Playing with the toys.

[Patrick Walsh]

I don’t get much time to play with my toys.

Today is a good day, I gotta start finding more time for fun.

One of my two dogs passed suddenly about a month ago now. A few days later I started milling up some material to build a Krenov style box to house her ashes. I don’t know if it’s really a Krenov style box or not but it’s case. I suppose inspired by Krenov as I do love his the subtle calming affect his work often had.

So I’ll be building a box within a box within a box. You will see as the project progresses, it’s a bit hard to explain. The project should take me quite some time to complete as I have limited time and I’ve chosen to incorporate some new joinery techniques that are new to me as to slow me down so I can just enjoy building. I love to build, I love meticulous perfection, rarely am I offered the opportunity to do such work. I’m also not quite sure I’m capable.

Loosing my best friend really put into perspective just how head down in overdrive I live my life. It also reminded me life is passing me by and it’s up to me to make time to do the things that make life rewarding. Is3d to be good at this, like a pro, however as I have gotten older I just kinda work work work. I’m a workaholic and a cabinet maker by trade at this point so often building for the sake of craft and or creating just does not happen as I’m to busy building for a check. When I’m not working it the long list of things that we all have to tend to that needs doing.

I loooooved that dog so much. Slowing down and creating something beautiful in her memory only makes sense. Kinda like a extension of spending more time with her even though she is no longer here in the physical form.

I prepped the stock for the base milling the legs and apron pieces up over nearly a month in large part to assure they stay flat. I wasted a ton of material cutting the rift/QS material off the edges of a couple 8/4 wenge boards I have been hoarding for a while. Wasteful I suppose but I’m cutting no corners for this project.

So the base will be wenge. My intention at this point is to make the top case of ceyleon or satinwood. Not the fake imposters but the real deal. The inspiration for the combo came from a highly figured yellow heart board I had laying around. It’s neon yellow and has ribbon stripe figure like ribbon stripe Africa’s mahingany. I don’t have enough of the yellow heart to make the box of solid wood and I’m not much a fan of veneer so satinwood it is.

Finding satinwood is not easy. I have found a bit from three different vendors. I’m a bit reserved buying the material sight unseen as it s very very expensive and for the most part the vendors are not gonna pick through anlift of lumber for the best boards. I’ll get what I get and that is that. Anyway I have yet to pull the trigger but I gott hurry up and get the material. I just spend hand over fist and at some point I start questioning my spending habbit.

Anyway that’s the exterior box and base plan at least for now. Material could change.

For now I’ll stick to what I have done.

The material milled up for the legs. All perfectly QS/rift. I don’t want to even think how much those four legs cost considering the waste. Well not waste as I’ll use the offcuts for something but it’s all much smaller pieces now and all the good stuff is gone anyway. I don’t really care much for flat sawn lumber.

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First I cut the tenons for the apron pieces. I like the shaper for this kind of work. I leave them oversized based on my slot mortise bits then cut my mortise and adjust my sprindle height flipping my workpiece to get a perfect fit off the machine.

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I then took the apron pieces to the band saw to haunch them. I finished the work by hand with a Japanese saw and chisel. I could have done this on the shaper also but I like playing with my toys at least a little bit so I opted to not.

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Using a straight edge to check that the tenon are all indentical.

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[Patrick Walsh]

With the tenon cut on the apron pieces it was time to mortise the legs.

I transfer my layout information with a marking gauge right off my apron pieces.

I then take a scrap and hit out a mortise on the slot mortiser. I then adjust the spindle up or down to get a perfect fit being I had cut my tennon slightly thick.

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The slot mortiser makes quick work of the eight mortise. Maybe took 30 minutes to cut them all. My mortiser is kinda flimsy so you gotta go real slow and take very small bites.

Once the mortise are done the fun begins cleaning the corners with a chisel. Before I get to the chisel work I go and score lines with my marking gauge so I have something to follow.

I did a great job fitting this work right off the machine so the hand work was minimal.

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[Patrick Walsh]

With the mortise all squared up it was time to test fit and then put the miter on the end of the tenons.

