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

Quick Surgery Update

It is five days post-op and all I can say is it's wonderful. There is no pain, just a very slight tightness in the area of the incision and the legs, while still weak, also are pain and cramp free.

I wish it hadn't taken so long to get here but that is the way the medical system in the States works.

ken

Stanley #39 Dado Plane

Bob B. who is an occasional reader of my blog (he mentioned Ralph's as well) was kind enough to offer one of his Marple chisels to fill in a gap in my collection.  He mentioned in his email that he was trying to collect one of each of the Stanley planes and how it might be an impossible job. I must say I expect he is correct. I have an example of most of the type 9 bench planes but I'm far from having a complete set of type 9's. In reality I have no hope of ever completing the collection and that is just one type of bench planes.

Anyway it got me to thinking about some of my rust and if any would fill in the gaps of a Stanley tool collection. The most likely candidate is a Stanley #39 I got several years ago in a box of rust from a fellow needing gas money to go home. I know there is a sucker born every minute but what can I say other than I like a good story even if it is BS and we both know it. BTW, IIRC there were several usable planes in the box, several of which I gave to other local woodworkers and a few I kept like the #39.

Here are some photos of the #39:

Bob D. this should be in your wheel house. Did anyone really use one of these to make dado's? I would think a couple of knife lines, a saw, and a router plane would do a better and I expect a quicker job.

747 Super Tanker

I worked for the now bankrupt Evergreen Aviation back in the day when the 747 Supper Tanker was under development. A Colorado company bought the rights to the airplane and now it has been deployed to fight the CA fires. Just yesterday while MsBubba and I were having morning coffee and tea we talked about, or at least I did and I think MsBubba listened you know how it is after many years together and one partner builds clocks when asked the time,  how CA should be using the 747.


The 747 can drop all or part of 20,000 gal of liquid per load, water or fire retardant, about twice as much as the nearest large tanker a converted DC-10. Some of the advantages of the 747 are the precision of its drops, how in effect it is a large crop duster, the dump comes out in drops and will not damage people or things on the ground, it can get to the fire zone at over 500 kt. and is under landing weight with a full load of retardant or water. I could go on building the clock but not this time.

Anyway it is good to see someone rescued the Super Tanker and CA. is using it.

It is palm meet forehead time. Seems the older I get the more often it happens. During the first part of recovery from surgery I'm not to lift anything over 10 lbs. It's pretty limiting as far as shop time so I dug through the scrap pile, not moving anything over 10 lbs. I swear, for something to use in making a spoon.

I carved out a bowl that I was pretty happy with and then started getting rid of wood that was not part of a spoon using a saw and chisel. Now I have a good 18" band saw setting not five feet from the right end of the main work bench. I bet you can tell where this is going, I had to do just one more split going toward the bowl before turning the blank around....Palm meet forehead.

I have some more of the blank left and a good band saw next to the bench. Back to the spoon making today.

Two More Marple Chisels

It is a sickness, once started it is almost as hard to stop as smoking and booze. I've two more early Marple Firmer chisels "in the mail". This time a 1/4" and a 3/8" both are duplicates but one will replace a round necked (later year) chisel. So I do have a little excuse....."My name is Ken and I'm a.....".

I'm teaching myself to sharpen on JNATS and have been for years and as always it is/has been interesting. Sometimes I ask myself "why bother?" BTW, if I post something that is incorrect please correct me however you feel most comfortable, email, reply in the comments, it makes no never mind. I have thick skin and learned many years ago that ego is nothing but trouble. On to the chase..

What I find the biggest difference is the wire edge. On Ark stones it comes up easily and is easy to see and feel.  JNATS not so much. The wire edge tends to be much smaller and because of that harder to see and feel. I'm still training myself on that one.

In truth either type stone will get you to pretty much the same place of "working sharp" in about the same time and hassle on like steels and I would bet in a blind test even the most sensitive craftsman would have a hard time beating random.

I guess then the question becomes....Why? I'm not sure I have a rationale answer. I can fall back on gobby gook, art speak, or what have you, while trying to pack sand up your ass but the bottom line is "because".

Some of the reasons I can give but do not hold water are: JNATS have a finer random scratch pattern than you are able to get with an Ark stone. True but so? Does it make a rat's ass when metal meets wood?

