First hand tool only project

[Rob Millard]

This was my first hand tool only project ( disclosure; I did use the band saw to resaw the top from 5/4 rough sawn material). The table was made as a demonstration piece for a woodworking class I taught at a local living history farm www.metroparks.org/_carriageHill/parkOverview.aspx (http://www.metroparks.org/_carriageHill/parkOverview.aspx). I’ve always said that I could more easily build furniture without electricity, than I could without hand tools, and that proved to be true, except for the lighting. The shop is a barn with only 4 small windows; making fine work , such as scribing dovetails difficult. I had suspected that I wasn’t cut -out for teaching, and I was correct. I could (should) have done much better, at teaching but I still enjoyed the class.
The table is cherry with a curly maple drawer front. It is 18” square and stands 27” high. The finish is, lye on the cherry and aniline dye on the curly maple. I oiled and shellaced the curly maple but only used shellac on the cherry.
Rob Millard

[Mike Wenzloff]

Very nice again, Rob.

Yeah, I lived in a log cabin without electrikity [and inside running water] for nearly 9 years. About 3 years into it we switched from kerosene lights to propane. My wood carving got much better...

Take care. Thanks for sharing the experience.

Mike

[Chris Barton]

Rob,

That's a stunning piece. One of these days I am going to get around to trying to do something completely with hand tools... maybe.

[Michael Morin dit Boucher]

Rob,

Nice job...elegant table..nice lines. You've done yourself proud.:) I do most of my work by hand as well. Table saw is my electrical crutch though.

[Mark Stutz]

Rob,
Nicely done. I really like the effect the lye has on the cherry...100years in a bottle:D :eek: , so to speak! What concentration did you use...or just wing it. I've been toying with the idea of using it on mahogany as well.

Mark

[Kurt Loup]

Rob,

Nice job! Do you have a reference for info on the lye treatment?

Kurt

[John Timberlake]

Great table! Love the taper of the legs and the contrast between the maple and cherry. Simple and elegant. And probably a lot more fun to make with hand tools than power. Keep it up.

[Rob Millard]

Rob,
Nicely done. I really like the effect the lye has on the cherry...100years in a bottle:D :eek: , so to speak! What concentration did you use...or just wing it. I've been toying with the idea of using it on mahogany as well.

Mark
Mark,

I did just wing it. My first water to lye ratio was too strong and the sample turned out far too dark. I poured in some more water and got it too weak; just like Goldie Locks, I liked the third try.

I have used the lye on mahogany, but I prefer the color I get from lime. The lime is more difficult to apply for an even color, but is easily sprayed; something you can do with the caustic lye mixture.
Rob Millard

[Mark Stutz]

Rob,
Now you've really piqued my interest! Any sites you can refer me to that I can read more about the lime? I don't have spray capability...can this be done without it? Thanks.

Mark

[Rob Millard]

Rob,

Nice job! Do you have a reference for info on the lye treatment?

Kurt
Kurt,

The lye treatment was discussed in the Nov/Dec 1986 issue of Fine Woodworking in an article by Tom Dewey.

I used Red Devil drain cleaner as the source for the lye.
The lye works great to color the cherry, but you must experiment
with the ratio of lye to water to arrive at a color you like. If you get it too dark, there is no way short of very heavy sanding or planing, to remove the color. Also the lye is quite caustic so you have to be careful with it. The thing that I like most about the lye, in addition to the instant aging, is the stable color that results. Cherry is notorious for drastic color changes, so much so that items displayed on a table top can leave “shadows” where they sat. Cherry treated with lye, has in my experience been immune to these drastic color changes. The color is also very natural looking, and has great clarity.
Thanks
Rob Millard

[Rob Millard]

Rob,
Now you've really piqued my interest! Any sites you can refer me to that I can read more about the lime? I don't have spray capability...can this be done without it? Thanks.

Mark

The following link has a section on using the lime.
http://home.woh.rr.com/federalfurniture/

Yes, it can be done without spraying. I've had good luck with a soft brush, and a careful application. You must avoid having the mixture run onto an untreated area, or you'll get a spot that will show. If this happens, you can wet sand the offending spot with the lime mixture and 320 paper, making a perfect repair.
Rob Millard

[James Owen]

Rob,

Very nice piece. Lovely color on both woods.

Might I suggest that you don't give up on the teaching too quickly? You have a lot of hard-earned knowledge and skill that you can pass on to others via classes. Like anything else worthwhile, teaching takes some practice to get good at....

James

[Mark Stutz]

Rob,
Thanks. I asume that "hydrated lime" is the stuff you get at the garden center to put on your yard?

Mark

[Tom Stovell]

Rob,
I wish I had known you were going to be out at Carriage Hill I would have made the trip to see you teaching. I live near there, in Tipp. We used to get over to the park a couple of times a season but haven't done that much since the construction on Rte. 201--just to show you how long it's been!
Was this demonstration a class or a single event? Any way, the table looks great, as usual. Thanks for sharing.

Tom

[Kurt Loup]

Thanks Rob.

Kurt

[Martin Shupe]

Rob,

I have been looking for a nice aniline dye for curly maple. Can I ask your source and specific color you used? I like the way it turned out. (I liked the cherry, as well, but prefer to let mine age in the sun.)

Thanks for posting. That's a mighty fine table you built.

[Alan Turner]

Nice work, as usual. Very clean lines. Are the legs tapering from 1.25 to .75?

Glad to see you are teaching some of your skills to others.

[Rob Millard]

Rob,

I have been looking for a nice aniline dye for curly maple. Can I ask your source and specific color you used? I like the way it turned out. (I liked the cherry, as well, but prefer to let mine age in the sun.)

