rough-cut at the bandsaw and then finished with rasps and spokeshaves. The seat is built with 5 boards which are doweled together and shaped with 16 grit sandpaper. The legs are attached to the seat with tongue and groove joinery and can be glued, screwed and pegged or merely glued. The crest rail is joined with dowels or biscuits. The fluid lines that create the graceful shapes are both hard and soft edged, adding the distinctive look characteristic of Maloof rockers.

After the meeting, my friend who had just taken the rocker class filled me in on the daily activities, the famous woodworkers he had met, the 10-14 hour days, the camaraderie, the extreme focus, the great lunches prepared by Marc's wife, and Marc's generous and high energy nature.

Only recently has my friend started taking classes. For years he thought "What can they teach me that I can't learn in a book?" I think many of us believe the same or have trouble justifying the expense of classes and materials cost. That, combined with travel expenses and room & board, and the price really adds up.

I took my first woodworking class with David Finck about 8 years ago on handcut dovetails where each of us made a sliding lid box. I learned techniques from David that I had never read in books and magazines. It was obvious that working alongside and being taught directly by a master woodworker was the best experience a novice woodworker (at least for me) could have.

But there was more to it than that. Being around other woodworkers during intense, exhausting days creates a bond with fellow students and generates an atmosphere that I had never experienced before. You're hunched over your work in fierce concentration and often no one is talking—the sound of working wood is all you hear. You're encapsulated in a little world that's bound so tight, you forget about everything else—work, obligations, responsibility. It's heaven.

A class I took a few years ago on making a panel raiser plane was 4 grueling days of woodworking. On the last day as we were packing up, the men initiated a long, drawn out "take-care-it-was-great-to-meet you-hope-to-see-you-again hugfest." I couldn't believe it.

My friend can't wait to enroll in another class and I just signed up for one at Olde Mill Cabinet Shoppe. He brought back memories of woodworking class Nirvana and reminded me of an experience that's easily worth every penny.

Carving a Celtic Knot

1. Lay out the design on your workpiece and define the outer and inner edges of the shape with chisels and gouges. I shaded the "under" parts of the knots with pencil so that I didn't accidentally cut across the "over" parts.

2. Match curves with gouges that have the same sweep.

3. Bevel down, remove the background areas that surround the shape. I used both chisels and gouges for this and tried to maintain a consistent depth of cut. Don't fret too much if it's not perfect; you'll have another shot at it as you're finishing the carving.




4. My 1/16" chisel got a work out along the outer edges.

5. I used dental tools to pick out some obstinate chips. These tools are cheap and your dentist may even give you some of his/her worn-out ones*. You can reshape the cutting edges to meet your needs.

6. Bevel up, I removed the pencil-shaded areas of the drawing with a tapered slice—starting at the high point (the "over" knot) and slicing downward toward the pencil shading—but did not cut as deep as the background areas. Once all the pencil-shaded areas (the "under" knots) are removed, the woven design emerges. You can stop at this point if you like a more hard-edged look. And here's where you can tweak the depth of the background area. Since parts of the design have been made more shallow, you have easier access.


7. If you prefer, you can round over all the edges with chisels and gouges to create a rope-like effect.

8. The finished design.

9. My neck started hurting as I was hunched over the workpiece, which was lying flat on my workbench. Then I rememberd a drill press jig I had made for another project. It worked amazingly well at positioning the board at a comfortable angle. No more pain, and carving became a complete joy. Of course, I was almost finished with the design when I remembered the jig....


*I needed dental tools for a class taught by Steve Latta. Steve suggested that we ask our dentists for his/her throw-aways. So I called my dentist's office and rather than give the receptionist a long explanation, I merely asked if I could buy any of their used dental tools. "Hold on," she said. Moments later, "NO!" and she hung up. I figured she thought I was planning to pull a Hannibal Lecter on someone and freaked out. At my next appointment with my dentist I told him what happened. "Oh, that was you?! That phone call was the talk of the office!" His response confirmed my Hannibal Lecter suspicions. And it totally made my day.

Fledgling Relief Carver

I'm new to relief carving. At left is my first attempt, thanks to a tutorial in Richard Bütz's book How to Carve Wood. In it are chapters on tools, sharpening, woods & finishes, design, whittling, chip carving, relief carving, wildlife carving, lettercarving (he uses a different technique than I do), and architectural carving. There are lots of photos and illustrations that clearly explain his process.

All I knew about relief carving before reading his book was that the same principle in lettercarving—where you carve from shorter grain to longer grain, so the wood you are cutting is supported underneath the cut—still applies. This reduces tearout. However, tearout can still result from dull tools.

This October, I'm traveling to Juarez, Mexico with a group from my church where we'll build a home in 3 days for an impoverished family. 3 days! And this includes pouring concrete. The organization that sponsors these home-builds has it down to an art, so I trust we'll finish in time.

A Presbyterian church in El Paso, Texas is cooking meals for us while we're there and I wanted to give them something in return for their hospitality, so I plan to carve a Celtic cross. This will be a challenge for me, so I'm starting now—well in advance of our departure date.

That way, if all I create is fireplace fodder, there's still time to order them a gift.

2 Workbench Jigs

I'll admit it. I was a Normite. In fact, it was Norm Abram who taught me how to use power tools. At a time when there seemed to be very few female woodworkers (16 years ago), it was a tad bit intimidating to ask for assistance in a woodworking store full of men. But good 'ol Norm was there to give me my first push down the slippery slope of woodworking.

Then about 10 years ago, I became interested in working with handtools. Now I use a blended workshop.

But to all of us—power tool, hand tool, or blended woodworkers—don't we all share an irrepressible and magnetic attraction to workbenches?

My conundrum as a beginner handtool user was: How do you use a workbench? How do you make the most of it? What part of the tail vise is used to clamp stock?

The answers were found in books like The Workbench Book, Making Workbenches, and Choosing and Using Handtools (among others). And with the recent release of Chris Schwarz's book, we have another fabulous resource.

Books like these disclose the importance of bench jigs. Pictured are a cut off jig for dowels and a planing stop. The cut off jig has a roughly chiseled V-groove that holds a dowel in place, and a piece of wood glued beneath the front edge that acts as a bench hook. The planing jig has through-tenoned dowels that drop down into holes that are bored into my benchtop. Both jigs see a lot of use in the shop.

Once I learned how to use a workbench, how to make the most of it, how to build and employ bench jigs, it opened up a whole new dimension in woodworking. And the slippery slope became a whole lot steeper.