WoodworkingONLINE.com

Last night I undertook the task of cleaning 2 weeks of accumulation off my benchtop.

Some of the clutter was the remnants from fun projects. But mostly it was the residue of home maintenance – sound familiar? After cleaning the benchtop, I got to thinking about what items I would allow to remain.

Now, there are the tools that we own, and then there are the tools that we actually use (a much smaller list). I like to keep my benchtop clean and not use it as a storage shelf. But, I’ve got a couple of tools that never seem to leave my benchtop because I use them constantly. They include a small square, block plane, dust brush, mallet, measuring tape, a mechanical pencil, and finally a bench knife.

A bench knife can quickly round the edge of a tenon that needs to fit into a routed mortise, clean a tight joint, bevel an edge, and do many tasks quickly and easily. And it is a wonderful companion to my block plane and chisel.

Now, by bench knife, I don’t mean a utility knife. Utility knives are great for straight down scoring and cutting thin materials like carpet, tar paper, matboard, and the like, but, utility knives are not woodworking tools. The blades wiggle about, are too wide, and the handles are designed only for an inline power grip making fine control very difficult.

A bench knife is a woodworker’s tool. It should have an appropriate handle size and shape, one that can easily be gripped and pulled in conjunction with using the thumb to brace against the workpiece, similar to the motion of making a fist, or firmly and comfortably gripped to push the blade away, or make a piercing cut.

A bench knife should have a tapered blade so that the tip can get into tight spaces yet the base of the blade is stout enough for heavy cuts. Also, the blade should not flex (flexible blades are for peeling fruit) and a cross section that can “roll” into and out of a cut.

And forget about A2, cryogenic steel, molecular packing, or any steel-related voodoo you may have heard about. Tried-and-true high carbon steel that has been properly heat treated makes a wonderful blade that has the right combination of toughness and edge-holding ability.

For a purchased knife, my favorite is a 2″ knife by Frost. It’s a plain unadorned knife and the price is reasonable. I used this knife daily for years carving figures as part of my former life as a craftsperson, so, I can vouch that the blade is of good quality with a shape that makes it quite versatile. The center swelling of the handle is comfortable and allows for a variety of grips.

So think about adding a bench knife to your benchtop. There are the tools we own, then there are the tools that we use. A good bench knife is a tool that you will use.

P.S. Off in the future the making of a bench knife may be a project in ShopNotes. My first prototype uses a purchased knife blank to which custom wood scales have been riveted on. The nameplate is a fun addition. (Who doesn’t like to personalize their tools?) I may also custom make a knife blank from tool steel.

It’s not very often I develop projects for ShopNotes using a set of well thought out plans. More often I just have a general idea of what I want documented by a few pages of illegible notes and sketches. It may be kind of a mad-scientist approach, but as a designer, I like to let the project be somewhat directed by the experience of building. I leave the possibilities open and see what happens. I find out what works well and what doesn’t work at all, what’s simplest to build and what’s a nightmare, what’s attractive and what should be hidden away forever, and change and modify as I go. There’s always a few good surprises. And, always a few problems I just didn’t anticipate.
Once I begin building and learning though, I start to lock in certain dimensions and shapes. New parts are made as things progress. Old parts may have to be remade several times to adapt to changes. Each part needs to match the critical dimensions of screw hole locations or joinery for where it will be located. Sometimes, I will need to remake the entire project as a finished piece for the magazine. And (unfortunately), deadlines stop me being the experimenting designer and force me to start creating working drawing with lots of very exact dimensions that can be used by our shop builders and in the magazine.

Whether I am building from plans or just winging it, I rely on accurate layout as a discipline to produce quality results. Good layout is just good shop practice, like returning to the kitchen all of the coffee cups that you take out to the shop and not tracking sawdust in the house. Here are a few basic principles that I use in my shop work:

Establish a Baseline and Start Point. The first step in laying out a part is to establish a baseline. This is a reference line for all the other measurements and angles that are found in each part. This can be the trued edge of a board, the factory edge of a sheet good, or a line marked or drawn with a sharp pencil or marking knife. In the case of a part that exhibits symmetry, a centerline can be the baseline. The baseline acts as an X-axis.

We will also need to establish an end point to start our measurements from. This will often be the cut end of a board.

Layout Critical Points and Angles First. The next step is to start laying out the critical angles and points. It is important that as you lay out the points and angles that you continue to use the baseline and start point to locate them and not off of each other. This will help prevent cumulative error, and therefore, cumulative frustration.

Basing new layout criteria off of old is trouble. No layout point or line is perfect. Each will contain some error and each additional error will compound. Even if you are working from plans, remember that there’s no substitute for measuring from true life. In the case of a point or perpendicular line, try to directly transfer the locations with a pencil mark to your baseline and extend the line with a square rather than measuring from the original and then taking that measurement to your part. The more direct the path, the less chance of error.