Ralph will like this one: I can get a better mirror finish with a JNAT vs. An Ark stone. Which is true until you bring strops on board and.....Wait for it...Some of the most prized JNATS do not leave a mirror polish but instead a slight haze.

As a artist I've always been attracted to imperfection, to seeing "the hand of man" in a body of work. Perfect is boring. Several of my most prized JNATS are about as imperfect as a stone can get and still be useable. That may be as good an answer as any.

ken

P.S. JNAT stones are/can be a sickness as well, too damn many slippery slopes out there calling my name and not a mast to lash to.

P.P.S. I've a Bad Axe D-8 clone in the mail....Damn all my weaknesses are on full display. The only things missing are planes.

Done

Thanks guys for all the well wishes. For now the title says all that is needed. I'm home and as best I can tell all went well. There is some feeling of pressure in my lower back that the happy pills are taking care of. All the numbness of my lower legs and feet is gone. For the first time in months I can walk  with a normal step and stride. I'll take it easy for a couple of weeks but it is time to get back in the shop and do something interesting.

Once more.....Thanks guys,

ken

Marple Chisels

The biggest change in Marple chisels other than owners, place of manufacture, and of course quality as the years passed was going from hammer forged to drop forged. As best I can tell drop forged chisels begin showing up in the '30s and by the '50s most of the chisels were drop forged with maybe the exception of firmer chisels.

I have some of both hammer and drop forged. Other than the hammer forged having square necks vs. drop forged round necks the only other visual clue is the ferrel. The hammer forged ferrel is defiantly brass on the drop forged chisels I'm not sure because it has a strange color and stays shinny with little or no aging.

A photo of the two styles. The top and bottom chisels are hammer forged with square necks, the middle two are later chisels with round necks.

At this time most of my chisels are the earlier hammer forged (three drop forged) and as I can find replacement chisels for the round neck ones I will hopefully end up with all early chisels.

What strange folks we tool collectors can be. The quality of both in use is about the same (maybe all my round neck ones are from the early years of drop forging) but I want all square necked chisels or at least a complete set. Then in use I will probably use both interchangeably.

ken 

Three more days till the back is fixed, sleep and productivity are in short supply. Pain meds and whisky are the order of the day. With careful calibration of whisky intake the days pass with reasonable comfort.

Lately the highlight of the day is pool time with MsBubba. Yesterday MsBubba asked for a Martini with our pool time.....Of course I had to join....Big mistake, with Martinis there is no careful calibration. I remember making the second Martini but not much after other than waking up in bed with all my clothes on a little after 2100. The good news it helped with the sleep problem but screwed the productivity. The same mistake will not be made today.

On the productivity side while not much is getting done I'm in the shop and putzing around most days. My thoughts are the pain is there whatever, sitting, standing, in bed, whatever I'm doing so I might as well do something I enjoy. The downside is I'm a little more dingy than usual. Yesterday was a case in point.

Most of the time I use the Alan Peters "140 trick" when making dovetails. Yesterday I was working on a small box, the sides were from some nice Sapele scraps and being dingier than usual I forgot to make the small rabbet with the 140. Being still dingier I thought "hey Bubba that ain't no problem I'll just 140 the tails and go on down the road". Need I go on? I'll put it this way, one of the corners may have a very large half pin next to a very small tail if I can pull it off. If not there is always the fire pit.

Here is a photo:

BTW, I've been down most of the technique trails for alining tail boards with pin boards for marking the pins. Everything from the jig David Baron makes, to a special square, to just doing it by eye and let the devil take its due.  Of all, the 140 trick works the best with the least amount of monkey motion.

On to other things. I've been trying to put together a "full" set of vintage Marple Firmer chisels with Boxwood handles. The two missing chisels are a 3/4 and a 5/8. The post delivered the 3/4 yesterday, just the 5/8's to go.

I know chisels are personal but what's not to like about thin blades of good steel with near perfect balance. The closest I can find in current production are the Sorby beveled edge bench chisels with Boxwood handles. Something is screwed up with current tool marketing with almost no one making firmer chisels and the few that are made are heavy, clunky, and un-balanced. Even most beveled edge chisels in production have too thick blades and are uncomfortable to use. Paring chisels are the same story if you can find 'em. While the complete line of Sorby chisels also has some duds their paring chisels are nice, I just wish they were available in firmer style as well as beveled edge. I expect several Sorby paring chisels will be added to the chisel till to supplement the Japanese paring chisels.