Thanks for posting. That's a mighty fine table you built.
Martin,

The dye for the drawer front is Trans Tint dark Vintage Maple.
Thanks

Rob Millard

[Rob Millard]

Rob,
I wish I had known you were going to be out at Carriage Hill I would have made the trip to see you teaching. I live near there, in Tipp. We used to get over to the park a couple of times a season but haven't done that much since the construction on Rte. 201--just to show you how long it's been!
Was this demonstration a class or a single event? Any way, the table looks great, as usual. Thanks for sharing.

Tom

Tom,

The class was created to attract volunteers for the woodshop. Most weekends there was no one in there to do demonstrations. I happened to talk to the volunteer coordinator last fall, about working in the woodshop; one thing lead to another, and I ended up teaching the class. The class ran for 3 Saturday Mornings ( March 11,25, and April 1). The park did a similar program for the kitchen help, the last two years, so they may do another woodworking program next year. We are having “wrap party” Saturday, where the woodworkers show what they’ve done, and the women cook a meal .
You have been away from the farm for a while. I go one day each weekend for a 4-5 hour walk. State Route 201 is going to be torn up, from 1-70 North beginning soon, so I’ll have to go into the farm off Bellefontaine. I like down town Tipp City. There use to be a lot of antique stores, but most of them closed down. I’ve gotten a molding plane or two from Benkins ( spelling?) I also like the gun shop, since I’m always threatening to build a period flintlock rifle.

[Dave Anderson NH]

Great table Rob.

Both Teaching and demonstrating are art forms that require both preparation and practice. I don't think there is such a thing as a "natural" teacher when it comes to a classroom situation. In a one on one basis you can often get away with winging it, but in a real class you end up doing a poor job if you haven't planned everything out and don't have a good idea of what you are going to do. Years ago I horribly embarassed myself teaching unprepared and learned my lesson.

Don't give up on the idea of teaching occasionally. It requires both the prep time and a good bit of effort organizing but it's worth it. I taught a spokeshave making class 3 weeks ago and had a great time. As usual, I did make a couple of mistakes. I didn't start on time because of a number of students being late, and the class size (at 14) was too large to work efficiently. I will only admit 10 next time and those who are late will just have to play catch up.

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

I like the legs. It's refreshing to see slender legs. It's very common tt folks to yield to the worry that it won't be strong enough and make 'em a tad bulky.

[tod evans]

pretty piece rob!

[Alan DuBoff]

Very nice.

What type of plane or scraper did you use on the table top edge?

[Rob Millard]

Very nice.

What type of plane or scraper did you use on the table top edge?

Alan,

I used a scratch stock to make the molding.

Rob Millard

[Alan DuBoff]

Alan,

I used a scratch stock to make the molding.

Rob MillardRob, it came out very nice. If you have any pictures of the stock scratch you made/used, I would love to see it. I've pondered the use of one, but have not made any yet.

[Rob Millard]

Rob, it came out very nice. If you have any pictures of the stock scratch you made/used, I would love to see it. I've pondered the use of one, but have not made any yet.

Alan,

Attached is a photo of the scratch stock. All it is, is an L shaped piece of wood, with a saw kerf in it to hold a piece of steel filed to the desired profile.In the photo you'll see two handles ( a side and edge view) and a cutter. I made the long leg with beveled faces, so it could do inside curves. You can see by the bottom profile on the cutter that a scratch stock can cut a fairly complex shape. For an idea of the size, the long length is about 5 1/2". There have been several articles in Fine Woodworking about using scratch stocks, with the most recent being the June 2003 issue ( 163).

Rob Millard

[Tom Stovell]

Tom,

I go one day each weekend for a 4-5 hour walk. State Route 201 is going to be torn up, from 1-70 North beginning soon, so I’ll have to go into the farm off Bellefontaine. I like down town Tipp City. There use to be a lot of antique stores, but most of them closed down. I’ve gotten a molding plane or two from Benkins ( spelling?) I also like the gun shop, since I’m always threatening to build a period flintlock rifle.


Rob,
You must live fairly close to Carriage Hill. My wife and I go out to Charleston Falls for our 'woodland' walks. I would imagine you've been there but if not, it's over on Ross Rd. Tipp has changed quite a bit from that small farm town to another northern Dayton suburb. Still a nice place, though.

I may go on over to the farm and talk to someone about the volunteer program there. Woodworking and cooking are two good activities in which to participate.

Again, nice job on the table--and everything you produce.

Tom

[Alan DuBoff]

Rob,

Looks like a great tool, gives me an idea on how to approach it. I've seen some articles, possibly in ShopNotes (which used to have articles on making hand tools), and have been meaning to create one.

It turned out very nice on the project you did. Very nice.

[Rick Schuman]

Again, I say WOW! Very nicely done. :)

[Clinton Findlay]

Rob,
Other than to express my admiration of your work...
I will also second the suggestion that you don't give up on the teaching.

I taught my trade in an adult environment for 3 years. It was a fairly high pressure environment, and after the first few months found that I loved it. It took me that long to find a way to interact with the trainees in a manner that was successful for all concerned.

This is the third year that I have been out of teaching and I have found that the teaching experience has added a lot of new skills i.e. in relating/interacting to people, trade knowledge and in communication skills.

I also had the (dubious) benefit of being enrolled in an Adult Eductation course to do as a form of external studies. That also assisted me.

Teaching is not for everyone, however it can be very rewarding.

If you would like to discuss this via PM's I would be more than happy to lend any assistance.

Cheers,
Clinton