Limited Editions

Recently a very dear client friend asked if I might make one of my needle workers boxes in walnut. Well actually she asked me about a year ago and I just recently got around to doing something about it. This was eventuated by three different things, the simultaneous arrival of a trunk of walnut, nicely cut into planks and a sheath of walnut burr veneers. Then a book about the Victory Project; A scheme where items have been made from timber taken from HMS Victory during its various repairs and refits. As one of the makers involved there is a short piece about me and the limited edition boxes I made; a few are still available. This sparked an idea and I decided to not only make the one needle workers box, but a series of five, in a limited edition complete with a certificate of provenance; just like the Victory boxes. The Walnut needle workers boxes will feature Cherry swing handles and dividers to the inner tray and burr walnut lids and tray bottoms. As I write, three of these are sold; this is even before I have made the first one. Hence no picture. Little did I realise that they would prove so popular, that’s the reason I settled for such a small edition. Naturally it would be dishonest to make a repeat edition, however I may make another using Walnut and pear or maybe Birdseye Maple.

What tools do I need? (part 6 Sharpening)

While on a recent visit to a friend of mine, who lives a little further south of here in the Creuse, he took me to see an archaeological site he has discovered. It was here on an escarpment that we discovered this very early sharpening stone; probably used to sharpen all manner of tools and weapons. No doubt even battle weapons used against invading Romans; there are some traces of later Roman settlement. Interesting to see how little some things have changed, although now-days most of us would like our sharpening stones a little more portable.

Last time I promised to look at diamond and ceramic stones, these are in my opinion, by far the best choice. Both will do a similar job, but there are a few differences. Generally speaking diamond stones are a perforated metal plate covered with diamond particles of different grades. Course, medium, fine and extra fine, there is also an extra course though difficult to find. This plate is bonded to a support or base, generally plastic and colour coded to the grit size. Ceramic stones are made from high alumina ceramic (synthetic sapphires) and then bonded into a ceramic base, which is then fired at temperatures in the region of 3000 degrees.

Ceramic stones have a continuous surface, so are especially suited to fine narrow blades. Diamond stones not of the best quality, can be found reasonably inexpensively, where as ceramic stones are about the same price as the best diamond stones. You will never find a one stone fits all, like the old monster above. Therefore, as it is our intention to get woodworking quickly and inexpensively, I would recommend at the very least a cheapish diamond combination stone; coarse/fine and a medium fine ceramic stone. (Med fine ceramic stone is equal to an extra fine diamond stone)

Diamond and Ceramic Stones

What Tools Do I Need? part 5 Sharpening

The last Item on our list a sharpening system, should perhaps feature right at the top, as this is arguably the most important part of your tool kit. It ensures all your edge tools are in working condition, no matter what quality. Unfortunately most people setting out in the field of woodworking give it scant attention in their eagerness to get started. This is unfortunate, as it generally results in frustration. Throwing the tool down in disgust, they blame either the quality of the wood, the tool or their own lack of skill; in truth it is just a lack of understanding two things. Firstly the right understanding of sharpness and secondly how one may achieve it. A perfect cutting edge, is the meeting point of two converging angles prepared in such a way that all imperfections are removed; a mirror surface. This is achieved by grinding and honing with progressively finer sharpening stones.

Regrettably this rarely happens on the novice’s bench, many are content to use some old misshapen piece of rock from granddads shed or the ubiquitous oilstones of indeterminable grade; at best there may be fine or course marked on them. Stones that are deformed or even slightly hollowed are useless for our purposes and will quickly ruin any tool by rounding the back of it. For a chisel this is the part of the tool that bears on the timber as a guide, this helps control the cut, so needs to be perfectly flat; On a plane blade, this is the area that determines the angle of cut and very importantly mates with the chip-breaker. Even the slightest gap here will result in shavings being trapped; this will entirely choke the plane even after one or two passes. For these and a host of finer points blades need to be perfectly flat; flattening the blade of an edge tool is actually the first job you will need to do after you take it out of the box. Because even the best quality tools will need a little tuning before use, no matter what it says on the wrapper.

