A Poplar Project....

[steven c newman]

As noted over on the drill thread...I have a wee bit of Poplar left over....thought I try to make something out of it..:rolleyes:
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Mostly 3/4" along with some 1/2" thick stuff....maybe a box of some sort?
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Ok...Most of these edges needed a little work..
Something strange going on.....computer glitch, fouled things up.

[steven c newman]

Refer to the attached thumbnails, or Just follow along here...
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A Stanley #4 to "joint" the edges. Had to make sure all four sides matched in width, as well. Had to trim a couple ends that were NOT square. Langdon Mitre Box made sure they were squared away. Once all the lengths were sized, and square...laid out for ...pins
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As I do pins first..just easier for me. There was a problem....
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Normally a shop stool sits here...today it chose to come apart at a couple welds.:mad:
Which meant I work standing up. It also threw off how I was sawing.
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Normally when I sit to saw, I can follow the lines.....when I have to stand up....I lean to one side, or the other...and so does the saw..
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Luckily, I saw on the waste side of the lines ( or try to...;)) I then clamped things onto a 2x 6 Maple scrap, and chopped the waste away..
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Was able to get both ends cut and chopped. Legs were starting to cramp up....was able to do one more set of pins, and lay out a fourth set....legs said I was done for a while.
Well...at least it is a start...need to go shopping for a new shop stool.....or steal my son's roll-around stool...
Stay tuned..

[Bill Houghton]

Nice. Is this a draft of an article for upcoming magazine, "Poplar Woodworking," which will focus exclusively on projects done with poplar? [insert teasing smiley face]

[steven c newman]

Stay tuned...there will be some plough plane work coming soon....need grooves for the bottom and the lid's panel....maybe other tasks, as well....

Have two pieces of 1 x 4 Maple....waiting on parts to build a frame saw out of those....another thread...sometime.

Have used up almost all the the "good" hardwood in the shop.....Poplar is about all that is left. At least it is clear, straight grained lumber.

[steven c newman]

May slip out to Wall E World in a little bit, and shop for a new shop stool. Then I might be able to put in a decent day's work? Back of the lower legs are killing me, right now....Uncle Charles protesting all that standing up. When my son gets home from work in a little bit, I'll see about the stool....

Stay tuned...(may have to steal his H-F roll-around Shop Stool.....)

[steven c newman]

Son HAD a replacement stool in his room.....it is now down in the shop. Maybe I can get some work done today...after Lunch?

(We' ll how long this one holds out...no, I am NOT a chairmaker..)

[steven c newman]

Ok, here tis..
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Now I can sit down, and use the backsaw inline with the cut...
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I can even sit down and do a bit of chopping..
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Yep, that be one of the newer Aldi's chisels I chop 1/2 way down..
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Leaving a bit out at the edge....then flip this over...
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And remove the waste....This was the fourth set of pins....time to lay out some tails...
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Just a sharp pencil. As I cut on the waste side of those lines...
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Well...maybe a few extra cuts. Done on the bandsaw, I can SEE the cuts better. Mallet and that chisel to rough cut the waste, come back with the same chisel, powered by my chin, and finese to cut. Test fit?
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Close enough?
Stay tuned, more to come...:rolleyes:

[steven c newman]

Ok, I got the first two sets of tails done..
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Repeat the above steps, and soon the rest of the tails are done...
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Then a dry fit for all the sides, at once..
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Then clear the bench. Need a jig built...
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As the two longer sides need a groove at the top edge, and the bottom edge. Bottom panel goes into one, a lid panel into the other...
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Need to switch out cutters, as it is set up to plough a 1/4" bead. #13 cutter to replace the bead cutter...for now.
I can plough a groove, rotate the side, and plough the other groove. Do both long sides, the re-arrange the jig to hold the shorter ends..

Maybe after Supper, I may try to get a little more done....moving at the speed of smell...:eek: Stay tuned..

[steven c newman]

Roh-kay, here we go, and feelin' Groovy....( wasn't that a song title, long ago....)

