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I started woodworking in the 1980′s, and like many if not most woodworkers, James Krenov was an inspiration beyond description. He did such beautiful things with wood, and he shared his skill and knowledge with many others. He passed away September 9th.
From the official James Krenov website: “A recognized furniture maker in Sweden, he moved to Northern California in 1981, where he created and led the College of the Redwoods’ Fine Woodworking School. In his twenty years with the school he taught hundreds of eager students from around the world while continuing to build his own fine furniture. He retired from the college in 2002. James Krenov is represented with works at museums in Sweden, Norway, Japan and the U.S.”
Lots more information about him and photos of his work are at his website. The photo is from his website.

Many of you know Joel as the organizer and facilitator of the woodworking, gardening, and cooking demonstrations and seminars at the Woodsmith Store in Des Moines, Iowa.  He is also an editor for Woodsmith and ShopNotes magazines and facilitates the blog you’re reading now. It is with great sadness that we pass on the news that Joel lost his wife Lisa on Wednesday, June 24, 2009.  She died from complications of ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease).

Lisa Hess was an amazing individual filled with kindness and gentleness. She was a gifted gardener and her landscapes were always filled with immense beauty. She will indeed be greatly missed.

Lisa, while you’re tending to gardens much more beautiful than we could imagine, we promise to try and keep Joel out of mischief.

We have an easy and fun project coming up in the next issue of ShopNotes that I think you’ll really like. It is sharpening stone box. I got the idea few months ago when I caught sight of a small box on Vince’s (managing editor of Woodsmith) desk. It was a sharpening stone box that Vince made patterned after one in an early 20th century book on woodworking.

What’s fun about the design of the box is that both the top and bottom are made from single pieces of wood that have been hogged out to accept the sharpening stone. The top had a routed edge and the bottom had a band-sawn profile. A simple, direct, and very appealing evening project with as many variations as you can think of.

Now, the heart of this project is creating the cavity for the sharpening stone and as simple as this might seem it took a few tries to get right. I thought about just chiseling them out. But, years ago I had made some boxes for carving tools that were carved from solid slabs and based on that experience, I knew this method was out. Next, I tried using a Forstner bit and then cleaning things up with a chisel. This worked OK but left an ugly bottom full of dimples and circles from the bit.

Then, I went to the router table and  made a template with a rectangular cutout that registered off of the outside of  the top and bottom of the sharpening stone box. To figure the size of the opening  just take the width or length of the stone, double that number, add 1/16″ extra for play, subtract the diameter of the router bit, and add the desired  wall thickness of the box, twice (confused yet?). Plunge cut this opening in some plywood to make a template, clamp it to the router table centered around the router bit with spacers to let out the sawdust, and  then impale the blank on a spiral router bit  and remove the waste, carefully, since you can’t see the bit. And there you go.

I can say that this method worked. But I can’t say it was simple, or easy, or felt comfortable. Later, Joel, the editor for this project diplomatically asked, “Is there a reason why you did it this way?” rather that just saying “Chris, this is a stupid way to make these boxes.” Joel and the ShopNotes staff had a project meeting and devised a much simpler approach. Their idea was to just use a template cut to the exact size of the desired opening and to use an upper bearing hinge mortising bit, it keeps everything in plain view — no critical dimensioning, easy, straightfoward, and safe. I had made the process overly complicated. I should have slowed down and taken the time to ask myself a few questions about the method of building: Is it accurate? Is it safe? Is it simple? Am I getting the results that I want? The lesson here is that you need to take the time to ask the right questions if you want to get the right answers.

I ended up making nearly a dozen boxes and really enjoyed coming up with appealing looks. These boxes are simple to build and a lot of fun. And, it’s a great project to use up some of those cutoffs and wood “treasures” that you’ve got squirreled away. If you decide to build a sharpening box, please send us a picture, we would love to see what you’ve done. (Pictures should be sent as attachments to cfitchATaugusthomeDOTcom.)

Over at WoodNet Forums, member TomFromStLouis posted in-process photos and how to for an unusual project he just finished:

A friend of mine bought a 1965 Austin-Healey 3000. Suddenly I began to think that here was a fellow I always appreciated, but perhaps not as much as I should have. When I commented that the after-market steering wheel did not match the figured walnut dash, he handed me the original wheel covered in cracked Bakelite.

Lots of photos and discussion here.

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.

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.

I like layout tools. Now, of course, a speed square and a lumber crayon are layout tools, but there’s no romance of craftsmanship there. It’s the fancy layout tools that catch my eye. Fine layout tools provide good results and inspiration. Moreover, I like to think (and hope) that by using well-made layout tools I’ll get a project off to the right start and will enjoy a well thought out and well-reasoned project. No uh-ohs, no panics, no problems.

So, I thought it was time to tackle a layout tool project in ShopNotes Magazine. My choice is a pair of dividers. Now, dividers don’t get used very often, but, when you’re dealing with layout work requiring the accurate division of circles, curved lines, scribing, or the transfer of dimensions from irregular objects they can be indispensible.

When I design a project, I find it’s often invaluable to build prototypes. Sketching and computer modeling are important aids in designing a tool. However, prototyping is when it all comes together. Learn by doing (learn by failing). When you hold and look at a tool in your hands and then use that tool, the faults and limitations quickly become apparent. As I work my way through designing these dividers, I thought I’d share my first prototype pair of dividers. There will be more, of course. Build, evaluate, change, and build again.

I started thinking about this design a few months back while taking a blacksmithing class. On the wall hung a large pair of hand-forged dividers. I thought they were beautiful. As I said, I believe tools should inspire us and there should be beauty in the objects that we surround ourselves with. So, I knew I’d have to make a pair. When I asked our instructor about the dividers, He said that they were patterned after a design by Leonardo DaVinci. DaVinci huh? I’d say that’s good source material.

These dividers are constructed of 5/32″ mild steel for the legs, 1/8″ steel for the wing, and some misc. parts. Metalwork, like woodworking, is often an exercise in reduction (to create individual parts) and then a process of synthesizing the individual parts to form the finished item. The legs and wing were laid out on blued steel stock and then cut out using a hacksaw followed by filing and drilling. I used a multidirectional hacksaw blade to cut the curved wing. One point of construction that I found interesting was riveting the two legs together. A brass rivet was inserted into the two legs, heated with a propane torch and hammered. Now the legs are supposed to move relative to each other, right? But aren’t they hammered tight? Well, yes. But we’re not done. If you heat the riveted area up with torch and begin to move the legs little by little, with some effort the legs will soon begin to move freely as the shank of the rivet is stretched and formed. Cool it all down in water and the metal will shrink and it will be freer yet. Certainly not a new technique but new to me.

The final design will be in ShopNotes 105. It may not look anything like what’s shown here. (I have a number of sketches to build prototypes of.) Build, evaluate, change, and build again.

Chris Fitch

When you’re home celebrating Thanksgiving tomorrow, look around your house. If there’s one thing we can all agree on, it’s that we can use more storage – as long as we don’t have to sacrifice a lot of floor space to get it. That’s what makes this tower bookcase so useful. It takes up less than two square feet of floor space – yet gives you six deep shelves for books and collectibles.

You can download the bookcase plans for free – they’re the sample plans offered to people considering joining PlansNOW.com. So while you’re downloading the plans, be sure to check out PlansNOW’s new membership offers. That makes everything kosher (which is also nice on Thanksgiving). Have a terrific holiday!