Bad Axe

TOOLWORKS


A teaser for all of the Galoots out there patiently waiting for the Bad Axe Tool Works hand saws to become available...we're getting closer!
Stay tuned...

Inner City Lumber Jacks

So Long, Mountain Ash...

This past Sunday I spent the morning with my friend Douglas, limbing an old Mountain Ash tree in his yard here in Toronto. We basically climbed the trunk like a pair of spider monkeys and with a Japanese style, Ryoba saw and some line made quick work of removing the limbs. Some of these were up to 6" in diameter and about 12' to 16' long so a couple of more friends were on hand with a little electric chainsaw, a few 'cold drinks' and some determination. All that was left was the trunk to deal with and we tackled that last night. We decided that instead of simply throwing it into landfill or the fire wood pile we'd try splitting some up for possible future projects. I haven't heard of anyone using Mountain Ash for furniture but hey, why not try? At best it'll be a nice little bench or the like for the backyard.
The first step was dropping this thing and we began with an old buck saw Douglas had...we shared the duties and then settled in with both of us at either side of the old frame. Between a slightly dull saw and the wet wood we were cutting it soon became clear that the little electric chainsaw was in our future. A couple of 'cold drinks' and we were off. It probably didn't save us much time but it did save our backs and arms. A relief cut here and a little wedge cut there...timber!
Even a tree on the small size like this one gives a mighty thump when it finally lands. From here we cut the remaining limbs off and blocked up the trunk into a few lengths. I wasn't sure how or if this would split for me but a couple of wedges and my Swedish made, Gränsfors axe I began the process. I started at the top end of the piece and drove in the first wedge; I wish I had a tape recorder because the cracking and splitting noises were amazing! I'd give the wedge a knock and stop...the wood fiber would continue to split and crackle for a few seconds longer every time-a very cool audio display to say the least.
The first spilt went pretty well although where the limbs once grew the grain had some irregular patterns and it went a little off. No problem though, from here I would quarter the two sides and then quarter those again. The second split went much better due to the fact that I ended up shortening the length just behind the knots and swirls where the limbs grew. We had a good time dropping and splitting this tree. The 'cold drinks' helped as well and I wondered through the entire process about woodworkers of the past doing this kind of job for all of their wood stock...it's not terribly hard work but I'm sure there's a knack to do right. I think I discovered a few tricks in this first session and will keep my eyes out for any more inner city 'gems' needing disposal. Funny this morning thinking about limbing the tree, falling it and splitting it, a few hours spent with a few more hours to go in a year or two when it dries.




I just ordered some Quarter sawn white Oak for my next project but took a slightly different method...it involved sitting in front of this computer, typing out a cut list and faxes it over to a local saw mill; not quite the same work out but hey, it's not how we get our wood onto the bench that counts, but what we do with it from there that really matters. Time for a 'cold drink'
Cheers!

Sam Maloof

January 24, 1916 - May 21, 2009
















Where do we find inspiration ?

Is it the calming curve of walnut-rocking
or the smile on the face behind the hands creating...
An inspiration to all not only working wood; but to all that work and live.
Peace.

Planes in the Mail

Philly Planes


Just got another update from Phil Edwards regarding my hollows and rounds...they're complete and should be in my grubby little hands by the end of next week. I love it when manufacturers give updates of their work while it's being done, it makes parting with my hard earned cash that much easier! Phil has been extremely professional and a pleasure doing business with; if his planes are half as good as his customer service then I'll be a happy woodworker.
I'll let you know when they arrive.
Cheers!

David Charlesworth Comments

On Edge Jointing

In a previous post I was looking at some edge jointing techniques David Charlesworth uses and a few readers made some comments and posted a few questions. I thought it would make much more sense to ask David himself, instead of carrying out another online discussion or thread speculating the how's and why's of his methods with readers. He was gracious enough to drop me a note; if you didn't see the original post you can see it here. Be sure to read the comments there to better understand the topic.
Cheers!




Tom,

Sorry for the delay in getting back to you, I do appreciate your interest in some of my techniques and the mention of these on your very professional looking blog...

If an edge joint is made with a slightly cambered iron, the glue line when visualised from the end should be slightly thicker at the centre of the joint than at the surfaces.

I think he (Tico) is correct. However if sufficient clamping pressure is achieved, Hoadley suggests something in the order of 200 lbs per square inch, I doubt that this effect will be a problem.
Most medium density hardwoods are somewhat compressible. The original hollow from a slightly cambered iron is of the order of a few tenths of a thousandth of an inch, over the width of a 3/4 inch board.

I would suggest that the hollow in width, could only be a problem if the camber is excessive, i.e. a Scrub plane blade, or if the work was very thick.

The correct place to post this is eluding me but please feel free to post it on the blog.

best wishes,
David Charlesworth

Hand Made Modern...Take 3

A Fall Front Desk in Walnut

O.k. so my last few blogs have been about other people's handy work, hand tools and the like and I'm happy to say that I'm back in the wood shop working again on my own projects.
These last few weeks have been busy with life outside of the wood shop so it'll be great to make some shavings again. I'm working on a new piece that follows in the realm of the 'hand made modern' line I'd been designing over the past year. The first was the walnut entertainment cabinet and the second the walnut and aluminum sideboard. This new piece is also made from solid walnut with an interesting take on some through dovetails I've been calling a finger tail split... It's basically a technique where I cut wide through dovetails as per normal procedure and then split each one again with a finger joint. It makes for a unique look but can be a little tricky to execute. The photo shows the main carcass dry fit together with the door panel glued up in the foreground. The upper main carcass is a basic box with a fitted interior secretary incorporating drawers and shelves. The door panel will have bread board face and the cabinet will have a rabbeted back dust panel. The leg frame will really be the component that transforms this piece from a simple dovetailed box and draw it into a more, Mid-Century Modern vein. (at least that's the plan on paper) Funny how things can change when you start to 'get into the grain'.
I'll be posting some more details as I go so stay tuned...
Work really does make life sweet!