More Debate

 There is screwing the pooch and there is FUBAR but I think there is a new one that takes it all in and that is to "Trump". As in "damn man you really trumped that one" or" it is so trumped we will never recover".

ken

Debate

 I was working during the first part of the debate and only saw the last 30 minutes or so. If the first hour was like the last 30 minutes, I didn't miss much. I can sum up what I saw with just a few words: Trump is an embarrassment, how he was elected is an embarrassment of the U.S. and everyone who lives here and/or is a citizen. All I want for Xmas isn't my front two teeth but for that wanker (he doesn't rate being called a fucker) to be gone.

ken

Cut Nails

 It is not often I use nails on a project but truth is I should use them more often. A butt joint with glue and cut nails may not be as strong as well made dovetails but it gets close enough. My last project used just that joint and I expect to be dead before there is a problem with the joints.

Here are the rose head cut nails I use:

I have a bunch of 'em, wish I could remember where they came from but it has been years. BTW,  simple to use, fast, strong, and can add a design element, what's not to like.

ken

Top Trim Finished

 The removable top trim is finished, all that is left is the lid. The stock is prepped just needs glue up and sizing.

 The original is in the background. 

I may not finish tomorrow but will in the next couple of days. It will be good to get this sucker out of the shop and put it to use.

ken

Kitchen Trash Can Base Finished

 I've finished the base unit and have the first application of Tung oil on it. The top trim is in glue up and the lid also needs gluing up.

I expect two or three more Tung oil applications to finish the base and about the same on the top trim unit. It has enough knots MsBubba should like it but you never know. 

Base Glued

The base trim is glued. It still needs trimming and cleaning up but that will have to wait on the glue to cure a little more. While waiting on the glue I'll make the removable top trim and lid. Followed by the clean up and a good soaking and rubbing with Tung oil and that sucker will be finished.

Unless MsBubba has plans for me, next up is a knockdown shavehorse so I can get rid of the one in the middle of the shop.

ken

Fitting The Base Trim

 I've started fitting the base/foot trim:

 

This is where the shop changes are paying off. With the two benches facing each other, on the off bench I have the bench hook for sawing to rough length and next to it is the shooting board for trimming. All I have to do to work between the two benches is to do a 180.

Pretty damn cool.

ken

Sawing The Trim Blanks

Well, I moved all the wood pile wood off the Alder and rescued a few boards. Next is sawing eight trim blanks.

I have a number of nice, well sharpened Disston and Atkins hand saws and even a Bad Axe Panel saw and 80% of the time I'll use one of the Stanley 26" Hard Point saws. Often on larger joints, like on a work bench, I'll use the Stanley or one of the other hand saws for joinery instead of one of the large back saws. Go figure. 

The other kink, I have room after the bench move to easily set up the saw benches. The saw benches are perfect knee height and rock solid. They even have holes for using hold fasts. In fact they were set up to use tonight. I ended up using the work bench. For some reason I prefer using the work bench for short cutoffs. 

ken

Making Slow Progress

  Making slow progress on the trash can. Between the day job and Tucson Summer not much is done on any day. I have cleaned up the sides and trimmed the top.

Next up are the two trim pieces. The bottom trim will be attached and form the foot of the trash can. The top trim will be free floating, removable, and hold the trash sack in place. It will also have a lid. The biggest holdup is getting to the wood needed to make the trim. With my usual brilliance and forethought, when I cleaned up the shop after moving the benches I put the Alder on the bottom of the stack and piled the rest of the loose wood on top. Oh well I need the exercise.

ken

Starting Glue Up

 Not much to see but I've started gluing and nailing the sides. The side with the nails has to be cleaned up prior to nailing. The short sides, with the glue over run will be cleaned up once the glue up is completed.

This will go a little slowly because I want to let the glue set on each butt joint before going to the next.

My first thought was to use hot hide glue with the nails but after thinking about the process I decided on liquid hide glue. Liquid hide glue has a much longer open time vs. hot hide glue plus liquid will stay slightly flexible where hot very quickly becomes almost glass like. With the crude joints, the need to adjust as the nails are installed and the expected adjustment to get every thing close to square, the longer open time becomes important.

ken

Kitchen Trash Can Box

In spite of the heat progress on the kitchen trash can is being made. The sides are cut to size and are ready to be glued and nailed together.

 

I may take a break, I had forgotten to turn the glue pot on for a couple of days and the glue was spoiled. I have new glue working but it needs to spend a little time hydrating before heating and use. I may use some 'yellow" glue if I get impatient or the other option is some liquid hide glue. I'll have to test my bottle, it has been awhile since the last use.  

Once the box is made all that is left are the upper and lower trim, lid, and a internal step to hold the bottom of the trash bag.

Like I posted earlier, the kitchen trash can should be a two day job that I expect will end up taking close to two weeks. My excuse is it is really hot in the shop and I have a 6 day schedule for my day job next week. 