They may feel sharp and may even give you a nasty nick, but they will not be the surgical sharpness we are looking for; an edge that will leave the cut wood polished and ready to take a finish. If you were to place a new blade, or one that had been sharpened on a carborundum stone, under a magnifying glass, you would see thousands of small scratches. Then if you further magnified the edge you would then see that these scratches now looked like a ploughed field and created deep furrows at the tip of the blade. Try pushing a saw sideways over a piece of wood, not only does this require considerable effort, but the result is hideous. Now, this is exactly what happens, only in smaller scale, when using a badly sharpened blade.

I could list all the pro’s and con’s of the different stones available, but this is adequately done elsewhere and is here I believe redundant. Because you are only looking for information that applies to your situation and helps you get started quickly and easily; you do not need stones that constantly need flattening or dressing. Diamond or ceramic stones are without doubt the best choice and I shall be looking at different types in my next post.

What happened to August?

August is generally the quietest month in France, that is if you are doing anything else that is not to do with ‘’Les Grands Vacances’’ Its just impossible to buy materials or supplies, so we just hope we have thought of everything we will need. This seemed like a good time to update our old PC (9 years) for a new one. So it was extremely unfortunate that our long awaited broadband installation occurred in late July. I’m sure some of you are ahead of me here. Yes, you can imagine, data transfer from one PC to the other, new service provider, no engineers, one service account closed 5 days before the other activated, and 15 days before the new service was finally connected.

On the bright side we are now fully paid-up members of the 21st centaury, well it at least feels like it for us; after years of working at night when no one else was using the shared dial-up connection. One dear American client and friend, described our location, as out in “the boonies”, This is true and the way we like it. Now we have the best of both worlds. The only drawback is, that I now no longer have an excuse for not keeping-up to date on this blog.

What Wax Should I Use?

This is a question that’s asked on a regular basis and my answer to this is always the same. Any good quality Beeswax will do the job, but don’t overdo it, one or two applications a year should be sufficient in most cases; with regular dusting in-between. Remove any spills immediately and any other marks as soon as practical. See…… for cleaning.
However, some more curious types are not satisfied with this answer and follow-up with, ‘but what wax do you use?’ ‘I make my own, to a secret recipe’ say I, with an appropriately mysterious air. ‘Oh’ they say, crestfallen but grudgingly satisfied and the conversation moves on. Well it’s not that much of a secret really, more a case of empiric knowledge passed from one generation of furniture makers to another. Each individual changing the quantities of the recipe a little, so that it would better suite his own idea of working perfection, and so on down through the years.

My own method and formula is as follows:

Carnauba wax 40%
Beeswax 30%
Paraffin wax 30%
Twice this amount by volume pure turpentine.

Place all the wax in a suitable tin or saucepan over water (Bain-marie) then on a hotplate, never on a naked flame! Waxes are highly inflammable. Once molten remove from heat and carefully add the turpentine, slowly stirring as you do so. If you have not used the tin in which you will keep the wax for the heating procedure, now is the time to pour the mixture into the pot or jar of your choice, an old commercial wax tin is perfect for the job. Continue to stir as the wax cools, feel free to add a little more turpentine if you prefer a more liquid wax; you can reheat and add later if you find the wax has dried out over time.

What Tools Do I Need part 4

Drill, Cramp and Screwdriver.

Electric drills are considered to be such basic tools that they can be found in most homes, so if you already have one, that’s fine; please don’t go and change it because of something you read here. If not you may wish to consider a cordless drill driver, the advances made in battery technology make these a real alternative to mains drills. Especially the newer ones which come complete two batteries and a one hour charger.
Stay clear of the older ones with Ni-Cad batteries, unless of course they are a real bargain. The main advantages of a drill driver are first it will perform both the task of drilling a hole and then putting in the screw. Very handy and labour saving if you are doing a lot of repetitive work. Secondly you don’t have a tangle of wires and extension leads to cope with. Those drills pictured also share some of these advantages and are also worth consideration. Personally, for bench work I find them just as efficient as the power versions and much quieter.