This is where I left off. I’ll probably get back to it tonight and try and finish up fitting the remains three apron pieces.

The base has three lower rails I have to still make and fit. I’ll do that tomorrow and for the most part that should largely finish the base. Well not exactly but more to be revailed later.

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[ken hatch]

Patrick,

Sorry you lost your friend. Sam the Wonder Dog will soon follow and I'm dreading the day. You have inspired me to start building while I can.

ken

[Bill Houghton]

That's going to be a lovely memorial.

[Bruce Page]

It sounds like it will be a beautiful tribute to your best friend. I lost mine unexpectedly on January 1st so I feel your pain. There hasn’t been a day gone by that I haven’t thought about her. I made a simple urn box for her remains. It was cathartic experience.

[Patrick Walsh]

Got legs and aprons m&t together.

Tomorrow the lower rails.

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Perfect pressure fit joints. Kinda dangerous considering how prone to splitting wenge is.

Used a persuader and made a mess of a finger.

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Kinda together, at least for today. I’m happy enough with my progress. Would had liked to get lower stretchers done but I only had a few hours today so.

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[Patrick Walsh]

This is the lumber that inspired the project.

I’ll use the bubinga for one of the interior boxes along with ebony for both accents and part of one of the interior boxes. I’m not sure about the exterior box that will sit atop the base. I’m still thinking highly figured satinwood. If so it will not have the calming effect of most of Krenovs pieces. My sense is it will be pretty electric. May go with cvgayc If I’m not feeling the satinwood.

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[Brian Holcombe]

Nice work, Patrick. The cabinet is coming out well, and those joints are good and tight!

[Patrick Walsh]

Thanks Brian,

Long long way to go yet. This is barely even a skeleton. I really hope I can finish the base before I have to go back to work Monday. Gotta make tome to spend time with my other pup to so we will see.




Nice work, Patrick. The cabinet is coming out well, and those joints are good and tight!

[Al Launier]

I suspect you may have taken these pictures with your cell phone and the reason they are 90° off is because you held the camera 90° in the wrong orientation. Try holding 90° in the opposite direction, i.e. horizontally instead of vertically with the volume button facing down.down

[Patrick Walsh]

Hmm,

Let’s see if I held my phone the right way this time. I normally do think about that but who knows maybe I spaced out.

Edit. Uploaded and my pictures are all on their sides again. Back to the drawing board lol

Mocking up the sub stretchers. Yes most would do this in say poplar and build a scaled model or work off a drawing, “I am” a loose one lol. I like to have a general idea of what I’m building then adjust accordingly as I build. I do this with everything, gardening, drawing, I used to oil paint and make pottery and employ the same nonesense. Some would say it’s poor form and you’ll just make a mess this way. It’s really the only way I enjoy building so.

I barely have the time to build the piece once never mind twice. Long term this could hold me back design wise. For now it’s what I do.

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I probably won’t get this work done today. Hopefully tomorrow I can get another full day in the shop and get this thing in clamps before days end.

I kinda doubt it but you never know. I’d like to use a smoother to put a final finish on the pieces before assembly. We will see, I’m not really that good so they may just get a sand god forbid. I would hate to ruin a component at this point with tear out. I’ll get one of my Kanna setup and see what I can come up with on some scraps then decide from there.

[Brian Holcombe]

I do the same Patrick, typically. I generally only make a sacrifice when I'm doing a 'production run' of multiples, then I'll work in a test unit. Otherwise I dislike making everything twice.

[Patrick Walsh]

$$$ has a way of making most of us do things we otherwise would have no interest in.

Hopefully the compromise is minimal and moral and one that allows for a good night sleep.

Cabinetry is my compromise. It affords me the luxury to do stuff like this a few times a year along with collect all the nonsense I seem to accumulate.


I do the same Patrick, typically. I generally only make a sacrifice when I'm doing a 'production run' of multiples, then I'll work in a test unit. Otherwise I dislike making everything twice.

[Patrick Walsh]

This is as close as I get to a scaled model.

Normally after I draw something I continually make revisions pretty much all the way through the build.

