Hand Tool Woodworking Shop Notes: Recent Episodes
Chad LeMay
Shop notes of a hand tool woodworker. Follow along with my time in the shop. Images are on Instagram, search Chad LeMay or
handtoolwoodworkingshopnotes
The embryonic stage of a classic six board chest.
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Three year olds don't care about woodworking. I make a nameplate for a co-worker. I also make a napkin holder.
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I made a thing in one afternoon! It's a wine caddy. Now I can hold a bottle of wine and two glasses with one hand, freeing up my other hand to do all kinds of activities.
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A lack of direction leads to dovetails and carving.
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I suddenly need a shooting board, so I build one out of twelve inch wide mahogany.
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I cut and fit my first half blind dovetails for the Shaker inspired serving tray.
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I put my apprentice through the paces on dimensioning stock for the next serving tray.
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Recap and stock prep for a run of cherry coozies.
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Recap of all the glorious work I have done.
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I finish the staked saw bench and start to make a pizza peel.
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I launch an Etsy shop and mangle my draw knife.
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I finish reaming the mortises and fit up one leg.
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I sort out the top and ream a mortis, maybe.
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I make cauls and dimensions stock.
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I get sharp and cut myself and dimension some stock.
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I work on updating our 6 foot ruler and finish a coozie.
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I tack up the latest bend, proving the latest method.
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I try to review what I have been doing and bend another coozie. Then I just screw around.
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First shop time since Christmas. New toys!
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I bent the sides yesterday and came sooo close to finishing up today.
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I completed the assembly of the shaker style box!
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I bend up another box, this time using a method of my design, and I get sharp.
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You try to make a shaker box.
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I think I finally know what sharp is. Also I bent and split a shaker style box, but this time I didn't have a kiniption(sp?) fit.
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I ruined a shaker style box and two tools, all at once. Should have stayed in bed.
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I fixed the boiling pot lid
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I actually boil water successfully. I also manage to bend a shaker style box and tack up the sides.
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I try to make my boiling water boil. I start a new straight edge.
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I'm trying to make a straight edge out of mahogany. Update on the serving tray, and new burners for the Shaker box project.
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I bang out a finger template for the shaker style box.
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I put the finishing touches on the serving tray and bang out a shop appliance with some life changing wood.
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I put the final coat of finish on the serving tray and try to figure out the geometry of shaker box fingers.
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I resaw material to 3/16" and then I manage to put together a dovetail joint. Miraculous.
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I actually operate a power tool with success. I ground almost all my blades and honed two of them.
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I sharpen my gouge and start another ruler.
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I made 2 strops, and they're glorious.
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I can't believe I started and finished a project in one day. I made a box with no joinery for my wife.
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I finished the latest ruler and sharpened an old spokeshave.
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I cut the mortise for the nameplate and glued it in place.
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trial and error finish. emphasis on error
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I finish up the name plate and lay on some stain. I'm getting so close.
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I carved the wrong date into the 6 foot ruler. This is my clever fix.
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The 6 foot ruler looks like it could be finished. It's carved and painted and planed.
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I carve the numbers 4, 5, and 6 at a blistering pace of 34 minutes each, on average.
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What I've been doing other than woodworking, and basically regrinding my chip carving knife.
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I carve the number 2, exclusively with a chip carving knife. I was pleasantly surprised with the results.
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starting another 6 foot ruler
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I fit the dovetails. Big deal. I'm moving on. #handtoolwoodworkingshopnotes
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chopping out and pairing the pins
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I switched to weird dovetails to try to salvage the napkin holder.
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I try to knock out a napkin holder in one night. It goes fine until the end.
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finally done with the sharpening stone box. I used my block plane, card scraper, and polishing wax. cool.
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Adding some finishing touches on the sharpening stone box. I'm so close to being done!
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scrubbing a quarter inch off the top of the box and running a sweet bead around the bottom.
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Finishing up the mortise for the top of the sharpening stone box.
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fussing the mortise to fit the stone and laying out the mortise for the top of the box
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The mortise is deep enough, and my 5 minute theory of hand tool woodworking.
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Starting to chop out the mortise for the sharpening stone.
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Trying to be careful with prep on the sharpening stone box.
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Putting a project aside to make something that is more fun.
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Working on the pine couch caddy, and talking questions from a listener.
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I start a new couch caddy out of pine. This one will be made more quickly than perfectly. #handtoolwoodworkingshopnotes
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Cleaned up the dovetails.
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Making pretty the dovetails on the couch caddy #handtoolwoodworkingshopnotes
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A quick explanation of the mounting system for the six foot ruler. #handtoolwoodworkingshopnotes
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completing the dovetails up to the preliminary fit
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More progress on the couch caddy. Dovetails!
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I finish up the six foot ruler.
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I'm making a six foot ruler to measure a bunch of kids.
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finishing up some cool shelves
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