The Armour Archive

Since I find myself with a little time on my hands now I intend to actually start some of the woodwork projects I've had on the back burner for the last far too long. Since I'm pretty much a novice I'm sure I'll run into some problems along the way, so rather than bother you with every little problem begging for help let me ask instead which couple of books should I get and read so I at least have the basics covered?

Thanks

B

Bastior wrote:Since I find myself with a little time on my hands now I intend to actually start some of the woodwork projects I've had on the back burner for the last far too long. Since I'm pretty much a novice I'm sure I'll run into some problems along the way, so rather than bother you with every little problem begging for help let me ask instead which couple of books should I get and read so I at least have the basics covered?

Thanks

B

The Woodwrigh'ts books by Roy Underhill.

I never read any books. I am very much self taught.

One thing I have learned is that the right tool makes all the difference.

perhaps you could give us a list of the projects and your list of current tools?

One specific question has come to mind. Is there an option other than experience and experimentation to determine how thick a piece of what to use for a project?

One thing I have learned is that the right tool makes all the difference.

That's something thing I'd love to learn before I make too much fire wood.

perhaps you could give us a list of the projects and your list of current tools?

boxes, folding/collapsable benches, a table and a bed so far and no doubt if any of it turns out well the list will be added to.

power tools

jig saw
drill
router

me-powered tools

an assortment of saws from a large cross cut to a small coping saw
an assortment of rattan shaping files and rasps
a small plane
a couple of random wood chisels (I think one inch and half inch)
an assortment of clamps

there are probably a few other bits and pieces skulking inbetween the metal work toys and the leather work toys.

Bastior wrote:One specific question has come to mind. Is there an option other than experience and experimentation to determine how thick a piece of what to use for a project?

a basic rule of thumb is that the harder the wood, the thinner you can go. Pine, cedar, balsa wood, et al. are light weight soft woods. Oak, Maple, walnut, et al. are hard woods.

http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/t ... rking.html

Your question is not exactly an easy one to answer. It kind of depends on what you plan on the project doing. Load bearing projects like chairs, benches, etc. require thicker stock.

Here is what I use:


24" long 6 board chest ( a REALLY good project to start with BTW) Made of 1x12" pine. (load tested to about 600 pds. Ie, I had 2, 300 pound guys sitting on it with no problem)

NOTE: store bought lumber is 1/2" SHORTER by ALL deminsions than stated. So, a 1" x 12" pine board is ACTUALLY a 3/4" thick x 11 1/2" wide board.

Pine being pretty soft, I usually will not make anything that is load bearing with anything thinner than 3/4" thick pine.



colapsable mortese and Tenon chairs. Made from 3/4" birch double smooth plywood. (load tested to 400pds)

NOTE: Plywood sizes are exactly the size they claim. So, a 3/4" thick piece of store bought ply IS 3/4" thick.

That's something thing I'd love to learn before I make too much fire wood.

power tools

jig saw
drill
router

me-powered tools

an assortment of saws from a large cross cut to a small coping saw
an assortment of rattan shaping files and rasps
a small plane
a couple of random wood chisels (I think one inch and half inch)
an assortment of clamps

Most of what you are planning can be made with what you have. Although if I were you I would go buy a nice circular saw ASAP. It will save you ALOT of time ripping and cross cutting.

Also, get a nice set of regular drill bits, a set of spade bits, and a set of Forstner bits. If you are on a budget, forgo the spade bits and go with the forstner bits.

Also, go buy GOOD QUALITY BLADES for your jig saw. Good blades will make all the difference in the world. They are more expensive but well worth it. If you can afford it, go buy the biggest BOSCH jigsaw they make: http://bosch.cpotools.com/saws/jig_saws ... 0evsk.html

I used cheapy $40 jigsaws for years, and burned everyone of them out before just going a buying the Bosch. The difference was trying to cut stone with a file and cutting warm butter with a hot knife. I shit you not.

Lastly go buy a good orbital sander. You don't need anything fancy, just good quality. Also get a few packets of 80grit, 100grit, and 150grit sandpaper.

Here are two books that I recommend to anyone wanting to start woodworking. A neighbor came to me and asked the same questions you did, I handed her these manuals.

http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx ... 46109&ap=1

http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx ... 46109&ap=2

I have been working with wood since I was a small kiddo. My grandfather had a home saw mill, we had a full cabinetry shop in our basement growing up. I watched my father cut off his right thumb when I was 12, and his left when I was 22.(He claims since it was 10 years apart hes not accident prone )

If you want to work wood, get to know it. Go to the lumber yard and get to know all of the stock. Pick it up, weigh it in your hands, smell it. Hell taste it. I personally love a cup of coffee with sugar and oak saw dust. It reminds me of my happiest times as a kid in the shop with my Dad, stealing sips of his coffee when he wasnt looking.

