Will,
If one didn't have a wide chisel like that is it better to chop with the grain with say a 1" chisel (or whatever stock thickness is) or across grain but make multiple small connecting mortises?
Member
Will,
If one didn't have a wide chisel like that is it better to chop with the grain with say a 1" chisel (or whatever stock thickness is) or across grain but make multiple small connecting mortises?
[OP]
Contributor
Yes Michael you would chop across the grain in sections with your widest chisel. Establish your back wall at both ends first, that will keep your chop line straight. The advantage of that chisel is once you have relieved the middle wood you can chop 1/8” sections. The length of the chisel makes keeping it vertical very easy also.
You can do a lot with very little! You can do a little more with a lot!
Member
Thanks Will
[OP]
Contributor
Oh yes where was I? Reeding.
The sides reeding I used a small eBay rebate purchase to level the outer sides down to flat. The grain was rather a problem but the large Shoulder plane to the rescue.
49185E01-09FF-4DC6-881E-E3366D699441.jpg
Used my block plane to round the edge. Now the side edges feel essentially rounded and look good!
B8C3C9C8-0EF3-4DBD-821F-3A9B746C740D.jpg
This is the bit where I plan ahead for two wedges in each through tenon. Hate to split the shelf so a good sized hole drilled where it will never be seen and a wide saw used to create a saw cut to the hole. Wedges! Yes choose a dark wood so it looks cool (ie: can actually see them). Cherry lying around, made 27 five degree wedges.
Glue up time; who said that? Start brushing glue, tenons, mortices, dovetails, Ok this is more than 5 minutes.
Assembly: Start with top and dovetails, add shelf, add shelf, shelf no fit! Bottom shelf so book matched grain I put the beading on the wrong face! Fix it mode, quick bead, round corners....
Mallett assembly, more glue, more glue, clamp x 8 plus mallett x 83.
It’s together! Wedges, 24 cherry wedges, custom trimmed. Hammered in, in pairs.
193AC423-F2DB-469F-B6AD-A0395E60EF48.jpg
It must be lunch time........
Some time after lunch...... Trim the wedges with a saw, plane the tenon ends, plane the sides, again...... Plane the side bottoms so it stands upright with no wobble....
7A2FA880-CB82-4FE5-AF1E-4E140ABE4F49.jpg
At this point I should say the knot free, diamond flecked, deep grain, nightmare to plane wood is looking pretty damn good! The beading adds a sort of sophistication to the shelves, implying the books might be worth reading!
The three bits of wood on the bench are shelf backers. They are glued to the shelf and one dovetail will be added to the side edge so the sides can’t be pulled apart. It pretty damn strong already but if the 5 yr old lives in an earthquake zone the added stiffness will be appreciated!
Can’t wait to develop the grain with smoking hot BLO, some gorgeous grain waiting to shine.....
Tomorrow...........
You can do a lot with very little! You can do a little more with a lot!
[OP]
Contributor
I cut a dovetail on each of the shelf backer ends. It had to be near the shelf as it’s attached to the long grain sides at right angles. The idea is to glue the backer to the shelf so a little extra was left to plane away for an exact fit when the dovetails are made. The dovetail strengthens the backer joint to the shelf.
BB87DCA5-2994-4FAA-9ABF-AE5A9AB73BDC.jpg
The gradual planing of the backer bottom edge was done in the front vice. As it only uses the top edge I used a spacer in the bottom 1/3 of the vise. I made several sizes that slide in a dadoe for a snug fit.
CCC1845B-00F9-48FD-AE34-8636EBD27ED0.jpg The other sizes D6B462BC-AADC-4A98-B341-B28CEA36BC01.jpg
Final assembly complete, some final touch up and planing then the smoking hot boiled linseed oil applied with a wire wool pad and tongs.
DAD405DA-77E1-4803-97EC-D21B7339F907.jpg Before and after: 89A5A5F1-DD8C-45C1-AC6F-A79825AF5F31.jpg
The lighting makes the top look anaemic but it is rich gold in colour. It drank 750 ml of BLO. Another coat in a couple of days then Tung oil thereafter.
90B15D6F-A8A9-4AEC-B687-2EA82AF43444.jpg I can assure the 5 yr old it will hold his heaviest books!
You can do a lot with very little! You can do a little more with a lot!
Contributor
Really nice work! Thank you for taking us along.
Contributor
Looks great and the first coat of finish is always my favorite part of a project! And can't do better than to encourage reading
"You can observe a lot just by watching."
--Yogi Berra
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote