This is not Paul Simons Door
Well I'm busy as hell and goin' crazy like a bag of hammers...chopping out the mortises these last few days I don't have time for a full blog so I thought I'd post a video with a few minutes of real time working. The quality is 'Blair Witch' shaky and the audio track is my old record player in the corner...I was listening to Graceland-Paul Simon's wonderful album from way back when? How old am I now? This is one of the best parts of a hand tool shop, being able to work and listen to records. Bet you can't say that over the deafening drone of a table saw!
In this clip I'm chopping the haunched portion of the mortise using a massive Hirsch Mortise Chisel,(by the size of these things I can only assume they're manufactured in the magical land of Giants where everyone has hands like silver back gorillas.) Then I establish the depth of the haunched portion with my Veritas Large Router plane. I clean out the waste with a swan neck chisel from Henry Taylor in England and some paring with a large Japanese bench chisel. I think that covers it...sorry for the rushed post but I've gotta keep going on this.
Cheers.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Monday, June 15, 2009
Exterior Wooden Door Part Two
A Closer Look at Mortising using a Brace and Bit
I had a few comments from my last post and thought it would make sense to answer them here. Been busy this week so I apologise for the delay. To start off with, no...I won't be publishing the address of my clients home where this door is destined so you can do a 'drive by'...they may not think that's such a good idea! :) As for a template, I tried to get some shots of the one I made; sorry for the quality but with the low ceiling in the basement shop I can't get the entire template in one shot so I'll try to sketch a diagram for my next post. I basically just cut out a piece of luan to match the finished door size and then carefully drew to scale all of the elements of the finished piece...joinery, rails, stiles etc... I was asked about the process I've been using to cross cut the rails with a inadequate size back saw. I actually took a few approaches to this and will describe it here; for the bottom rail as well as the mid-locking rail I started the cut on the board edge to establish a square kerf on either side. I then proceeded to make two passes working in from each surface. This worked well and the edge kerfs gave a track for my back saw to follow. The upper rails are thinner in width so I just made the two surface cuts meeting somewhere in the center of the board. When I lay out these lines I'm careful to work off of only my reference face and edge to keep things as accurate as possible. 
Once the sawing is complete I'll use a large paring chisel when it comes time to square off the end; if I was working with thinner stock then this would be accomplished on my shooting board but for 1 3/4" stock I prefer a chisel to say a low angle block plane. (Just my personal preference-either way works.) I hope that explains the cross cut system I follow; I should say that I used my bench hook as well as my miter hook for these large timbers...you can see my set up in the first photo. I considered my saw bench and did a test cut with my panel saw but with my limited shop space and the nature of this Oak I had better results with my large Lie Nielsen back saw. (still waiting for the 'Bad Axes' to arrive...won't be soon enough!!) With everything cross cut, ripped and surface planed square I lay out the mortises. These will be 5/8" thick and range from 2 1/2" to 3" deep. They all have 1" deep by 1" wide haunches but will be later cut down when the door panels get introduced. The 3" ones are on the stiles and wider lower rails and the 2 1/2" for the top 5" rail. The upper window rail gets a relatively shallow 1" mortise. I actually started with that one to get into the feel of the Oak and get a rhythm for the work. 
I have a great old Millers Falls brace I cleaned up about 4 years ago and it's been my daily user ever since. It's a standard 6" sweep but I don't have any issues with this smaller size. A sharp, straight bit really helps as well and I'm using a vintage Irwin auger bit I purchased for a couple of dollars at a local antique dealer. It only has one spur and is a perfect size...9/16" so I'm left with a small amount of waste to clean off the inside cheeks of each 5/8" mortise after drilling. This is a good thing-I'd never want to use a bit the exact size of my finished mortise due to the slight tear out and human error involved in the process. Even after I clearly define a center mark to register my bit some holes seem to drift ever so slightly. I figure this is mainly due to fatigue and mind meandering while performing the task. A reader mentioned using a brace with a 10" sweep...I would love to find one sometime; I can only assume it would make this process a little less demanding on the arm muscles but again, my old Millers Falls seems to be up for the challenge. 
