Urchin Ornaments

Take a peek inside my head, at my thought process as I figured out how to make sea urchin shell ornaments.

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Workshop Update: At the Lathe

Since I finished up a few flatwood projects, I have returned to my turning addiction, including some hollowing and a Holiday project with the kids. The round carbide bits that I mentioned in the video are available at here. What is nice is that they also sell the proper screws, and even the taps for the screws. I was a little off on the prices, but still far cheaper than buying "replacement cutters" from turning catalogs. If you have not used carbide cutters before and are not sure what size to start with, start with the 10mm (which is approximately 3/8").

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Shop Update: Display Cabinet Design Review

Find out what prompted the latest Straightedge video: "Making Cove Moulding on the Table Saw", and hear my thoughts on the design for the display cabinet that I just finish making. Take a look:

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Groovy Grooving Planes

I worked out the design on the grooving plane by widening the plane using "secondary cheeks", which allow for the shavings to eject out the top of the plane like a regular hand plane. The extra width also makes it much more comfortable to use, which means less fatigue while using it. Take a look:

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Workshop Update: Box-Making Tools

I have been designing and making some hand tools specifically aimed at making boxes/drawers. In this video I show off some of my successes—as well as a failure—and then turn a handle on the lathe for my latest box-making tool: a 1/8" chisel.

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Box Making Practice

After finishing up the Asian Cabinet, I was not quite ready to embark on another major project immediately.  What to do?  Well, while in Montana, working with Todd Clippinger on the Shaker Style Bench for Charity, I helped assemble the drawer boxes.  The dovetails on these boxes looked quite smart, and I decided that I should add more dovetails to my own projects. The problem is that since I have not done a lot of dovetails I am usually reluctant to use them.  It is easy to make a mess of dovetails, and a major project usually has enough challenges already.  If only I had a little more experience with dovetails, if only I had a little more practice.....  practice! 


What an idea. Practice.  Something that comes highly recommended but that I rarely take the time to do.  And since I am not quite prepared to start that next major project, what an ideal time.  It is also a great oppertunity to turn some of those scraps that, for whatever reason, I cannot seem to let go of and turn them into something useful. 


 For the first dovetail box, I chose to use a small piece of Pearwood from a tree that I acquired in September of 2009.  After re-sawing the stock and cutting it into length, I started to setup my Leigh dovetail jig.  It was at this point that I learned that the bits that come with the jig only works for stock from 1/2” thick to 3/4” thick.  Already, deciding to practice, is paying off.  Yeah, it was a little annoying to discover that I did not have all the bits that I need, but it was much better to discover this during practice than to discover it in the middle of a project.  Off to the web I went to get the needed bits.  In fact, I picked up a whole set of bits to cover all the sizes and styles of dovetails I would be interested in making. 


The second (set of) boxes I made were made from a single piece of 8/4 stock of Red Oak that my buddy RJ Gall left me.  These boxes are made from really thin stock, under 1/4".  I wanted to see how thin I could go on a box without compromising the strength.  I also made the dimensions of these boxes such that they are perfect for fitting on the shelf right under my workbench, on the cabinet underneath.  I store all the measuring tools that I use constantly in one, and store marking/cutting items (marking knives, exact-o knives, scissors, etc.) in the other.


The third and final practice box is made from some leftover Butternut that has been sitting around for a few years.  It is left over from the Black and White Shelf that I did so long ago.  I had forgotten how beautiful Butternut is, and it is even more spectacular when finished with the lacquer that I now use for almost all my furniture finishing.  I also tried out a variation on a theme that I learned from Todd Clippinger. Todd likes to pin his dovetails from the top (and bottom?) to form a joint that is locked in both directions.  My variation accomplishes the same locking, but I put mine on the side of the box.  I am sure that the strength of either approach is the same, and that the difference is simply one of aesthetic preference.

From left to right: 5/16" thick Pearwood; (2) 7/32" Red Oak; 3/8" thick Butternut with Claro Walnut pins.