MsBubba should be happy with it, she likes knots 😅.

ken

Kitchen Trash Can

 I finally finished moving the shop around, fiddling with the Fillister planes, and every other excuse I could find to delay starting on the kitchen trash cans.

I'm sizing the panels this morning, once all four are sized they will be joined with a simple butt joint, hot hide glue and nails.

I know broken record but every time I use Steve's Try plane I break into a huge grin when wood first meets wood.

The new shop arrangement is really nice, it is good to have both benches placed where they can be worked at the same time by just turning around.

Shop is getting hot. I'm sweating and already smell like a goat, time to take a break.

ken

We are so Fucked

 The title says it all. Unless magic happens we are fucked for at least 20 years.

ken

BBQ Today

With MsBubba in Oregon I'm free to BBQ with no grief. I figure one more Brisket before she comes home.

I started building the coal bed at 0300, by 0600 the coal bed was perfect but the pit, as expected, was too hot. After opening up the fire box with just the coals the pit was down to temp by 0700 and now just needs a log or two to keep it there.

Brisket is on, pit is on temp. it is Miller Time.

The coal bed is good, one log on but I expect it may need two to stay on temp. The secret is to keep the fire box and the vent/chimney open so it does not smoke but gives indirect heat.

And of course a photo of the Brisket that looks just like all the other photos of the Brisket I've published over the years.

 

Coffee for now, beer and/or whisky as the day progresses. I will start testing internal temp of the clod end of the brisket in about 6 hours and it should reach 195F and be finished in 7 to 8 hours.

A rack of Ribs will go on in an hour or two and I'll dump what Jalapenos I have in the fridge to dry and smoke.

It should be a good day off. 

Wish you'll could be here to sample, wear your masks and be safe, hopefully things work out in November and we make it to January.

ken

OKGuy Removed from "Unplugged Shop"

 Just a note to let you know the Unplugged Shop administer has removed my blog from their site because of a complaint about political content. This was not unexpected because the snowflakes can't face the truth.

It has been a pretty good run with Unplugged Shop, I've made some good friends and enjoyed the back and forth but all things have a life span. My blog will continue because as I have posted it is my journal and is more about my life vs. only woodworking and it will continue being my journal. I hope folks will still stop by, I know I will continue to follow my friends.

See you guys on down the road,

ken 

Moving Fillister

 I have a kitchen trash can to build, the sides are glued up and ready to size. So what do I do? Dig out a couple or three wood stock moving fillister planes to set up. Go figure.

Usually with old fillister planes the cutter and the wedge usually fit unless they are not original with the plane. With out fail if it is an angled cutter the angle on the iron is wrong.

I will usually reference off the cutting side and the plane's mouth with a bevel gauge and then transfer the angle to the iron with a marker. With that I can go to the grinder and correct the angle on the iron.

With this plane the wood screws are binding needing some wax and working back and forth. It is easier to do with the plane disassembled.

This is my favorite style wood stock moving fillister plane:

Some will have a nicker, it is kinda a six to a half dozen as to a knicker or not.

ken

Bench Move Completed

 I've finished the bench move and have most thing in their place. I'm amazed, surprised, and damn happy with the outcome of the moving. When started I hoped it might open up a little extra room but did not expect it would be much if any. Well chisel breath I couldn't have been more wrong. I have a ton of open space, with open feed line for the power tools, and in general a work space that should increase my efficiency.

Here is an old photo of the shop before the bench move:

 

A photo from the door area post move:

Another photo this time from the side with sharpening bench in the background:

Looking out the door:

 

Last photo, from the other end of the bench area:

Some time the magic works, sometimes it doesn't,

ken

Last of the Bench

Almost everything is in place. Still a ton of clean up work to do and I expect days of going thru the many scrap piles and sending most to the fire pit. But if I clean the tops of the slabs off things are usable and odds are I will return to making MsBubba's trash can in between moving wood to the burn pile. I can live with the mess for awhile.

As always click it to big it. That way you can really see the mess :-).

I'm surprised at how much shop space the move has opened. I figured this was going to be another moving of the deck chairs and maybe an additional 2 sq feet of working area. My guess is I have 80 or more additional sq feet of working area now vs. before. If I can go against my nature and truly clean up the wood storage it could free up and additional 20 to 30 sq feet of work space.

Now if I can resist the urge to build another bench, which BTW was my first thought when I saw how much space I freed up. It is truly a sickness. Bob does tools I do benches and maybe a few tools :-).

ken

More Bench

 First Photo of Bench in new home:

It is going to work. There is room to work on the bench and I can reach all the tools. My main bench has been moved a good way forward so there is good working space between the benches and there is good room for using the shave horse and/or the saw benches between the benches and the power tools. In addition it opens up the power tool's feed.