When starting out the hole I'll check for plumb with a small engineers square placed along side the bit. I'll slowly get into the wood fiber and check again on the opposite axis. Begin working down and stop frequently to remove the waste. I just blow this off and never have to back out the bit. I should also mention my elaborate system of depth gauge...the ball of blue tape around the bit is it...nothing could be simpler. I should probably drill out a long piece of wood and cut it to length again placing it on the bit while I drill...this would indeed result in more accurate depths but these mortises don't have to be exact. Close to about 1/32" but not exact. It's only end grain meeting down there so as long as they're deep enough I don't worry too much.
The following is a quick clip of my process...one thing to notice is which hand I'm using where. I'm right handed so this goes at the top of the brace; I think the natural tendency would be to use your stronger arm for the turning motion but this is inaccurate. Use your leading hand to hold the brace secure and square and your other hand to turn. A bit of practice and you'll be reaching for the 'ol brace all of the time.
"Unplugg the drill and wrap your hand around the words of working man..."
I had a few comments from my last post and thought it would make sense to answer them here. Been busy this week so I apologise for the delay. To start off with, no...I won't be publishing the address of my clients home where this door is destined so you can do a 'drive by'...they may not think that's such a good idea! :) As for a template, I tried to get some shots of the one I made; sorry for the quality but with the low ceiling in the basement shop I can't get the entire template in one shot so I'll try to sketch a diagram for my next post. I basically just cut out a piece of luan to match the finished door size and then carefully drew to scale all of the elements of the finished piece...joinery, rails, stiles etc... I was asked about the process I've been using to cross cut the rails with a inadequate size back saw. I actually took a few approaches to this and will describe it here; for the bottom rail as well as the mid-locking rail I started the cut on the board edge to establish a square kerf on either side. I then proceeded to make two passes working in from each surface. This worked well and the edge kerfs gave a track for my back saw to follow. The upper rails are thinner in width so I just made the two surface cuts meeting somewhere in the center of the board. When I lay out these lines I'm careful to work off of only my reference face and edge to keep things as accurate as possible. 
Once the sawing is complete I'll use a large paring chisel when it comes time to square off the end; if I was working with thinner stock then this would be accomplished on my shooting board but for 1 3/4" stock I prefer a chisel to say a low angle block plane. (Just my personal preference-either way works.) I hope that explains the cross cut system I follow; I should say that I used my bench hook as well as my miter hook for these large timbers...you can see my set up in the first photo. I considered my saw bench and did a test cut with my panel saw but with my limited shop space and the nature of this Oak I had better results with my large Lie Nielsen back saw. (still waiting for the 'Bad Axes' to arrive...won't be soon enough!!) With everything cross cut, ripped and surface planed square I lay out the mortises. These will be 5/8" thick and range from 2 1/2" to 3" deep. They all have 1" deep by 1" wide haunches but will be later cut down when the door panels get introduced. The 3" ones are on the stiles and wider lower rails and the 2 1/2" for the top 5" rail. The upper window rail gets a relatively shallow 1" mortise. I actually started with that one to get into the feel of the Oak and get a rhythm for the work. 
I have a great old Millers Falls brace I cleaned up about 4 years ago and it's been my daily user ever since. It's a standard 6" sweep but I don't have any issues with this smaller size. A sharp, straight bit really helps as well and I'm using a vintage Irwin auger bit I purchased for a couple of dollars at a local antique dealer. It only has one spur and is a perfect size...9/16" so I'm left with a small amount of waste to clean off the inside cheeks of each 5/8" mortise after drilling. This is a good thing-I'd never want to use a bit the exact size of my finished mortise due to the slight tear out and human error involved in the process. Even after I clearly define a center mark to register my bit some holes seem to drift ever so slightly. I figure this is mainly due to fatigue and mind meandering while performing the task. A reader mentioned using a brace with a 10" sweep...I would love to find one sometime; I can only assume it would make this process a little less demanding on the arm muscles but again, my old Millers Falls seems to be up for the challenge. 
When starting out the hole I'll check for plumb with a small engineers square placed along side the bit. I'll slowly get into the wood fiber and check again on the opposite axis. Begin working down and stop frequently to remove the waste. I just blow this off and never have to back out the bit. I should also mention my elaborate system of depth gauge...the ball of blue tape around the bit is it...nothing could be simpler. I should probably drill out a long piece of wood and cut it to length again placing it on the bit while I drill...this would indeed result in more accurate depths but these mortises don't have to be exact. Close to about 1/32" but not exact. It's only end grain meeting down there so as long as they're deep enough I don't worry too much.The following is a quick clip of my process...one thing to notice is which hand I'm using where. I'm right handed so this goes at the top of the brace; I think the natural tendency would be to use your stronger arm for the turning motion but this is inaccurate. Use your leading hand to hold the brace secure and square and your other hand to turn. A bit of practice and you'll be reaching for the 'ol brace all of the time.
