Saw Stop

Old school style
 


I really don’t know what all the fuss it about- saws with automatic stopping mechanisms and the like. Not to brag but my antique Disston has been equipped with this so-called ‘new technology’ ever since I got it.
Yesterday, while ripping some maple my thumb somehow got in the path of the blade. Yikes! Could have been catastrophic but as soon as it started cutting into my flesh it stopped- go figure.
Saw stop old school style.

; ) It’s Monday morning- time to get at it…

Here comes the Sun...

and I say- it's all right
 

 

…Little darling, it’s been a long cold lonely winter
Little darling, it feels like years since it’s been here
Here comes the sun
Here comes the sun, and I say
It’s all right…

Here Comes the Sun- LENNON/HARRISON/MCCARTNEY

I begin the day with a strong cup of coffee and a mason jar filled with hot water. Into the jar I place a small container of Liquid Hide Glue. By the time I swallow a few mouthfuls of coffee, the glue is again liquid and ready to use.
Through the day I leave it on my window sill to capture what little sun pours into the basement wood shop. They say the days are getting longer…indeed- here comes the sun.
Work is good. Warm glue is better. Time to get at it.

Waxed Line

It's not just for wrapping meat anymore.

Last summer frame and panel door is held in place with waxed line.

So some wood shop essentials eh?
Jack plane- check. Panel saw-check.
24-in. steel rule-check. Waxed line-hmmm…??

A few years ago my Father-in-law gave me a spool of waxed line. I started using it for dry fits and other jigs and set ups around the wood shop and you know what? I couldn’t live without it.
Sometimes called waxed linen thread as well as 6-4 cord, it’s almost impossible to tear with your hands and when you tie a knot in it, it stays put.
This weekend while I was making a drawer for a project in my new book I used it to dry fit the components. A quick wrap around the drawer box and I’m good to go. In the past I would use clamps or blue painters tape but this stuff works so much better and is a heck of a lot faster. Another great thing is you can use it over and over again so a spool will last you years.
Another little work shop secret I thought I’d share.
Cheers!

Waxed line holding a drawer together for a dry fit.

Crosscut saw to rip wood?

A cross cut saw that can rip a 36", 2" thick plank of walnut? Only from Bad Axe Tool Works.

So earlier this week I was working away in the wood shop and dimensioning some big planks of 2″ walnut for the second project in my book. I had just finished cross cutting the 13″ wide behemoth when my son yelled down with some pertinent information about a vomit flavored jelly bean he was testing!?! Anyhow, I set up the plank and accidentally grabbed my Disston crosscut saw and started ripping the wood. “Ripping with a cross cut saw you say?” Impossible. Yes, that’s the general consensus but this particular crosscut saw was sharpened by Mark Harrell at Bad Axe Tool Works and for some crazy, almost magical reason, it’s extremely capable when ripping wood as well. Go figure.
I always told students that you can cross cut wood with a rip saw but ripping wood with a cross cut saw is a definite no-no. Well, I’d better revise that statement. You can cross cut wood with a rip saw ( leaves a jagged edge but works just fine ) but ripping wood with a cross cut saw seems to only work well with a saw sharpened by one of our modern day masters. I tried to rip wood before using other cross cut saws and they failed miserably. Slow going- no where fast. This time I went through this 2″ walnut that was about 36″ long in no time at all. Mind boggling information eh?
So, the moral of the story?
I’m not really sure. Maybe this- if you only want to buy one saw? Get a rip saw to tackle both operations -OR- get a cross cut saw from Bad Axe! ( I hear that he’s working on panel saws this year!!) hmm…..not that I need one.  ; )

Scrub Plane or Rip Saw?

Shavings or Veneer?

I’m often asked about using a Scrub plane to remove material in a hurry or when I choose to saw away the waste instead.
” too much to plane and not enough to saw…”
Where do you draw the line?
How much material can you remove with a scrub plane?
How little material can you rip with a hand saw?
I recently saw someone demonstrating how quick and easy it is to remove up to a quarter inch of material from the edge of a board with a scrub plane and the entire time I was thinking that it would make more sense to simply saw it off. Granted if you don’t have a good rip saw and a proper saw bench designed for ripping wood then maybe a scrub plane is the way to go-
These days I find my scrub plane is collecting more and more dust because I’m reaching for my hand saw instead.

This past weekend while I was building my saw bench ( which is perfect for ripping wood as it has one side square to the top so no worries about sawing into splayed legs as well as a ripping notch down it’s length for supporting both sides of the cut when sawing thin material ) I needed to remove a little under a 1/4″ of material for two of the legs that are about 2″ x 2 3/4″ and approximately 20″ long.  In the past I would have reached for the scrub plane and in a few minutes be left with a pile of shavings. The idea of ripping a thin slice of wood was a challenge and it always seemed to be a struggle when ripping wood in general. I often hear wood workers saying they use hand tools for everything except when it comes to ripping wood. I can’t say I blame them if they’re not set up properly.
Well those days are over and my approach now is to rip away the extra material. Instead of hamster bedding I get some thick veneer or thin stock- whatever way you look at it I’ll have an off cut of solid wood instead of a pile of shavings. Those thin offcuts are great for small projects, lamination work or even small drawer sides.  Maybe they’ll eventually become fire wood or land fill but at least I’ll have the option.
Where do I draw the line?
At an 1/8″ ? Maybe.
If the wood isn’t anything special and is full of checks or cracks then instead of ripping it I’ll grab the scrub and hog off the excess material but nine times out of ten I’ll saw it off. Of course if you’re trying to turn a 1″ board that’s 10″ wide into a 3/4″ board you’d be getting into some serious resawing and that’s another thing altogether.
Ripping wood is one of the most intimidating jobs for new wood workers in the hand tool shop. But I promise if you put in the time and practice the technique it’ll be second nature in no time at all.
So anytime I need to remove a bit of material off the width of my stock it’s a rip saw I reach for.
Just thought I’d share that.
PS. the sawyers bench is one of the projects in my new book~; )
cheers!

Thanks to OBG

Old Brown Glue

I started using Old Brown Glue a couple of months ago. Why?
I suppose initially I wanted it to be an introduction of sorts into the world of Hide Glue without having the start up cost of purchasing a glue pot. I like the idea of reversible joinery and a glue that doesn’t mess up finishing. Here in my shop I like to keep the finishing process as simple as possible.
Well it didn’t take too long before the Old Brown Glue paid off and that happened this morning. Yesterday, I glued up the legs and cross members of another new saw bench I’m building. Somehow I mixed up the legs and this morning, when I went to attach the top boards to the sub frame assembly it didn’t fit.
????

: o

What the heck happened?
Worse- what was I going to do now?
Thankfully, I’m using Old Brown Glue…

; )

I grabbed my electric kettle fitted with pipe and hose ( a set up I use for steam bending ) and in about 5 minutes time I was able to bang the joints apart without any damage to the wood. A bit of warm water cleaned up the joints and I’m ready to glue the frame back together the right way this time!!
So, thanks to OBG I didn’t have to rebuild half of the saw bench and I can continue on with the rest of my new book projects.
If you’d like to have the luxury of reversing your joinery ( when you completely mess something up like I did ) then I’d recommend you visit Patrick Edwards site and place an order.
Cheers!

Speaking of Wood

Some thoughts from the Unplugged Woodshop….
; )

Happy New Year !