Three more days of this happy horse shit and I hope life will get back to what passes for normal.

ken

P.S. Just back from working the back of the 3/4 chisel, miracles do happen it was damn near flat.  And I sawed the messed up tail on the box board. Who knows, things may work out if I'm careful when fitting the pins.

West Texas Farm Boy

I grew up on a West Texas dirt farm. The farm was about 13 miles North of Big Spring, Texas and from almost the get go of remembrance I had guns and hunted many times a week. Most of the game was cooked  and added to what ever else was on the table. Once a teenager I would join my Dad's annual company sponsored hunting trip to either Utah or Colorado. Guns and hunting were just a part of life and even to this day some of my most pleasant memories are of those trips, of being outdoors, in the mountains on beautiful Fall days and of sitting in the cook tent at night playing card games and telling lies with friends and family.

Somewhere along the way I begin to change and  I slowly started becoming uncomfortable with killing living things to the point of protecting most household pests, of finding ways to remove instead of squashing. People can and do change.

A long way around to my finding the fact that in the States, this year, we have had almost a mass shooting every day of the fucking year, the last one over 50 souls in KLAS. I am physically and mentally sick and ashamed my country can't get its shit together and confront the gun lobby with common sense gun control laws. That should be the first step but not the only one it will take longer but we also need to find and root out the sickness that works with freely available guns and leads to killing for no other reason but killing.

ken

P.S. I will not engage trolls and their straw man arguments. If you have something constructive to say I would love to hear it.

 

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

Marple Chisels

I have a bad jones for Marple firmer or bevel edge chisels with boxwood handles. The London pattern handles are nice as well but the simple straight Boxwood handles tickle my chisel G-spot.

Anyway I've been on a quest to find some in good shape and having some luck. Here is a small 1/4" firmer that showed up a few days ago pictured with some other bench chisels to give an idea of size and differences. From top to bottom are a Narex firmer, a modern 750, a Swiss Made Carpenters chisel, the Marple 1/4" firmer with Boxwood handle, and a LV PM v11. The first photo is of the chisels in profile view and the second in plan view.

I've several more Marple Boxwood handled chisels on the way, I expect they will arrive while we are in Oregon. They will be a nice 'welcome home'.

BTW, I get a shot in the spine tomorrow to relieve some of the pain. If it works as advertised it should take care of most of the pain until I'm back in Arizona...Surgery to follow. 

We leave for Ft. Bragg, CA Saturday morning then after a couple of days in Ft. Bragg on to Brookings, OR for a few days and then working our way up the coast. The Motorhome has a full load of whisky and wine with food filling every cabinet, even a few beers in the Fridge, DVDs and Sat Dish ready and bench and tool box loaded. It should be a good trip. 

ken 

Portable Work Bench and Toolbox Loaded

The tool box isn't filled yet but I wanted to see how everything would fit. It does very well leaving good room to carry other needed "stuff".

On the PAX side bin I have the toolbox, the two legs, chop and parallel guide, and the vise backer board.

The driver side bin has the slab, tool tray, stretchers, and in the wire basket wrapped in a towel is the screw.

I wasn't too worried about the fit because I measured carefully but you never know for sure until you fit it in. It fits :-).

Now to fill the tool box and we will be ready for Oregon.

Japanese Style Tool Box

The last item to be finished of the portable workshop is the tool box. I finished cleaning it up last night, as much as it will be "cleaned up" it is a tool box don'tchknow, and put a coat of Danish Oil on the outside. Today comes the hard part....Deciding what tools to take. Too many and the tool box becomes unwieldy and too heavy to be "portable", Too few and either the "work arounds" take the pleasure out of making or even the project becomes dead in the water.

The list leads off with a couple of planes, I expect a #3 and a #5 with two cutter sets. A chisel roll with 1/4" through 1" plus at least one paring chisel. A couple or three saws, I have not decided between Japanese or Western, there are advantages to each. Marking stuff, squares, knifes, winding sticks, tapes, rules, and so on. Rabbet plane, plough plane, router plane....Anyway you get the idea. A couple of bench appliances like a bench hook also need to find a place as well.

Of course all this may be unnecessary because the bench and tool box may end up being a table and accessory to hold the whisky glass every evening .

Anyway here are a couple of photos of the tool box, click 'em to big 'em:

With lid open and tool tray:

See you guys on down the road,

ken