Case in point I opted out of the through tenons. First because I thought it made the piece to busy and I was looking for something at least mildly graceful. The dog “Brooklyn” that passed and I’m making this for was as mentioned a girl. She was a apbt and very lean, she had long thin legs, a long mussel eyes that told a story and coat smooth as satin. There was not a darn masculine thing about her and my opinion is there shouldn’t be about this piece either. If there is it should be minimal.

I chose wenge as she was brindle and the lumber from afar looks quite a bit like her coat. The satinwood is with the intention that the box proper be light, bright and almost like a glowing orb or beacon but in a subtle way. The glowing beacon pays homage to the brightness of her personality and inate disposition to make the best of everything even when it was hard for her.

Yeah I know I’m crazy. I loved that dog, I still do, she was my once in a lifetime dog.

Anyway the through tenons were to masculine and distracted from viewing the piece as a whole. Well at least I hope that ends up being the case, we will see? I wanted to use them as I like them but they did nit suit my vison for the emotional impact the finished piece should have. We will see if I’m not only a good enough craftsman to build this thing coupled with the ability to identify and vision that can have a emotion impact and thus resonate with viewers. Im a skeptic but I gotta at least try.

So far I like the choice of wenge. I maybe should have added some radius and splay to the legs if graceful was my intention. Doing so would had been a complete departure from the bellow drawings so fir now I’ll stick to the plan at least loosely.

The interior box will be box in a box kinda on a tray. The interior box will split in the middle with a hinge and out will slide avdrawer from each side. This is where the ashes for each of my two dogs will go. The box is a rip-off off some famous Japanese national treasure. I forget his name. Feels like a ripoff but I guess we all gather inspiration somewhere.

The two drawers will house their collar, leash and a picture of each.

The right drawing differs slightly from the left. The right is also a view through the doors of what will be inside.

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[Patrick Walsh]

Snuck in a little over a hour late afternoon.

Got the tenons cut for the smaller stretchers. This should give me a good jumpstart on getting all joinery done on the base tomorrow. I’ll still have some odds and ends including either smoothing the all the pieces prior to assembly and or sandingthem? I also am putting a routed detail I guess a small cove on all four sides of all the legs.

The shoulder on these pieces almost is not there. It’s just enough to not not be there and hide any small potential tear out or chips from mortising.

Small shoulders.

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Another perfect fit cheating with the shaper and slot mortiser. I guess this should not be in the Neanderthal forum.

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I didn’t tenon the longer stretchers as the material was not close enough to the finished .5” thickness to think the pieces would stay flat if I was to bring them all the way down today. I left them oversized just enough I can take a pass on the jointer and run through the planer of needed tomorrow. If flat then just the planer. I left the shaper all setup to cut these four tenon first thing.

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As it sits for now. Once I get building I have a hard time stopping. I could probably easily build this whole base with e material all prepped in one long marathon day. Good thing others require my attention or I’d never leave the shop I guess. I always torn and find it hard to stop working.

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[Patrick Walsh]

Haha

All upside down.

I tried lol..

Fail!

[Kevin Adams]

Hi Patrick, so very sorry for your loss. I know how much you loved that dog and had already been through so much. Glad to see your doing some fine cabinet work, I’m sure your dog is right there by your side.

Take care,
Kevin

[Patrick Walsh]

Good to hear from you Kevin,

Only cried once today over six hours spent in the shop. Not bad, I welcome tears though, she deserves them.


Hi Patrick, so very sorry for your loss. I know how much you loved that dog and had already been through so much. Glad to see your doing some fine cabinet work, I’m sure your dog is right there by your side.

Take care,
Kevin

[Patrick Walsh]

It was a Pink Floyd kinda shop day today. Often Pink Floyd days end up being very very good days for me.

Started with this.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=q6vOY8QLbK4

Then Some of this.

http://www.tagtele.com/videos/voir/95575/

And ended with this.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=oE0TAd1uju8

[Patrick Walsh]

Only got six hours in.

