Quick projects

On a whim, I have decided to redo the top of the Dutch tool chest. For the last few years, it had an ill-fitting bit of plywood attached with plain hinges. I have purchased different hinges and made a new breadboard panel.

I will attach it in the next few days.

For a larger project, I needed something that's been missing from my tool kit for some time already... a panel gauge. I raided the basement stash of old oak and started milling. I forgot to take pictures of the early stages of the project. I also conveniently had some brass left over from a project that had been postponed :)

Headstock roughly milled with a rabbet (21mmx20mm) for the brass and the arm mortise, boom arm (80cm, roughly 31 1/2 in) roughly milled.

I reduced the height of the headstock and carefully planed the arm to slide freely in its mortise. Last picture before I start drilling and countersinking for brass screws.

 The head was drilled and tapped for a M8 bolt... I pre-drilled a 6mm hole then slowly tapped it. The hole was drilled in the middle of the beefier section.

Next time, I will make a 7mmx2.5mm groove in the arm to receive a strip of brass... that should help with locking without damaging the arm.

Still left to be decided:
-keep the headstock flat and square or asymmetrical curve
-point, knife or both?

More tools!

Last week I won a nice Record #50 on ebay.co.uk, for pocket change. It's almost complete... only missing the long posts (I have spare ones from a Stanley #50 and a Stanley #45) and the beading stop. I'm not sure I'd use the beading stop.

The seller threw in an English Stanley #271 in very nice condition.

I spent a few minutes cleaning up the bevel and it was taking nice shavings across the grain.

This weekend I also visited a flea market in the next village/suburb and made the deal of the century. Two antique French holdfasts for 1 euro each. I went there hoping, against all odds, that there would be a froe or a #113... but no such luck.

We also bought a few chicks from a friend living in that village/suburb and he should have some Muscovy ducklings for us next weekend. I'm currently building the frame for a chicken coop, hoping to fence/clad it by the weekend.

Making dog bone chest lifts

On a whim, I have decided to make dog bone chest lifts for the rabbet and screws ATC I started building before moving. The chest itself is a mix between the traditional ATC and the "in two days" ATC. Rabbet and nails has been used traditionally for tool chests, but I didn't have any proper nails so I settled for screws instead. Anyways, I digress :)

Start with two blocks of oak roughly 30mmx60mmx300mm. Mark out the dog bone shape by tracing shoulders 75mm from the ends, and 15mm from the sides. Saw along the lines.

 Mount on the lathe and start turning the handle. I actually started by turning the ends of the bones where they meet the shoulders, then used the spindle roughing gouge to get a nice round handle.

 Trace a diagonal from the inside corner of the shoulders to the outside corner of the waste. Use dividers to draw a pleasing ogee. Saw as close to the ogee as you dare, then clean up with rasps and files.

 First chest lift done.

 Two coats of BLO and one coat of shellac... both chest lifts done!

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