Gettin' on...

Some Wood Shop Glamour Shots!


Not much to say really, all of my writing time is in the pages of the book but I wanted to share some shots from this past week. I'm halfway through projects 4 and 5 which says to me: One more to go...this is a good thing. I'm enjoying the process but can honestly say I'm looking forward to moving onto other non-book related projects. I have two or three custom pieces lined up for very patient clients who have been incredibly understanding of where I'm at with this and why I can't begin anything new until mid-March. As I'm approaching the end of this journey I'm constantly reminded of, and find myself stepping back and seeing again the true beauty of wood and wood working. Enjoy!


With my old Rip saw, still cutting like a dream since Mark at Techno gave it the over-haul; I'm re-sawing some purple heart for a couple of drawer fronts for a small wall cabinet...



Installing a pair of Brusso knife hinges on a Cherry post and panel style cabinet...this is the rather unassuming one that has the interior labyrinth of 128 joints!



Walnut cross-cut...again I can't help but to stop and think wow, this is incredibly nice wood...nice saw too! Another 'Techno' rehabilitation.



And finally the maple carcass to become a small tool box...the first project chapter of six. Stay tuned...

128 Joints

What Lies Within?

I just finished up another project for my book and wanted to share a bit of the details. The piece is a simple enough form, 2" square legs with a kind of post and panel design for the sides. One door and six drawers make a total of 32 sticks to build the frame. Sounds straight forward enough right.? What lies within? A simple form like this can be quite deceiving to the untrained eye; here's how. The 32 frame components require 128 joints; nothing crazy but a simple mortise and tenon sharing the width with a bridal joint...so far so good but if you stop to consider that each one of these joints requires up to 12 separate saw cuts, some chiseling and fine fitting that brings us to a neighborhood of 1536 scribe lines! Not so much the simple cabinet it appeared to be after all?
The hardest part for me when building a piece like this is keeping the pieces labeled and orientated properly. This is probably the most challenging piece from my book but for the reader and home woodworker who builds they're own, I can promise you this; by the time it's complete you'll be a whole lot closer in perfecting your lay out, marking and sawing techniques!
Cheers.