Switched out the bead cutter for the #13 straight cutter..
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Just a 1/4" in from an edge, and 1/4" deep. #13 cutter is a hair wider than 1/4", but the skates like the extra room...
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First of the long sides was in the jig, waxed things up, and away we go...
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Had to watch that those crunchy shavings don't plug things up..
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Got the two long sides grooved...time for the ends. Had to adjust the jig a bit..
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Lots of shavings..
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Finally got all four sides grooved..
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Time to make the bottom panel ( top will be a little different sort of thing..)
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A few cuts to get it to this size. Needs a rebate all the way around the edges...but, how..
Stay tuned....

[steven c newman]

A rebate?
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That is why I have one of these #78 planes. Need to redo the jig, though..
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This was after the end grain was rebated..
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During. I also ran the #4 around, to level the playing field a bit..
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Long grain and the 78's spur do not play well, together..so, once I got the rebate started with the 78, another plane took over..
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Followed by a final pass with the 78, to check the depth. Took a few tries to get the overall width just right, had to plane the edges a bit, but..
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About ready to spread some Elmer's around, and clamp this up....

Not too worried about the top panel.....it will be a slider. Need to glue this up, before that will happen.
May add a bead or three, all around the sides....we'll see...stay tuned

And feeling groovy.....

[steven c newman]

Not much done today.....glue up has been done...
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Will need to let this sit, for a day, at least. Then a few saw cuts will get made....
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Once the corners have been cleaned up, and a few beads cut.
Need to cut this panel down to size..
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Poplar to match the rest of the box...look better than some nasty old pine plywood?
Beads will get made, just below where the slider comes out. Hmmm...2 or 3beads? Cuts to free up the end. When lid is closed, won't see any way to open the box...
Box size? Well, it is just over 12" long..
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Just over 8" wide
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And not quite 6" tall...
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Not sure what I'll stash inside...yet. Not sure what finish, yet.
Just using up some of the Scrap Bin..

[steven c newman]

Ok, this might take a couple entries, anyone mind?

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Cleaned the corners up..
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Once everything was smoothed out, edges planed smooth, I laid out for the bead work....two beads, below this line....had to reset the Stanley 45...
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Removed the short rods, and the straight cutter....
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Installed the long rods, and the #23 bead cutter...
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Have taken to using that depth stop....
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All set up..
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Worked on the ends, first...
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Then the long sides. Goal was to go all the way around with one bead, THEN reset the fence for the second beads..
Stay tuned...

[steven c newman]

Ok, second beads..
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Once these were done, time for a little saw work..
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Just down to the top bead...45 degree cut on both corners....then a cut to remove the "Handle"
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I did say remove, didn't I?
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I could then mark out the size of the top panel....cut it to size, add a rebate all the way around. A couple test fits, to make sure it will slide nicely
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Then glue the handle on the end. Will let this sit a while....have a floor to clean, again..
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Messy day in the shop....stay tuned....need to get this box done....

[steven c newman]

Lid has been "fitted", how about a PIP?
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End view..
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One of the sides...thinking of adding a bit of Walnut "trim"
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Closed lid...can you see it?
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How about now?

One last "PIP" to show you..
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Long time ago.....when I was 17 months old. Dad and his pipe.

[steven c newman]

Need some sort of finish on that Poplar, hopefully to bring the grain out..

Last picture? Taken in the Fall of 1954. House was at the corner of St. Rt. 69 ( now St.Rt. 235) and Jefferson St. in Quincy, Oh. Cornfield has been replaced by a large garage-like building, and a large Soccer Field. View is looking north into town. House is still standing...been remodeled a few times, now a few trees are in this spot.

[steven c newman]

Awaiting some sort of finish...Poplar being a like bit "Different" than the Maple I have been using....

While waiting, decided to cut a couple blanks of Maple 1x stuff......trying to build a frame saw.....Might take a few days....
Pictures when something emerges from the shop....IF anyone wants to see them.

[steven c newman]

Now have one coat of that Infamous Witch's Brew applied....
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It may get a second one after this one dries....
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At least, it made those dovetails stand out a little better...
stay tuned