Buy some cheap stock and take it home to mangle. Dont work on a project, just play. Cut it, sand it, carve it, burn it, nothing but play. No expected outcomes, just see what it will do. You know, like good foreplay

Your first projects will be better executed and more fun when they are directed by the wishes of the wood and the spirit of the shop. Once you know your hands from a hatrack, get ambitious. Make those nifty projects. I know too many guys that have stopped walking into the shop because of their perceived failures, because of exacting projects that were above their abilities, because it was too much like work. I have yet to know of one to walk out because it was too much fun to be surprised by what they made. Silly, sawdust covered grins are the goal.

Yes... I am the wood guru. End of seminar. Sheesh.

Maeryk

Cheers, part of me wants to use hand tools and do everything with sweat and swearing so that could be very interesting ... tho' part of me likes the idea of electricity.

InsaneIrish

My father uses his father's bosch power tools, I'm already a convert. Thanks for the load spec on the box, it's nice to know that my box when finished should take the weight of me in armour.

Malachiuri

Again cheers, they sound good. I'll divert some of the discount price boards I picked up in the sales to playing rather rather than the intended purpose of trying my hand at wood carving.

B

Bastior wrote:Maeryk

Cheers, part of me wants to use hand tools and do everything with sweat and swearing so that could be very interesting ... tho' part of me likes the idea of electricity.


B

The point, however, is that you can do anything he does with hand tools, with power tools pretty much just as well.

That's why I pointed you to those books. They are (or look!) relatively simple.. but you will learn EXTREMELY valuable lessons about how to put things together, making them. Whether you dimension the board with an axe, plane, and handsaw, or a jointer, and table or miter saw.. you will still have to figure out how to get the measurements you need, and how to use the thickness gauges, cut dovetails, etc.

Trust me.. you won't go wrong with those books, even if you only read them. They contain finely detailed info on _how_ wood works, and how to get it to do what you want. Too many of the other books start with "Go to Home Depot, and buy X, Y, and Z". Great, if you have one locally. With underhill's advice, you can either go that route, or you can go cut down a tree.

[img]http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a181/maeryk/7chairs.jpg[/img]

[img]http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a181/maeryk/mebox2.jpg[/img]

[img]http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a181/maeryk/bed3.jpg[/img]

[img]http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a181/maeryk/trestle.jpg[/img]

I'd be happy to provide tips, construction technique, and thickness/types of woods for any of those projects, if you'd like.

Maeryk book shelf space has already been ear marked. Even if I never get enough land/good enough legal representation to start from a whole tree knowing how would be cool, knowing how without using power tools would be even cooler.

Thanks

B

For your "Me-Powered" tools... check out www.lie-nielsen.com
They also have a lot of great books, and instructional DVDs

Maeryk,

would you mind sharing details for that lovely trestle please?

JonT

Jon Terris wrote:Maeryk,

would you mind sharing details for that lovely trestle please?

JonT

It's 1x2 dimensional poplar. (Whcih mands like, 1 3/4 by 3/4 finished). Figure out how high you want it, and what angle you want the splay at. The tricky part is cutting the "legs" so they meet at the top. I have a template I use now. But you get that angle (miter, I guess) and then biscuit the legs, and clamp them. Save the offcut from cutting the bevel.. use that to clamp it.

Now, I do things the hard way.. so I wait for them to dry, then I set up my super wide miter gauge and my dado, and mark the stretcher where I want it on the legs, then run it through the dado until I get the width on the legs I want. Do the same to get the half lap on the stretcher, and glue that in.

(if you want to do the trefoil, it's just a trisected circle and forstner bits, then go around it with a bearing collar router bit.)

Then I cut the notches in the front to back rail, again with the dado, and the notch in the top of the leg with a bandsaw, and clean it up for fit with a chisel.

The back (single) leg into the 2x2 "top" leg is just a mortise and tenon fit.

They have bowed some over time, but I still use them for my cook table. I made another set in oak, which is a bit sturdier.

I'd point you to the online instructions.. but I didn't find them anywhere.. I just cobbled up that design from looking at other people's.

OH! To get the final height, you stand the legs up (assembled) on a flat floor, and then just use a block of wood or something equal, to draw a line parallel to the floor cross both front legs, and the side of hte back leg. (you want to do the back and front legs with a sleight splay front to back. If you make them straight up and down, the legs will "creep" if you give it like.. 5 degrees "out" front and back, they'll stay put). Then just cut them off along the lines (and paying attention to the splay degrees.. it's a compound angle).

They aren't as hard as they look, but I reccomend making a few spare pieces when you cut em, just so you can play with the angles before cuttin gup the "good 'parts. And mark them.. top, bottong, left right, whatever.. it gets confusing when you are working with all the different angle cuts.