"Unplugg the drill and wrap your hand around the words of working man..."
Thursday, June 11, 2009
White Oak and Black Stout
Building an Exterior Door by Hand
Well I've been at it this week, working through the door construction. So far so good as they say; the Oak is straight grained, heavy as sin and its aroma through my basement shop is intoxicating. A good start I'll give you a look at the process thus far. Enjoy...
The first step and biggest challenge in the basement wood shop is space, or lack there of. I started with making a full size pattern or template showing all of the door components to scale-the joinery, mortise depth, haunches etc...this will go far at eliminating any unforeseen challenges on my way through the lay out stage. Take your time with this and make things accurate! Skipping a step or cutting a corner would be completely counter productive, square, straight and true this is my map to Heritage Doorville...I have to follow the road. The 1/4" piece of Luan is great for this template, I screwed some hardwood offcuts on the underside of the pattern and affixed it to my shop bents in front of my workbench. Space is limited so I have to work clean. This project will really be a test of patience in this small work space.
With an accurate template it's time to start muscling the heavy planks of Oak around the shop, again the only hard part and sometimes frustrating thing about a small workspace. I'll begin by selecting my timber, carefully studying the grain patterns for a nice aesthetic and gentle flow throughout the finished piece. Again I'm drawn into the grain of this quarter sawn timber...it's amazing and humbling to think of this tree as a living thing-so beautiful I really feel lucky to be working with such fine stock. I clearly and carefully mark each component and begin cross cutting my lengths to just over finished sizes. My joinery for the rails consist of 3" mortise and tenons with haunches on the upper and lower rails. The middle or 'locking' rail doesn't have haunched shoulders but both the mid and lower one will be split into two tenons due to the width of the pieces. Cross cutting 7/4 stock is a challenge in itself so I have to consider my options here. Saw bench with panel saw? Hook on my work bench with a back saw? I tried both and decided I had much more control and a far more accurate saw cut with the back saw. My 12" Lie Nielsen Tenon saw is up for the challenge; these cuts are at the absolute top of the size of stock I could work with this saw plate. I actually had to make two cuts from both sides-a procedure I try to avoid but is my only option on this day. If I had my Bad Axe 16" or 18" back saws this would be a much better operation but unfortunately they're still a few weeks away...I'll go through the entire lot and get everything to size, from here it's over to the saw bench and my rip saw will be introduced.
Again, ripping 7/4 white Oak by hand is not for everyone...I purchased this lumber pre-dimensioned but as you can see I still have to 'work' each piece by hand. The pre-dimensioning really saves me some time early on; buying rough stock is great for my own work but a commission like this justifies the extra expense. You can usually be safe with a 10% increase on the total cut list when pricing a piece. For me the additional hundred dollars spent on my thousand for wood is well worth it. At least a week of time saved. By pre-dimensioned lumber I mean it's been surface planned on both faces and jointed on its edges. I'll still hand plane each square inch of this stuff but only to remove the mill marks. A good investment when you're trying to make a buck while working wood with only hand tools this is something I get asked about quite often. So consider that a trade secret revealed.
I'll start off with my new Lie Nielsen panel gauge to establish the width of the pieces. I find my regular marking gauge is great for thinner jobs but anything over the 5 or 6" mark and it tends to wander a bit. The marking gauge doesn't but my control over the cut can. This panel gauge is great for this procedure. My full size Corporate Kangaroo is just getting by with the job...I have a new Rip saw in my future for the next door project but you'll have to stay tuned for that one! In the shot above you can see my limited space here between the work bench and the tool cabinet; I usually do all of my sawing on the other side of the bench which is currently where the full-size door template is set up. Work clean and 'Patience of Job'...gotta keep reminding myself that!
