Fun with Scraps of Walnut

[Chris Griggs]

I spent the day at home today,while my plumber cracked open the sidewalk in front of my house and replaced my water supply line. Decided to have a bit of fun in the shop since I was home anyway.

I had a weird little (about 16" long) off cut of walnut sitting near my bench with a "live edge" so I decided to make a little wall shelf with it and some a couple other scraps. I'm not really that in to the whole slab, live edge, Nakashema kinda thing, but this actually turned out kinda cool.

Plus it was a good chance to work on my sliding dovetail skills. Here are some pics form this afternoons build and and the little shelf after a coat of BLO. Nothing fancy, just 3 pieces of wood joined with stopped sliding dovetails.

I'm not sure why I made it or what I'l do with it, but I had fun, and think its kinda a cool little thing. As always, questions, criticism, and personal insults are welcome.

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[Chris Griggs]

And a pic on what this thing might look like on a wall (imagine it without my hand)

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[Lonnie Gallaher]

CG,

Great little shelf. How is a shelf like that attached to the wall?

LLG

[Chris Griggs]

CG,

Great little shelf. How is a shelf like that attached to the wall?

LLG

Thanks! Haven't figured that part out yet. Guess I will probably drill some holes or cut some grooves in the back of the vertical supports and inset some little hanging hoops over them so when the hoops/hooks catch on a nail or screw in the wall, the nail/screws will be hidden in the recess.

[Steve Voigt]

Looks good Chris, and it's cool to get a window into your workshop. I didn't know you were a Nicholsonian. :) I really dig the vertical grain on the apron of your bench.

[Winton Applegate]

I'm not sure why I made it or what I'l do with it, but I had fun, and think its kinda a cool little thing.
Chris,

What you made reminds me of my meditation bench. No I didn't make it. Bought it at a local shop long before I could make any thing even passable out of wood. It has square drive screws though. So it's real, right ?

So
you can always take up SITTING (as opposed to just sitting) and . . .
DOING nothing, consciously and with your full and undivided attention, and BEING happy for NO REASON. Many people feel that is too much work though so take it slow and for short duration to start with so as not to strain your self.

http://i801.photobucket.com/albums/yy298/noydb1/IMG_2404_zps737a430e.jpg (http://s801.photobucket.com/user/noydb1/media/IMG_2404_zps737a430e.jpg.html)


questions
How can I become independently wealthy with no effort on my part ?

criticism
Nice figure in the walnut.
That is a funny looking work bench. It will be better when you finish getting the dog holes mortised out square :)

personal insults are welcome.
Personally I think I am too short, unappealing to look at and have a personality that only a wolverine mama could love (but not for long).
Well that was more of a criticism wasn't it ?
Hold on I'll think of something.

PS: Thank you for showing us what real woodworking looks like. Just when I was beginning to think this is a forum for sharpening obsessed plane fettlers.

[bridger berdel]

looks a little waney....

[Jack Curtis]

Hey, Chris, pretty neat shelf. Where did you get that tiny spokeshave (looks like LV)?

Oh well, never mind, found it on the LV site. Thanks for including the photo.

[Chris Griggs]

Thanks guys.

Winton, you crack me up. Might be a little small for a bench :), though actually I was kinda finding myself wishing I had brought the curves on the vertical in less so that it could be more stable free standing...might have made a nice little desk top shelf or something.

Steve, come to think of it those are my first pics into my new shop (just moved a few weeks ago). You'll notice the tan epoxy floor and white drylock walls...I did all that before I moved in. Lot of work, but totally worth it...its so much cleaner and brighter than bare concrete...no more nasty concrete dust everywhere too. Yep, that's my Nicholson. I like it a lot. If I had had the space at the time I made it I would have made it longer, and I might rethink the QR vise in the end vise position, but its served me very well. I'm planning a new bench this year, as much as I like the Nicholson, the new one will be a totally different design.

Jack, yep you found it. Its the LV mini spokeshave. I am loving this thing...would have never guessed how handy it would be. It takes an amazingly smooth/steady cut despite it diminutive size. The only "hiccup" is you need to make sure you don't get the blade too oily, don't take too heavy a cut, and make sure you really tighten down the cap well, or the blade can move a bit. Its not really a major problem, but it can happen if you don't pay attention to those things. Seriously though, I absolutely love it...would have never guessed how handy it would be.

[Mike Holbrook]

Chris I always thought you were a scrappy guy, I just never realized in how many dimensions this trait manifested itself. We have a good number of Black Walnut trees on our property and plans to thin out the timber. All I have to do is talk the wife into letting me rent an excavator again, for some reason she thinks we might end up with a lake. One day I intend to make some boards, love that wood.

