Derek Cohen
10-02-2011, 11:25 AM
I am curious about the speed at which the pros work. One reference I had was 6 1/2 hours to make a high end drawer. I consider the style of drawers I am currently building to be high-end drawers - that does not imply that I can build them at the level of the pros (I do not), but one measure of improving skills is the efficiency with which one completes these tasks. In other words, could I build a drawer with reasonable speed?
6 1/2 hours includes, I assume, all preparations: thicknessing and dimensioning of boards, finishing and installation of handles. The first two were done earlier. The last will come later.
So I set the target at 4 hours. Not the 20 minutes that Frank Klausz gives himself. Not the 3 minutes which he can dovetail an end. Fours hours because it is about 3:00 p.m. Saturday afternoon, and I have until 7:00 p.m. before I must shut up the shop and get ready to join friends for dinner. Later than that and my wife will have a few choice words for me!
There are about 25 pictures here. I hope the documentation is interesting rather than pedantic. Well, you can always skip to the end! http://www.sawmillcreek.org/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/yellowsmile.gif
The start. 2:54 p.m. Fresh boards.
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Furniture/Military%20Chests/Against%20the%20Clock/Clocked1.jpg
15 minutes to mark and saw the tails ..
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Furniture/Military%20Chests/Against%20the%20Clock/Clocked3.jpg
The shortcuts involve doubling up where ever possible. Gang sawing boards and ditto clearing the waste ...
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Furniture/Military%20Chests/Against%20the%20Clock/Clocked4.jpg
10 minutes to chisel the waste ..
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Furniture/Military%20Chests/Against%20the%20Clock/Clocked5.jpg
3:17 p.m. and time to start the half-blind tails.
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Furniture/Military%20Chests/Against%20the%20Clock/Clocked6.jpg
How long does it take to mark out with the blue tape? Including applying the tape, transfering the tails to the pin board, and removing the excess blue tape .. 10 minutes ..
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Furniture/Military%20Chests/Against%20the%20Clock/Clocked7.jpg
Sawing the pins ..
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Furniture/Military%20Chests/Against%20the%20Clock/Clocked8.jpg
Using the kerf chisel ..
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Furniture/Military%20Chests/Against%20the%20Clock/Clocked9.jpg
OK, now for something completely different (on a hand tools forum) ... using a power router to remove waste. I was shown this method a year ago by Niel Erasmus. Simply, it is just an extended platform for the router ...
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Furniture/Military%20Chests/Against%20the%20Clock/Clocked10.jpg
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Furniture/Military%20Chests/Against%20the%20Clock/Clocked11.jpg
.. and the use if a 1/8" carbide bit ...
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Furniture/Military%20Chests/Against%20the%20Clock/Clocked12.jpg
I could have set the fence to run against the boundary of the pins, but decided to end a 1/32" short and finish with chisels ...
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Furniture/Military%20Chests/Against%20the%20Clock/Clocked13.jpg
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Furniture/Military%20Chests/Against%20the%20Clock/Clocked15.jpg
The remainder of the waste was removed ...
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Furniture/Military%20Chests/Against%20the%20Clock/Clocked16.jpg
This took 12 minutes
6 1/2 hours includes, I assume, all preparations: thicknessing and dimensioning of boards, finishing and installation of handles. The first two were done earlier. The last will come later.
So I set the target at 4 hours. Not the 20 minutes that Frank Klausz gives himself. Not the 3 minutes which he can dovetail an end. Fours hours because it is about 3:00 p.m. Saturday afternoon, and I have until 7:00 p.m. before I must shut up the shop and get ready to join friends for dinner. Later than that and my wife will have a few choice words for me!
There are about 25 pictures here. I hope the documentation is interesting rather than pedantic. Well, you can always skip to the end! http://www.sawmillcreek.org/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/yellowsmile.gif
The start. 2:54 p.m. Fresh boards.
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Furniture/Military%20Chests/Against%20the%20Clock/Clocked1.jpg
15 minutes to mark and saw the tails ..
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Furniture/Military%20Chests/Against%20the%20Clock/Clocked3.jpg
The shortcuts involve doubling up where ever possible. Gang sawing boards and ditto clearing the waste ...
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Furniture/Military%20Chests/Against%20the%20Clock/Clocked4.jpg
10 minutes to chisel the waste ..
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Furniture/Military%20Chests/Against%20the%20Clock/Clocked5.jpg
3:17 p.m. and time to start the half-blind tails.
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Furniture/Military%20Chests/Against%20the%20Clock/Clocked6.jpg
How long does it take to mark out with the blue tape? Including applying the tape, transfering the tails to the pin board, and removing the excess blue tape .. 10 minutes ..
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Furniture/Military%20Chests/Against%20the%20Clock/Clocked7.jpg
Sawing the pins ..
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Furniture/Military%20Chests/Against%20the%20Clock/Clocked8.jpg
Using the kerf chisel ..
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Furniture/Military%20Chests/Against%20the%20Clock/Clocked9.jpg
OK, now for something completely different (on a hand tools forum) ... using a power router to remove waste. I was shown this method a year ago by Niel Erasmus. Simply, it is just an extended platform for the router ...
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Furniture/Military%20Chests/Against%20the%20Clock/Clocked10.jpg
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Furniture/Military%20Chests/Against%20the%20Clock/Clocked11.jpg
.. and the use if a 1/8" carbide bit ...
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Furniture/Military%20Chests/Against%20the%20Clock/Clocked12.jpg
I could have set the fence to run against the boundary of the pins, but decided to end a 1/32" short and finish with chisels ...
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Furniture/Military%20Chests/Against%20the%20Clock/Clocked13.jpg
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Furniture/Military%20Chests/Against%20the%20Clock/Clocked15.jpg
The remainder of the waste was removed ...
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Furniture/Military%20Chests/Against%20the%20Clock/Clocked16.jpg
This took 12 minutes