For once I may have a small victory in the ten pound/five pound battle.

More photos once everything is in place,

ken

Bench Moved

When I posted this morning I had forgotten about the tool chest. Most of the time when I remove the slab from one of my Moravian benches I will slide it over to one of the other benches and then from there move it to where needed. That way I never have to lift the full weight. This morning everything was covered with tools except I had over looked the tool chest on wheels. Of course flat head syndrome once I saw the tool chest, not only was it high enough but it was on wheels so it could be rolled where needed.

Moving the slab to the tool chest:

Of course because everything is so crowded there was a little back and forth to get the slab in position and to move to the base. The base is light enough to scoot and pick up as needed to set in position. If it had been tighter I could have separated the base units from the stretchers and moved each piece instead of the whole base unit as one.

The base in Position:

Once base was in position it was a piece of cake to scoot the slab onto the base. With the slab on the base, the leg vise set in position and just a wiggle or two it all comes together. To finish off drive the four wedges home and that sucker is moved and ready for work.

Bench moved without breaking into a sweat, damn I love Moravian benches. Try moving this solid of a bench of almost any other design by yourself and not a grunt in the process.

ken

Bench Move

 In the never ending quest to pack 10 pounds of crap into a 5 pound bag and each time wishing for a different out come, I'm moving things around in the shop, mostly one of the benches. I have to make more floor space to ease the work flow. The real answer is to shed one or more of the work benches but so far no joy although the SIL claims he wants to take one to Houston the next time they visit.

Here is the mess made in preparation for the move:

Here is where it will go:

The bench will just fit along the wall, almost as if it were made for the spot.

Will it work, not a clue but could open up a little floor space, with just a little loss of usable bench space and I was planning on making new wall storage anyway.The only real question is where do I put the tool chest because I work out of it and it needs to be handy but also out of the way.

One other question is do I get a neighbor to help or just do what a Moravian bench is built to do and take the slab off, move the base then reattach the slab. The only problem, because this is a shop bench instead of a portable bench the slab is damn heavy. I can and have moved it by myself but that was when I had two good wheels. Right now I'm still working with a bad right foot and ankle.

Photos to follow,

ken

Pacific North West is on Fire

 As most of you may know MsBubba is helping a friend run her Inn out side Pacific City, Oregon for the summer. Here are some photos she sent today: 

One more:

 Chinook winds and fires yesterday. Lincoln City evacuated to Newport. Shit is getting real in the PNW.

ken

Steve Voigt Planes

 If you do very much stock prep by hand you owe yourself a couple or three of Steve's planes. I'm taking some pretty rough Alder down for panel glue up. While working on it I had to stop and take a photo of Steve's Try Plane in action. The cutter is easy to set, stays set and the plane just glides over the stock so much so I tend to forget to wax the sole. Did I mention it is also really light.

Anyway, I'm making a tall Kitchen Trash can out of the Alder. I have two more slats to prep before gluing up the panels. It is kinda slow going because at 1000 this morning it is already 94F and forecast to hit 102F in a couple of hours. That's the kinda good news/bad news. The good is it is maybe only going into the low 100's today instead of over 110F. The bad is it is 102F and even an old desert rat like myself has to limit time exposed to those temps.

As an aside: Once the ambient air temperature goes over approximately 94F body heat is no longer transferred out of the body but the external heat is instead transferred into the body. The Bedouins know what they are doing with the way they dress to keep the hot air from touching their skin. If it keeps getting hotter here in the Desert Southwest I may have to buy some robes.  

The last two slats may be finished on the machines just to get 'em done.

ken

Kitchen Trash Can

 It doesn't look like much but I'm excited. This is the first time I've taken tool to wood in over two months. My right foot is still gimpy but getting better, enough that I can work short periods in the shop and even take Sweet Maggie Dog for a short morning walk.

This is part of the 60 BF of Alder I bought a few days ago to make shop cabinets. I'm stealing a little to make a kitchen trash can for MsBubba.

Here are the blanks waiting to be processed and glued up into panels:

It should be a quick project, just rabbets and nails for joinery and some oil to finish.

ken

Short Post

 Trump has been a despicable person for all his life and because his family had money he has never paid the price. Having spent most of my adult life serving and cleaning up after folks much like him I know the type well.

The grabbing 'em by the pussy and mocking the disabled should have been enough to disqualify him from the Presidency but because he hates and verbalizes the hate of people about 30% of the US hates he threaded the Electoral collage needle. It has allowed the vermin to crawl out from under the rocks and have voice and has maybe ended the rein of the USA as the world leader of democratic ideas.

If this last abomination isn't enough to drive a stake through Trump and Trumpism then this nation is not saveable and does not deserve to be saved.

I promise to get back to wood working and maybe food soon. There is 60 BF of Alder out in the shop waiting for my abuse. I need the distraction and sanity break.

See you guys on down the road,

ken