[Judson Green]

Nice shelf. Just love those smaller projects.

[Chris Griggs]

Thanks Mike and Judson,

Mike, are you going to get that stuff kiln dried or just wait 10 or so years to use it air dried?

Judson, yeah I love small projects. Lots of immediate gratification....I get so little time in the shop sometimes I start to loose interest in "real" furniture projects well before they are finished. I guess that's why it might be good to have a few going at a time...than I could work on whatever is of interest at the moment. Still, quick little thing like this are very satifying.

[greg Forster]

you gotta winner here; I just love this piece- the proportions, wood selection (maybe fill the holes with black epoxy?),
the size(larger would not be as eye-catching)
this says Art Boutique all over it

Chris, I am impressed

[Chris Griggs]

you gotta winner here; I just love this piece- the proportions, wood selection (maybe fill the holes with black epoxy?),
the size(larger would not be as eye-catching)
this says Art Boutique all over it

Chris, I am impressed

Thanks Greg. I agree about the holes being filled. I was just thinking the same thing about it this morning. I'm not sure what I'd fill them with though, I worry black epoxy could look kinda plasticy and out of place...if I fill them want something dark like black epoxy but I want to make sure its kinda dull so it doesn't stand out from the oiled wood surface.

I was also thinking of making a couple bigger ones but not too much larger becasue I think this live edge stuff has more charm when its done to a small scale. I have a few of these live edge off cuts, that aren't really thick enough to make anything substantial out of them, but they'd almost all make for good wall shelves. And they are pretty quick and easy to make, while still being a good chance to do some somewhat fun/challenging joinery.

[Judson Green]

I've mixed up hide glue and swarf (from a rasp or big toothed file) of the same species and had pretty good results. Takes oil well.

[Chris Griggs]

I don't have any hide glue around, but I've used other glues and sawdust before and also shellac and saw dust. Walnut saw dust turn quite dark when you make a filler out of it. Perhaps I'll mix some walnut dust up with a bit of shellac and see how that looks.

[Jack Curtis]

...I was also thinking of making a couple bigger ones but not too much larger becasue I think this live edge stuff has more charm when its done to a small scale. I have a few of these live edge off cuts, that aren't really thick enough to make anything substantial out of them, but they'd almost all make for good wall shelves. And they are pretty quick and easy to make, while still being a good chance to do some somewhat fun/challenging joinery.

George Nakashima fans would probably think huge live edges are pretty cool, too.

Thanks for the tips on the miniature spokeshave (managed to get it added to my shipping free order at the last minute).

[Chris Griggs]

Glad the pic/info helped. I hope you like the mini shave as much as I do.

Yeah, I have mixed feeling about the Nakashima stuff...not in any extreme way..just from a personal taste perspective its not always my thing. I live about 45 min-1 hour from the Nakashema studio ,so lots of folks out here are really into that stuff. I guess I like in accent pieces....hall tables, shelves, and even small coffee tables. The big dining and conference tables, while cool looking, aren't something I'm really into. I actually have a couple fairly decent sized slabs too that I inherited, so I may very well end up making at least a large slab coffee table or something someday. Its not something I would have gone out and planned on my own accord, but since I have the slabs and can't bring myself to cut them up I'll probably make a couple Nakashem-esc things at some point.

[Peter Pedisich]

Chris, thanks for sharing... Great way to spend the day. I really like the grain and color of the top. You have inspired me to try sliding dovetails on my next project!
Pete

[Gordon Eyre]

Chris, you will have the coolest shelf in your neighborhood. Way to go with the scraps, you mde something useful and and beautiful as well.

[David Weaver]

Just a random thought, I might if I were in your shoes, fill those holes most of the way and put inlays in the thing of some sort that would hide that there were ever holes there.

[Chris Griggs]

Thanks Gordon and Peter.

Peter, yeah totally give them a go. Its an important joint in a lot of tradition casework.

I haven't mastered them yet. I mean I can pull them off (usually), but I haven't yet done them enough a to have a way that gives relatively fast consistent results...I'm still futzing with them more than I would like.

In the past I've sawed the pin walls with a backsaw and cut the tails with a rabbet plane (and then used a chisel to square the shoulders since a regular rabbet plane doesn't create the angle. That worked ok, but this time I did almost every thing with a 1.5" wide chisel with a little help from a guide block and my side rabbet plane. I felt this was much more accurate.