Add Non-Critical Lines, Points, and Forms. After all the critical measurements are in place you have a foundation from which you can add the remaining swoops, curves, lines, and angles that complete the part.
It’s worth noting at this point that if you have multiples, a layout template can save some time and add consistency to your work. Thin hardboard is a favorite of mine. It’s easy to work with and looks professional. (Although, I have quite a few templates I use for carving work that are cut from Cheerios boxes and they seem to work, but, they don’t look professional.) Cut the template to exact size if you wish, or for fine work what I do is to cut templates a little small so that when I go around the template with a pencil the center of the pencil line is the actual size of the part. Otherwise, the pencil line is a bit larger than the final part and I end up having to saw and sand my reference lines away. (I find comfort in seeing those lines.) Mark layout points on the template by drilling a small hole just large enough for the tip of a pencil. You can then easily and accurately transfer points from template to workpiece.

Be Consistent. Last, just approach layout in a consistent and workmanlike manner. Once you have an established a ritual it’s not the tedious bother that it might seem. In fact, the expression that applies here is “in discipline lies freedom.” Or for my part, it means that I can keep fewer parts, fewer projects, and my attitude out of the Dumpster.

Regular Woodsmith readers will recognize the Classic Cherry Bed in the photo. It complements several bedroom furniture projects that have been published by Woodsmith. But wait, something is not quite right. Can you guess?

The bed was built by WoodNet Forums member Borderline. He says, “This bed is a combination of many plans I have seen. Many of the features are from the Woodsmith plans (classic cherry bed), however, I did not curve the upper rails and all of the slats are real M&T joints. The side rails are 1.5″ thick and attached with KD fasteners (the mortise type, not surface mount). The rails on the headboard/footboard, the side rails and the legs are all laminated from 4/4 stock and “veneered” with 1/16th shop sawn ‘Veneer’, the rails are also capped with a decorative piece that hides the lamination.”

Workbench Magazine has been doing some interesting things with plywood, paint and stain–creating beautiful furniture that’s well-made, fun to build, and surprisingly in expensive. The current issue, Number 311, is no exception with a couple terrific cabinets for living rooms, family rooms, or where ever you display your favorite books and curios or watch wide-screen TV. But they also focus on storage, and I especially liked the roll-around garage storage cart in this issue. It’s a clever, multi-sided cart that has loads of storage space in a compact footprint. They call it a garage storage cart, but I can see this in use anywhere you need lots of storage, but don’t have much space.

Over in the WoodNet Woodworking Forums, member Steven has posted several photos of rocking horses he’s making for his grandchildren. In doing so, he’s carrying on a family tradition begun by his father who made a rocking horse for Steven’s children.

Family built items hold that special appeal. Around 30 years ago my Father built this rocking horse for our first child. She is now married and starting a family of her own and her daughter now has her rocking horse…. Over the years this simple rocking horse will get built many more times as needed as our 6 children start their family’s.

One of the things that makes woodworking interesting and a lifetime hobby is that it covers a lot of ground. Furniture-making, boatbuilding, carpentry, marquetry, carving, green woodworking and turning are just a sampling of the many types of woodworking. Recently I have been enjoying woodworking on a small scale building a wooden sailing ship from a kit. It has been a surprise to find that so many of the techniques that I use in “full scale” woodworking are also used in miniature woodworking. I have wet-bent hull planking, laminated curved cap rails, cut tiny mitered joints, sanded, stained and varnished the deck and hull, and have produced a cup full of tiny cutoffs, shavings, sawdust, and mistakes.

Although the techniques are same as in full size woodworking I have had to adapt to the new (small) circumstances by making some new tools and modifying others. (This is, of course, something that we thrive on at ShopNotes Magazine.) One of the challenges has been to fit the hull planking. Covering an organic shape such as a boat hull requires that the planks taper and flow to produce what is called a “fair line”. In order to work 1/32 x 1/4 walnut strips I needed a vise long enough to clamp a plank and a model-size hand plane. You can see the results in the photo. I cringe at the thought of “cute” tools, but the hand plane(finger plane?) is kind of a cute size. The plane fits in with the small hammer and C-clamps I use. And, I suppose I’ll have to grudgingly admit that they’re cute too.

If you’re designing tools for big work or small, there are some points to consider:
1) Tools should work well and efficiently. Obvious huh? Well I’ve built my share of creative, pretty, and well built tools that didn’t work worth a darn. The excitement over your new creation will quickly disappear if it’s not doing the job. So, be brutal in your assessments and if the facts bear out just call your “tool” a prototype, art object, or firewood, and try again.
2) Don’t let your tools dictate the style or methods of construction of your work. I know it happens, but we shouldn’t limit ourselves or get into a formula of building based on the tools we have (or current abilities or current knowledge). Tools should never dictate the outcome of your project. Once again, the work leads; tools and shop follow.
3) Tools should be intuitive. Visually it should be obvious what the function is and how to use it. We can be creative in our approaches, decorative if we wish, but a plane should look like a plane. Tools should also be intuitive in their physical use as well. You should know where to put your hands. The grip should feel natural and ergonomic.
If I do any more miniature woodworking I’ll go back and refine my vise and plane. And add few new tools as well: maybe a small spokeshave, a mini-miter box, and a jig to aid in cutting stripwood with a knife. I just don’t want them to be cute.