I spend three hours with my dog this morning. One hour driving around, he loves ridingin the car. Then a two hour walk one of which ended up in the rain. I love accepting the elements and not letting them get in the way of enjoying time outside. It’s so easy to become soft. Often I look out the window say “ah no it’s terrible out there forget it” normally if you just get out it’s really not that bad. Sometimes I find bad weather to be fun.

I was hopeful I’d get all the M&T work done today but that did not happen. I spent quite a good deal of time mucking around with where exactly to place the stretchers.

All in all I cut and fitted eight M&T no mishaps so I’ll take it. Tow more rails to fit “the front and back” and the joiner for the base is done.

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[Patrick Walsh]

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[Patrick Walsh]

Oh and I just love my Peter Ross holdfast.

Same with the Kiyohisa nomi. The pairing chisels are fairly new and this is really the first chance I have gotten to use them. Man working with high quality tools someone saught perfection in creating and obtained sure makes it that much more easy to put the same effort into your own work.

Clearly I have a long way to go till I attain the kinda skill the two above makers have obtained but man is it nice working with nice tools.

[Kevin Adams]

You have quite the shop there, Patrick, some nice tools and crisp work.

Kevin

[Patrick Walsh]

As you suggested Kevin you should visit.

I’m off work from the 22nd of December-Jan 6th. Gotta use up all the vacation time i did not take this year.

Bring that slab and if we can’t sort it out in my shop you can come use our new 24” Scmi planer and my 20” Martin jointer at work. Might as well throw it through the wide-belt for you while we are at it.

Oh and as you can see my shop is kinda my pride and joy, well that and my garden and Bonsai.




my
You have quite the shop there, Patrick, some nice tools and crisp work.

Kevin

[Patrick Walsh]

Just found this picture. I was wondering where it was when i posted pictures earlier.

It gives a clear idea of what I have to show for my efforts over the weekend. What I would give for back to back 10-12hr days on this project. It’s never gonna happen though so I should just get it out of my head.

Leg assemblies are maybe 1/64th out of square from each other. Not bad, I fight square work “at work” all the time. You gotta love the results of properly layed out joinery vrs pocket screws mitem wraps with packaging tape and cope and stick everything.

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[Patrick Walsh]

Nothing like work to impede progress..

I found a few hours today to make the remaining apron pieces and stretchers.

Everything for the base is dry fit now.

I hope to find the time tomorrow to clean all the pieces with a smoother tomorrow and get everything glued and in clamps.

The picture with the yellow board clamped to the base is the original piece of figured yellowheart that inspired the project to begin with.

I don’t have enough of it to make the project in solid wood. To be honest I probably don’t have enough to make thenupper case with it even if I could stomach sawing it into veneer.

My intention is to use hidden dovetails to join the carcass pieces of the case. I have never cut them before. When I do find the time to build something for the sake of building something I like to try something new and learn something. I also just want the grain to flow around the box. I miter wrap stuff all the time at work with package tape and often no joinery not even biscuit. Sometimes I’ll use dominoes but not often. To be honest I’m not much a fan of either for my personal work as neither offer a challenge or opportunity to learn and slow down the brain.

Last stretchers finished

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I have had this thing together and apart probably forty times. I smacked my finger with a hammer in the same place I did last week attaching a top apron piece to a leg. A blood blister atop a blood blister.

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[Patrick Walsh]

Everything together.

Front right

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Front left

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Back right

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Front

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With yellowheart. I’ll probably source some figured satinwood for the upper case. Should only cost me a organ but you only live once.

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[Brian Holcombe]

Nearly done, Patrick!

[Patrick Walsh]

Ahg,

Well not ahg, but not even close to done.

I just gave a hand with the blue steel Yokoyama smoother and no dice for the most part. Obviously I practiced on a scrap, made sure of grain orientation and had a perfectly sharp blade. I still got enough unpredictable tear out to say just sand the dam piece Patrick. Sanding feels like sacrilege to me building for fun though so I’m kinda bummed.

I could try the LN #4 and see what I get?