What I did was first lay out all the lines that would create tails, and then cutting into the end grain with my wide chisel (see first pic) pared the slope of the tail on each side of the board. Than I used the area where I had pared to the lines as a reference to pare the rest of the waste for the tail. I had a little bit of smoothing/truing to do after this so I clamped the work piece upright in my vise, set my guide block on the endgrain so that it was in line with what was left of the line I had struck (see second pic), held it down in place hard, and then ran my side rabbet plane along the guide block to make sure I had a consistent angle across the full width of the tail.

For the female portion of the joint, I decided not to saw the wall and instead chopped them all with my 1.5" chisel up against that same guide block. Once I was as full depth along the angled side walls I can back with a long paring chisel (see 3rd pic), hogged out most the waste, and then finished up with a router plane. Chopping the side walls felt less efficient than sawing when I was doing it, but I felt like it was much more accurate, and made for much easier fitting.

Anyway, like I said, I'm still figuring out my preferred way to do the joint, but at least now feel like I have a way to get consisten results (guide block and chisel) even if it is a bit slower than I would like. A dovetail plane I feel like would make it quciker and easier

[Chris Griggs]

Just a random thought, I might if I were in your shoes, fill those holes most of the way and put inlays in the thing of some sort that would hide that there were ever holes there.


That's a nice idea Dave. I like that. I shall stew on this, and see what I can come up with.

(that is if I work up enough motivation to decide to do anything about the holes...some folks like flaws like that I guess, but I think they do detract from the piece. Part of me of me doesn't care though :) )

Anyway, I have a few tiny little pieces of Ebony inlay (thanks Josh!), and this might be just the thing to use them on.

[David Weaver]

Yeah, might not do anything about it would be more likely for me. If I decided I couldn't tolerate the holes, I'd put it in my daughter's room where I wouldn't see them. The inlay would be some work, but most of it would be trying to figure out what would look nice and be a fairly easy shape to cut at the same time.

[Chris Griggs]

Yeah, given the nature of this piece (natural edge, small shelf that stuff will get set on, and made from a scrap) they don't bother me too much. I would like it better if they weren't there, but they are, and given the style of the piece I find them much less offensive than I would in something that wasn't so "au natural" looking. It's probably one of those things that I'll do if I don't have anything better to do or if I need a break from another project. Once I hang it somewhat I won't notice them anyway.

[Brian Holcombe]

Awesome!

Maybe i'm influenced by the Nakashima style, but I leave holes in walnut. I generally try to cut around them if I can, but if they are unavoidable then I embrace them.

[Chris Griggs]

Thanks Brian.

Based on all the Nakashima style stuff that's out there I think a lot of people feel the same as you.

Given the style of the piece and the fact that I just kinda made it on a whim (and my laziness), I'll probably do what you do and just embrace them.

[Frederick Skelly]

Nice shelf Chris. Love the grain!
Fred

[Winton Applegate]

Guess how I did these little'ns.


http://i801.photobucket.com/albums/yy298/noydb1/IMG_0264_zpsb324bdfa.jpg (http://s801.photobucket.com/user/noydb1/media/IMG_0264_zpsb324bdfa.jpg.html)


You would be proud of me.


http://i801.photobucket.com/albums/yy298/noydb1/IMG_0265_zpsd33d401a.jpg (http://s801.photobucket.com/user/noydb1/media/IMG_0265_zpsd33d401a.jpg.html)


Give up ?


these and the females of the species were cut by . . .
. . . .
(router table)
Ha, ha, ha,


The drawer rails were all hand sawn and planed from thick planks though.

PS: don't fill the holes keep them as is. Following the council of my mentor, which was if you have a mistake don't hide it highlight it. Those artist types . . . what can you do ?
. . . you could paint the inside of the holes black and even add some gloss finish just in the holes.
There . . . contrary to the last.

[Jack Curtis]

Glad the pic/info helped. I hope you like the mini shave as much as I do.

Yeah, I have mixed feeling about the Nakashima stuff...not in any extreme way..just from a personal taste perspective its not always my thing. I live about 45 min-1 hour from the Nakashema studio ,so lots of folks out here are really into that stuff. I guess I like in accent pieces....hall tables, shelves, and even small coffee tables. The big dining and conference tables, while cool looking, aren't something I'm really into. I actually have a couple fairly decent sized slabs too that I inherited, so I may very well end up making at least a large slab coffee table or something someday. Its not something I would have gone out and planned on my own accord, but since I have the slabs and can't bring myself to cut them up I'll probably make a couple Nakashem-esc things at some point.

Yeah, once you get to table size I'm not much of a fan either. Seems living with a live edge would be a lot like living with a valuable antique that I'd dare not consider refinishing, all crusty and stained and rough to the touch. However, I am attracted to the shape, so I'd probably follow the live edges to make dead edges.