Time to Fix the Back

I visited the Neurosurgeon yesterday, he gave the right answers and MsBubba approved of both he and his answers so I'm booked to be fixed on the 11th. Which brings to mind the Far Side cartoon of the dog in a car going to the Vet to be "tutored".

It will be day surgery with a couple of bandaid sized incisions and a one to six week recovery period. Now I'm like a kid waiting on Christmas, time can't pass fast enough.

Work is crazy right now....So what else is new....It is busy season and one instructor just went down to a horse related injury, so not much wood working between now and the 11th. At best shop organizing and clean up, though I do have the stock sized and ready to cut the joinery for a couple of small boxes.

I just received C.S.'s The Anarchist's Design Book. I haven't had the time to browse through it but when I came home from work yesterday MsBubba had left it open on the Aumbry chapter. Subtle is not her long suit.

ken

Changed Sharpening Bench

A bittersweet moment in the shop. Yesterday for the first time since I first started working wood my small bench is no longer in the shop. I'm not sure what will be done with it, could be a table for MsBubba's studio, or maybe convert it into another bar counter for the back garden, even put out front for a new life with someone else. Whatever it has been replaced with the traveling work bench sans leg vise.

The sharpening bench ne travel bench has a little more real estate to work with with about the same footprint, It should be a slight improvement....Just enough for a blog post but not much more :-).

BTW, I've converted all my stones to using water with a touch of soap as a lubricant. With the exception of the "India" stones they all seem happy. This way I can grab any stone and use it without worrying about oil contamination of my JNATs or man made water stones.

I will start a new travel bench build soon.

ken

Home Again Home Again

It was a good vacation, not too many squawks on the motorhome, the WX in Northern CA. was perfect with temps in the 60F to mid 70F range and the only rain was as we were leaving Ft. Bragg. It couldn't have been better except for the fires and smoke in Oregon keeping us in North CA.

The portable bench worked well and I had almost all the tools needed, not bad for a proof of concept trial.

Waiting for me at the local USPS office was a box of Boxwood handled Marple chisels, most were firmers. I'm missing a 5/8" and a 3/4" for a full set. The chisels are in good shape but.....damn that but, the UK sellers sure do like their belt sanders to make the chisels pretty for selling. I spent almost an hour on the back of the 1" chisel last night and I still have some more to go before it is flat. I'd pay twice as much if they would forget the dressing up for the sell.

Anyway here is a photo of the Marple chisels on hand. Now to find some where to keep 'em. For now the only answer is some of the little used chisels will have to go in a box or drawer and the Marple chisels will take their place in the back of bench chisel till.

I would like to end up with a full set of Marple's firmer and beveled edge chisels and a selected set of their paring chisels but I'm not sure I have the patience for the chase.

I've an appointment with a Neurosurgeon on the 28th. to see about fixing my back. I had plans to wait until after the first of the year but with the way things are going I expect I will take the first open time. Whisky and pain pills are no way to live life. Once again apologies for an OF's medical ramblings but this is my way of keeping track of what is happening in my life.  

Blogger Did Some Strange Formatting

As the title says and working on a iPad I'm not going to try and correct.

ken

Traveling Tools

Bob asked "What was in my tool box?" At the risk of boring everyone and spending all day one finger typing on a iPad here goes:

In no order other than kinda how they ended up on the bench:
Bench hook, made after arriving at the RV site.
2 doe's foot, one made at the RV site.
2 Kreg plastic dogs.
LN bench brush.
#5 with cambered iron.

Here is the list of tools in the tool box. I've used most of them or have plans to.

#3 with smoothing iron.
ECE Rebate plane.
LV Large Router Plane.
LV Med Router Plane.
LV Carcass saw,  rip and crosscut.
LV Large Tenon saw, rip and crosscut*.
Plow Plane with ¼" cutter.
LN Small Rabbit/Block Plane.
LN Block Plane.
400 Atoma with stone holder**.
Med India in holder/box.
Hard Black Ark in holder/box.
Oiled hard leather strop.
Chisel Roll with ¼" to 1" A. Iles chisels, Wheel gauge, and LV Spokeshave.
6" Double Sq.
12" Combo Sq.
75mm Combo Sq.
LV Saddle Sq.
LV 1:8 Dovetail Marker.
2 Small Dividers.
150mm Steel rule.
5 Meter Tape.
Bird cage awl.
Screwdriver.
LV Winding Sticks/Straight Edge.
Small Box of Drill Bits.
¾" Foster Bit.
2 Marking Knifes.
Parrallel Guide Pin.
Pencils and Markers.
2 Holdfasts
2 Hammers***.
Glue.
Danish Oil.
6 Light F Clamps.
Calculater.
10X Lope.
Sanding Block.
¼" Wood Shim
26" Stanley Hardpoint Saw and 240mm Ryoba (not in photo).
Spirit Level.
Mortise Pin Gauge****

*May not keep in tool box for the next trip.
**Stone.Holder is not needed.
***one hammer is a RV hammer but will add a small Plane hammer.
****On order from Amazon, I can't believe I forgot to pack one.

Wood Working In A RV Park

While working, folks will drop by to see what I'm doing but really not many more than is normal for any activity outside the RV.

The work is back to the basics because of limited tool set and of course tools that should have been packed but missed the boat. Such as a marking gague, how that happened I haven't a clue. Amiazon of course came to the rescue....sort of.  I'll cut to the chase as much as I can but being me some back story will be included.

I have a dislike of cheap knockoffs of someone's original design. If you developed the tool you should benefit from the sale of the tool. There is a cheap knockoff of the Titemark, looks the same, made of brass, and is about $60USD cheaper on Amazon. The problem is I can get next day delivery from Amazon, not from Titemark. So I let need override scrupules and ordered from Amazon.

There is good news and bad, I'm not sure which is which but.....It works about the same as a Titemark except it will not hold the setting unless you go all Conan on the lock screws.  For some reason that pleases me.

ken

Posting Photos From An iPad

Let's see if I've figured this or is technology still kicking my ass. A couple of photos of the RV and work bench.

On The Road

Or maybe that should be in the Casper Beach RV Park just South of Ft. Bragg CA.

I set the bench up last night and even sawed a dovetail or two along with sharpening some iron. The bench works like a champ.

I can't get the photos to load, they do over on SMC...photos to follow when I can.

Ken