But no I’m not even close to done. I still gotta make the top case and the box that goes inside the case. Then I gotta apply finish. I’d say at the rate I work with the time I have availible each additional box should take about a month. Maybe more?

Should land me smack back in Bonsai/gardening season not to mention home repairs. I have yet to show you guys the front porch and walkway I have torn off my house and barely finished framing.

I have waaaay to many things going on. I do projects like this to keep sane as I’m so busy I could never sit down or do a dam thing I actually wanted to do unless I forced it.


Nearly done, Patrick!

[Brian Holcombe]

That will require a very aggressive chip breaker setting along with light shavings and resharpening after a handful of passes.

[Patrick Walsh]

Well I gave it a go with both the kana and the #4 both just sharpened and both with the chip breaker set very very tight.

I was able to get a good result but still would get the slightest tear out in the soft open grain wood.

All my parts were dimensioned on a spiral head jointer and planer and other than machine marks the pieces are perfect free of any tear out.

I feel like I’m cheating and pretty much like a hack but I’m off to Home Depot to purchase about $100 worth of sand paper.

I sanded up a scrap using a block starting at 220 working through 400. I got a really really nice finish be it not hand planed. I then quickly wet sanded with Watco teak oil and 400 grit wet paper and man o man the finish is very very nice.

I’m just not good enough yet for a hand planed finish in hard wood with a kana. It’s gonna take me years with the time I have availible to me to obtain the familurarity need with Japanese kana to get the result they can produce. Now on soft wood like ayc I’m good to go.

It’s a good thing. It gives me something to aspire towards so I don’t get bored. I’m just not about to destroy the probably 25-30 hrs of work and a few hundred bucks in materials I have into this piece at this point to prove to myself I’m not good enough smooth with a hand plane when I already know I’m not good enough.

I guess I just need to motivate myself when I get home from work at night to go downstairs and practice sharpening and setting up my planes instead of watching tv and snuggling with my dog. Poor boy he deserves his cuddles..


That will require a very aggressive chip breaker setting along with light shavings and resharpening after a handful of passes.

[Patrick Walsh]

I sanded everything before starting to glue up yesterday. I used a very flat block of wood and started at 220 and worked through 400. My intention is use a oil that will NOT just turn everything black sanding with 400 creating a grain fill. I want a finish that leaves the wood looking natural not obscuring or overemphasizing the black tan grain of the wenge.

Regardless of what I just suggested above I was also tempted to give polyester a try and go crazy high gloss. I think I’m heading the right direction with the oil slurry so long as it does not just turn my work black. I made a couple samples and am pretty happy. I need to source another product I read about online and make a sample with that before I decide.

Today I finished the glue up. With that said I still have one task to tend to on the base. The base will get a sub base that will hold the top in place creating a shadow line. The sub base will be made of solid ebony and will drop into a rebate that runs around the inside edge of the upper legs and apron pressure fitting into place. I will probably attach it with square dowels driven down into the legs. My intent is to create a piece that is a piece within a piece within a piece and can be put together and taken apart a bit like a puzzle.

Anyway pictures. Nothing to exciting just a mat finish due to the sanding making the wenge look pretty blah. A little oil though and it’s like wham!

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I got pretty excited about this. I check my work like a nut with calipers on everything.

Close but no cigar. I’ll take it, not bad ;)

Left side

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Right side.

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Gotta eat dinner but I have a few photos to share of wood samples for rest of case. Wowser is all I can, man I love wood it gets me so excited!

[Patrick Walsh]

Dumped a little laquer thinner on the boards. It’s kinda killing me I don’t have enough of this figured yellowheart for the project.

As stated I’m looking into sourcing some figured Ceylon but man I’m not excited about paying for it. I’m also considering I think it’s called Movangee. I found some with crazy beez wing figure. To get the best figure it seems like with Ceylon I will have to use the lumber farthest from the heart of the tree to rid myself of flat sawn lumber and the cathedraling.

One other thing I’m consodering is I’d like to make the case from one board if possible. At the least I’d like to not have to laminate boards to get my case depth. The fact is if I use either of the species above I will undoubtably have to.