Alright, the components are cross cut and ripped, from here it's on to hand plane alley. A welcome place to be after the day of sawing; my shoulders are thanking me already. I'll begin with my Jack plane and go across the width of the pieces taking a traversing/controlled tear shaving.
The same procedure when using a scrub plane this process will quickly get these planks flattened out. You'd be surprised at the slight hollows and tiny hills...even off of the fine machinery they have out at A & M Wood, there is still work to be done to get these things square on four sides.
A light cut is necessary with this cross grain technique and always be careful on the outside edge especially when running at the opposing angle to the grain. A few passes back and forth, end to end then I'll go with the grain to finish off. I establish the first flat surface and then I'll do the opposite side making it parallel to this first one. With two flat surfaces I'll get into the shoulder vise and get out the Jointing plane. Because I'm paranoid about keeping everything dead accurate with this project I'm using my Veritas Jointing fence. This is an accessory they sell that clamps onto the side body of their Bevel up Jointing plane and makes sure you're planning an edge square to the first registered surface.
A good day spent surfacing the Oak and I'm finally starting to see how the door will look. This is getting exciting, the grain flowing naturally across the heavy timbers I began to appreciate just how heavy and strong this door will be when finished. I can now move on to joinery lay out and the two long stiles are the place to begin.
As I mentioned they'll have haunched mortise and tenons with two at each of the locking and lower rails. The upper rail being only 5" in width will only have one plus the two outside shoulders. These shoulders or haunches will really help to avoid any twisting or winding in the finished door.
I'll clamp the stiles together and mark them off simultaneously ensuring a truly accurate lay-out. This is just penciled in and I'll come back with a deep marking gauge and knife to make the locations permanent.
With the mortises all laid out it's time to bet my brace and a bit together. Coincidentally about three weeks ago I stopped by a local antique store and found some nice old 8" Irwin Auger bits. These things looked like they didn't see much work in their life so a quick sharpening and they were ready to go. Good bits are still hard to come by but I did notice Tools for Working Wood sell some new ones that I'm interested in. These 8" antiques were a perfect length for this application, anything longer and I'd have to work with the timber on my floor.
A few hours of drilling and the bulk of material in my mortises is removed. For anyone interested in a good arm toning work out then this is it! I'm feeling the burn in the backs of my arms for sure. A good honest days work and I'm thinking about the tenons tonight. So to back track to the title of this post...a good black stout goes down some fine with the smell of white oak lingering. Stay tuned for more.
Cheers!
PS.
The stout was enjoyed after the tools went away for anyone concerned with my personal safety.
Well I've been at it this week, working through the door construction. So far so good as they say; the Oak is straight grained, heavy as sin and its aroma through my basement shop is intoxicating. A good start I'll give you a look at the process thus far. Enjoy...
The first step and biggest challenge in the basement wood shop is space, or lack there of. I started with making a full size pattern or template showing all of the door components to scale-the joinery, mortise depth, haunches etc...this will go far at eliminating any unforeseen challenges on my way through the lay out stage. Take your time with this and make things accurate! Skipping a step or cutting a corner would be completely counter productive, square, straight and true this is my map to Heritage Doorville...I have to follow the road. The 1/4" piece of Luan is great for this template, I screwed some hardwood offcuts on the underside of the pattern and affixed it to my shop bents in front of my workbench. Space is limited so I have to work clean. This project will really be a test of patience in this small work space.
With an accurate template it's time to start muscling the heavy planks of Oak around the shop, again the only hard part and sometimes frustrating thing about a small workspace. I'll begin by selecting my timber, carefully studying the grain patterns for a nice aesthetic and gentle flow throughout the finished piece. Again I'm drawn into the grain of this quarter sawn timber...it's amazing and humbling to think of this tree as a living thing-so beautiful I really feel lucky to be working with such fine stock. I clearly and carefully mark each component and begin cross cutting my lengths to just over finished sizes. My joinery for the rails consist of 3" mortise and tenons with haunches on the upper and lower rails. The middle or 'locking' rail doesn't have haunched shoulders but both the mid and lower one will be split into two tenons due to the width of the pieces. Cross cutting 7/4 stock is a challenge in itself so I have to consider my options here. Saw bench with panel saw? Hook on my work bench with a back saw? I tried both and decided I had much more control and a far more accurate saw cut with the back saw. My 12" Lie Nielsen Tenon saw is up for the challenge; these cuts are at the absolute top of the size of stock I could work with this saw plate. I actually had to make two cuts from both sides-a procedure I try to avoid but is my only option on this day. If I had my Bad Axe 16" or 18" back saws this would be a much better operation but unfortunately they're still a few weeks away...I'll go through the entire lot and get everything to size, from here it's over to the saw bench and my rip saw will be introduced.