So what is next? Well I was planning to make more practice boxes; I still want to experiment with some asymmetric dovetail patterns. So why did I stop?  Well, one thing led to another.  While making these boxes I got a whole bunch of ideas for some (wooden) hand planes and other tools specifically aimed at making box-making easier.  Of course, when I finish the tools, I will have to try them out on some more practive boxes.  LOL   ;-)

Cannot decide what to do next

 As my current project is about to enter its third and final phase, I am already thinking about what to make next.  I have several designs on the burner.  The problem is, I like them all, so I cannot decide what I should work on next

This curved dresser is based on the same curve that I used on my Asian Wall Shelf.  I imagine that the top will probably end up a jewelry box that flips up, revealing a mirror.  Perhaps this piece will evolve into a negligée dresser.
This would be an exceptionally challenging piece, since I am not sure how to make left side of the drawers, nor am I certain how I am going to make such a large curved panel.

As planned, the base wood is Honduran Mahogany, and the drawer fronts are Mappa Burl veneer.

This piece would be for sale.

This piece would be to replace my current kitchen table, the only significant piece of furniture in my house that I have not made.  We are casual diners, and this kind of table better fits our lifestyle.
The planned base wood is Honduran Mahogany, and the trim and stool seats are Wenge'.  I have not figured out what to do with the top just yet.  Either it will be a simple veneer, like curly Sapele, with some inlay, or a busier veneer, like some Mahogany crotch. I think I need to stay with something close to Mahogany because additional contrast will compete with the contrast between the base Mahogany and the Wenge'

This piece is a 100% selfish piece, just for me, and as such, it has been postponed again and again for the last three years.  In fact, I have even had the wood for it that long too.   The idea is that of a more modern Morris Chair, with bent laminated arm rests, Lignum vitae hardware, and an open frame.  As well, I strayed from the traditional Oak and plan to use Leopardwood with Lacewood veener accents.  I am considering adding a little inverted taper to the legs to make it look a little more modern and light.

So that is what's on the table.  I have all the wood for all these pieces in inventory, so there is no holdup there.  The dresser would certainly be challenging and it may be good, career-wise, to have a second piece for sale.  The Bar table is perhaps the least in new challenges, but has a definite cool factor.  The Morris chair is deceivingly challenging because of the mechanics of the moving backrest, and would give me a place to chill at the end of the day.    It is really hard to decide, but then again, it is hard to complain about such a problem.

Low VOC Dangers

It is hard to read an article about finishing wood, these days, without some mention of "low VOC's".  These articles vaguely characterise these low VOC finishes as somehow good for humans.  It reminds me of those Life cereal commercials that I grew up with:


  "What's that?"
  "Some low VOC finish; supposed to be good for ya"
  "You gonna try it?"
   "I'm not gonna try it!  you try it"
   "I'm not gonna try it."
   "Lets get Mikey"
   "Yeah!"


Anyone who has read such an article gets the gist: that a low VOC formula contains lower quantities of harmful stuff that evaporates into the air. The key thing to remember here is "into the air", but I will get back to that in a moment.  The burning question that I had is: "What are they putting into these formulas instead?

A little time spent Googling, and I discovered something called "exempt solvents".  There are certain solvents that can be added to solvent based finishes, solvents that evaporate just as well as the solvents in standard lacquer thinner, but that do not count as part of the VOC emissions of the finish.  The most popular "exempt" solvent seems to be acetone.   Huh?  That's right, a manufacturer can load up solvent based finishes with acetone without adding to its VOC rating.

So why is acetone exempt?  After all, it evaporates quite readily.  The answer is simple: because acetone vapor does not "go up" into the air.  Acetone vapor is twice as heavy as air, which means that it collects along surfaces.  This adds an additional danger when using such low VOC finishes.  If acetone vapors have no place to escape, they can collect and build up on the floor, posing a risk of explosion.  (Consider that most home-made finishing booths are constructed with the exhaust fan off the ground.)

I could go on and on about all the different exempt solvents, and their particular safety caveats, but I am no chemist and that is not the point of writing this article.  The point is: Do not assume that low VOC finishes are any safer than their high VOC sisters. (One could even argue that, due to exempt solvents, low VOC formulas simply move the pollution from the air to the soil and water, but that is another article.)

Although I have been primarily talking about solvent based finishes, I cannot exclude water base finishes.  Do not automatically assume these are "safe".  They contain, for instance, glycol ether, which I have read varying opinions about its toxicity.

One last note, a disclaimer, before I run.  I want to make clear that I am not a chemist, and as such, I am partly speaking outside of my field of expertise here.  I culled the information for this article from the research that I have been doing for the purpose of keeping myself safe, and want to share what I have learned with other's so that they may stay safe as well.  If you are a chemist, and want to add something, please, by all means, I invite you to add a comment.