P.S. One frustration I had to deal with was trying to cut some additional walnut hull planking. 10″ contractor saws don’t do a very good job ripping 1/32 x 1/4 strips. But, if I need any more there is an answer, ShopNotes designer Ken Munkel has a great project coming up in issue 105. It’s a micro fence and table for cutting small pieces. And it’s not just for models,  you can use it for inlay, stringing, edging, or any time you need precision cut wood.

When you design for ShopNotes Magazine you can’t help but develop an appreciation, even an obsession, for hardware. Not just flashy hinges and knobs, but mundane bearings, springs, brass rod, plastic sheets, cranks, pipes, motors – even threaded rod. There are more bits, parts, and stuff out there than you can believe. (Just sit down with all 3,602 pages of the McMaster-Carr industrial supply catalog. You’ll be amazed. And you’ll be inspired.)

A few years back in ShopNotes, we did a version of an English carving vise that appeared in Issue No. 71. (Editor’s Note: This issue is available as part of ShopNotes Annual Volume 12, a hard-bound collection of Issues 67 — 72.) I have an early prototype in my home shop that I use often. At the time we designed this project, the only reasonably priced and available option for the screw mechanism was to use standard threaded rod. The size I used was 3/4″-10 NC threaded rod. It works well, but you know how it can be if you need to go a distance on regular threads, spin, spin, spin, yawn, spin, spin some more. Standard V- thread is more for sealing and fastening applications rather than quick movement. What I really wanted to use was ACME threaded rod.

So what’s so great about ACME thread? This stuff has the guts you want for strong clamping and it won’t put you to sleep spinning the handle. What sets it apart are the shape of the threads. The threads are large, broad, and square, which provides great strength. And, because there are fewer threads per inch, it offers rapid lateral movement. ACME threaded rod and fittings are available in two grades: general-purpose grade or precision grade.

General-purpose ACME thread has one start, or one continuous thread, the same as standard thread on bolts and screws. Precision acme thread can have up to five starts delivering much more lateral movement per revolution.

General-purpose ACME threaded rod has a looser fit, better for dusty shop environments. Precision ACME threads are made to much higher standards as it’s often used for lead screws in lathes, milling machines, and industrial equipment requiring great precision and durability. This precision and durability can cost 3-4 times as much as general-purpose ACME rod.

General purpose ACME rod is the type we’re interested in. It’s now available through two of my favorite suppliers (McMaster-Carr and ENCO) and priced reasonably enough for projects in the home shop.

Of course, there needs to be something for the threaded rod to engage. Square, hex, and cylinder nuts are available for general-purpose use. Brass and bronze nuts are also available. They’ll travel move lightly than steel, but I find that plain steel hex nuts are the best option as they are versatile and also inexpensive. So, I don’t have to cry over a nut buried in epoxy that didn’t work out.

A few simple design rules. First, when I build any mechanism out of wood, I don’t strive to build with perfect precision. Instead, my aim is to build the structure around the mechanism, altering and adjusting to it to accommodate the movement that I want.

What I mean is rely on accuracy rather than precision. (Precision means building to a tight standard. Plus or minus 1/8″ might be precise for a house. Plus or minus .0001″ might be precise for a wristwatch.) Accuracy is building toward what’s right or true. In the case of a shop made vise or clamp, this means it should work smoothly and effectively.

The second rule is to design mechanical projects from the beginning with a bit of float in them. If it rattles a bit more than you like in winter be satisfied by knowing it will still work fine in the summer.

Finally, just like a powered machine, moving parts benefit from lubrication. In a dusty shop environment greases and oils collect dust, dirt, and other shop grime. So, the best choice is a dry lubricant. There are convenient spray dry lubricants available, but I prefer the old-fashioned paste wax I use on my woodworking projects. Is it the best choice? No, but I always have some around and it’s easy to apply.

“Working tools” such as vises, hold downs, and clamps are great projects for your shop. Not only will you get the satisfaction of using a tool that you’ve made, but, the tool can be built specifically to suit your requirements and style of work. Additionally, there will be a whole new range of things to learn including the strength of individual materials, the strength of assemblies, and principles of simple mechanics. Designing and building tools can be a fun challenge to your ingenuity.

If you decide to build one of these working tools take some time to consider all your hardware options. Even a small upgrade like using ACME threaded rod will make a huge difference in how your project will turn out. Your project will look and work like a “real” tool.

Spoiler Alert: I’m in the early stages of designing a benchtop vise that will possibly appear later this year in ShopNotes Magazine. I’d like to hear what you’d include in the way of design, materials, and features.