My plan is to join the carcass pieces with hidden dovetails. I have reservations doing so with laminated boards. I’m not sure if its really anything to worry about with regard to wood movement. Logic tells me a full width board will be better at least if my concern is a joint opening up long term.

I guess I could use a blond wood and dye it yellow but I’m not really thrilled about that idea either. What I really need is one giant board of yellowheart say 5/4x15x20’. Clearly not gonna happen :(

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[brian zawatsky]

I'm guessing you probably know this, but just in case: check out Downes & Reader in Stoughton. They have an enormous selection of imported & domestic hardwood, and I'd bet you could find some acceptable yellow heart there. I bought some really nice quartered purple heart boards from the yard near me (they have a branch in the Poconos) that were about 14" wide with gorgeous figure. You may even be able to find something 8/4 and resaw it to make bookmatched case sides which look really nice in the figured exotics.

I doubt that you'd gain anything using one solid board over a lamination as far as expansion and contraction is concerned, and it might actually be a little more unstable than a glue up. Just my thinking, anyway.

Have you ever used Waterlox XL-88? It's an excellent high-gloss urethane. Thinned 1:1 with mineral spirits it makes an excellent wiping varnish that can be wet sanded in to help fill grain and builds to a beautiful finish without looking plastic-y like urethanes tend to do. I love the stuff, particularly as a wipe-on.

Just throwin my 2 cents in, hopefully its useful.

Build is looking great so far, I'm enjoying following.

Edit: Have you considered quartered Anigre? It's not quite as yellow as the yellow heart but the figure is very similar. A light application of a bright yellow dye would get you there no problem.

[Patrick Walsh]

Brain,

Downey’s got purchased and is now Rugby. They replaced their racks of exotics with laminate. No joke I’m serious. I guess before selling to rugby the previous owner got burned on a container of exotics worth like $700000 and north.

I actually got the one figured yellowheart board from Downes before they sold.

I use Waterloo all the time. It’s actually about all I use on my work. I’m oooking right now at tried and true oil varnish right now. I would like something that I can wet sand in leaving a smooth as a babies but finish. I may or may not follow with wax.

This is just for the base. If I went with say AYC for the case I would go with a hand planed finish and leave it. I probably won’t go AYC though. Seems like I’m gonna drop a couple weeks pay on Ceylon and just forget about it. I just wish I could ah d pick the boards and I can’t.

I have some photos of the stock I found somewhere. I’ll see if I can dig them out of my email.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts.


I'm guessing you probably know this, but just in case: check out Downes & Reader in Stoughton. They have an enormous selection of imported & domestic hardwood, and I'd bet you could find some acceptable yellow heart there. I bought some really nice quartered purple heart boards from the yard near me (they have a branch in the Poconos) that were about 14" wide with gorgeous figure. You may even be able to find something 8/4 and resaw it to make bookmatched case sides which look really nice in the figured exotics.

I doubt that you'd gain anything using one solid board over a lamination as far as expansion and contraction is concerned, and it might actually be a little more unstable than a glue up. Just my thinking, anyway.

Have you ever used Waterlox XL-88? It's an excellent high-gloss urethane. Thinned 1:1 with mineral spirits it makes an excellent wiping varnish that can be wet sanded in to help fill grain and builds to a beautiful finish without looking plastic-y like urethanes tend to do. I love the stuff, particularly as a wipe-on.

Just throwin my 2 cents in, hopefully its useful.

Build is looking great so far, I'm enjoying following.

[brian zawatsky]

Bummer about Downes! They were my go-to for exotics, although I have been working much more in domestics recently. There's another place down here in S Central PA that stocks a large selection of exotics, but I'm certain that they were supplied in large part by D&R so I don't know what their current stock looks like. I have to go down there (about 2 hours for me) in the next week or two to pick out something nice to make a friend's wedding gift. If you want, text me your short list of species and I'll shoot you pics if I come across anything worthy while I'm there. I'll send you my cell# in a PM.

[Patrick Walsh]

Responded Brian,

Very very nice of you.

Oh yeah got this after pm..