Again, ripping 7/4 white Oak by hand is not for everyone...I purchased this lumber pre-dimensioned but as you can see I still have to 'work' each piece by hand. The pre-dimensioning really saves me some time early on; buying rough stock is great for my own work but a commission like this justifies the extra expense. You can usually be safe with a 10% increase on the total cut list when pricing a piece. For me the additional hundred dollars spent on my thousand for wood is well worth it. At least a week of time saved. By pre-dimensioned lumber I mean it's been surface planned on both faces and jointed on its edges. I'll still hand plane each square inch of this stuff but only to remove the mill marks. A good investment when you're trying to make a buck while working wood with only hand tools this is something I get asked about quite often. So consider that a trade secret revealed.
I'll start off with my new Lie Nielsen panel gauge to establish the width of the pieces. I find my regular marking gauge is great for thinner jobs but anything over the 5 or 6" mark and it tends to wander a bit. The marking gauge doesn't but my control over the cut can. This panel gauge is great for this procedure. My full size Corporate Kangaroo is just getting by with the job...I have a new Rip saw in my future for the next door project but you'll have to stay tuned for that one! In the shot above you can see my limited space here between the work bench and the tool cabinet; I usually do all of my sawing on the other side of the bench which is currently where the full-size door template is set up. Work clean and 'Patience of Job'...gotta keep reminding myself that!Alright, the components are cross cut and ripped, from here it's on to hand plane alley. A welcome place to be after the day of sawing; my shoulders are thanking me already. I'll begin with my Jack plane and go across the width of the pieces taking a traversing/controlled tear shaving.
The same procedure when using a scrub plane this process will quickly get these planks flattened out. You'd be surprised at the slight hollows and tiny hills...even off of the fine machinery they have out at A & M Wood, there is still work to be done to get these things square on four sides.
A light cut is necessary with this cross grain technique and always be careful on the outside edge especially when running at the opposing angle to the grain. A few passes back and forth, end to end then I'll go with the grain to finish off. I establish the first flat surface and then I'll do the opposite side making it parallel to this first one. With two flat surfaces I'll get into the shoulder vise and get out the Jointing plane. Because I'm paranoid about keeping everything dead accurate with this project I'm using my Veritas Jointing fence. This is an accessory they sell that clamps onto the side body of their Bevel up Jointing plane and makes sure you're planning an edge square to the first registered surface.
A good day spent surfacing the Oak and I'm finally starting to see how the door will look. This is getting exciting, the grain flowing naturally across the heavy timbers I began to appreciate just how heavy and strong this door will be when finished. I can now move on to joinery lay out and the two long stiles are the place to begin.
As I mentioned they'll have haunched mortise and tenons with two at each of the locking and lower rails. The upper rail being only 5" in width will only have one plus the two outside shoulders. These shoulders or haunches will really help to avoid any twisting or winding in the finished door.
I'll clamp the stiles together and mark them off simultaneously ensuring a truly accurate lay-out. This is just penciled in and I'll come back with a deep marking gauge and knife to make the locations permanent.
With the mortises all laid out it's time to bet my brace and a bit together. Coincidentally about three weeks ago I stopped by a local antique store and found some nice old 8" Irwin Auger bits. These things looked like they didn't see much work in their life so a quick sharpening and they were ready to go. Good bits are still hard to come by but I did notice Tools for Working Wood sell some new ones that I'm interested in. These 8" antiques were a perfect length for this application, anything longer and I'd have to work with the timber on my floor.
A few hours of drilling and the bulk of material in my mortises is removed. For anyone interested in a good arm toning work out then this is it! I'm feeling the burn in the backs of my arms for sure. A good honest days work and I'm thinking about the tenons tonight. So to back track to the title of this post...a good black stout goes down some fine with the smell of white oak lingering. Stay tuned for more.
Cheers!
PS.
The stout was enjoyed after the tools went away for anyone concerned with my personal safety.
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