Monday, October 16, 2017

Can't Sleep. Time in the Shop

Some times sleep does not come easily. I've not a clue why some nights the magic works and others it doesn't other than age. I've learned to not fight it, just get up and go find something to do. Sometimes it is computer time but most of the time I go to the shop. That is one of the big advantages of doing mostly hand tool work, for the most part it is just me and the dogs and MsBubba sleeps through. Tonight it didn't work that way so all of us are awake.

I still can't do any heavy lifting so about all I can do is cut a few practice dovetails and sharpen some irons. Here is a photo of one of the practice joints tonight. I used a Cypress cutoff out of the scrap bin. Cypress is a nice wood to work except it is soft like pine and dents and chips easily. You can't tell much from the photo but there was a little nasty bit left in one of the tail sockets and that tail did not completely seat. If it were anything other than what it is I would pull it apart and get rid of whatever is holding the corner of the tail off the base line.



I've all but the 1 1/2" Marple chisel in useable shape and used them for both paring and chopping tonight. They are really sweet chisels. Shame almost no one today is making good hammer forged chisels and no one is making delicate firmer chisels like the older Marples.  The only hammer forged chiselsI know of are Barr, Ashley Iles, and most Japanese chisels. While I expect the Barr chisels are wonderful chisels they are too big and clunky for my taste. Ashley Iles chisels are very good and a real bargain, I just wish they were available in a firmer style.

It's time to grab a quick bite and then see if sleep will come.

Later,

ken

4 comments:

  1. Sometimes when I think I'm being quiet, I'm not. With my hearing loss it is hard to estimate what I don't hear and what others can. For the most part I don't wake the wife up when I do quiet time.

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  2. Ralph,

    Not waking the wife is a good plan. I'm with you on the hearing loss, MsBubba keeps on me to get a hearing aid but I kinda like the quiet.

    ken

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  3. I suspect working in a tin can underwater can get noisy, and airplanes, well, yap bad for your hearing.

    Bob, who work around loud engines way too long...WHAT? wait, i got ringing going on right now :-)

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  4. Bob,

    Back in the day real men didn't wear hearing protectors. I'm not sure which did the most damage sitting between a pair of TIO 540's with the screaming turbochargers or walking around running CJ-610's....Maybe both.

    Or maybe it was the in the ear ear buds for audio. I kinda suspect the in ear audio buds caused the most damage because I can still hear some with the right ear.

    ken

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