Cramps are an essential part of your equipment, not only for closing joints when gluing-up, but also for holding the work piece while you are working. I would suggest you will need about four six inch G cramps and two three foot sash cramps. To start buy two of the G cramps and the others as you need them; I guarantee you will never have enough of the right sort to do the job. I have a whole wall full and still find I occasionally need more of one size or another.

Whether or not you have a drill/driver, you will still need hand drivers one for slot head screws and one for cross head screws. Once again buy only the basics six or seven inch version of each (the cross head with a number two point) to start and any others as the need arises.

What Tools Do I Need part 3

Planes Chisels Pincers


As you probably realise, I’m not one of those bloggers who turn out five posts a day, however this particular post has taken a bit longer than usual to appear, hope this hasn’t dented your enthusiasm.

Planes and chisels are two of the most important edge tools that any woodworker will use, so it’s important to choose ones that will perform properly. We looked at how you could save money on disposable saws last time, but it would be a big mistake to think you could do the same with edge tools. Because an edge tool needs to take a keen edge and retain it for a reasonable amount of time. A bargain may look appealing and may even make a few good cuts, but inevitably you will be making too many visits to the sharpening stone. The all important ingredient is the type of steel that the manufacturer used to make the blade.

That said lets first take a closer look at the type of plane you will need. Now you may find that my advice is at odds with that which you may find elsewhere. This is because I’m focussing on the home woodworker who just wants to have a go at making something before making a huge financial commitment on tools.

For a first plane I would advise a small Stanley block plane the 60 ½ (top left) this will be adequate for immediate your needs and its suppressing what can be achieved with one. You can graduate onto other more specialised planes if you feel the need at a later date and you will then have some practical experience on which to base your future choice. The plane will not work straight out of the box and will need some ‘’fettling’’ to make it work right. I’ll cover this at the end of the series.

The other planes in the picture are a Stanley 220 (top Right) a slightly more basic model that has its uses. The plane in the centre is an ECE wooden block plane that works superbly when ‘tuned-up’ the drawback with this type of plane for your type of work is the wearability of the soul. You will be doing a lot of chamfering and this can scar a wood bottomed plane and eventually spoil it. Then on the other hand, I would prefer a ‘woody’ anyday when working on the flat. You can see how easy it is to end up with a cupboard or whole workshop full of tools.

Probably the chisel sizes you will find most useful will be a ¼’’/6mm, a ½’’/12mm and a 5/8’’/16mm all with bevelled edges. After a lot of thought and consideration, I would advise that you buy some Japanese chisels as these will give you the best cost/performance ratio and require the least ‘fettling’ to get you working. Buy a chisel roll to keep them in; otherwise the cutting edges will get damaged, no matter how careful you are. Like western chisels there are a number of different styles of Japanese chisels to choose from. The most robust are Chu-usu Nomi (third left) and were used by Japanese temple builders; these are capable of making heavy cuts or taking the lightest of parings. This quality here, are a mid priced chisel, about 30 euros each, anything cheaper is probably not worth considering. If you are lucky enough to have inherited some 19th century cast steel chisels (second left) that aren’t rust pitted, its going to be worth rehabilitating them. Email me on that one.


Pincers, you can probably find a nice clean pair like those in the picture for a few pounds on EBay, just make sure the gripping edges are not deformed. See if you can pick-up a pin punch at the same time. I forgot to add this on the list, but you can be sure you will need one.

What Tools do I need. Part 2

Let’s take a closer look at the first three tools on our shopping list. Hammers, (you will need at least two) a saw and a square.

Hammer:

A hammer is a pretty basic tool, probably one of the first tools man invented, so you would be forgiven for thinking a hammer is just a hammer. In truth there are just about as many different hammers as things you could find to hit with one. However the type of hammer you need for woodworking will be like one of those in the picture and not a carpenter’s hammer with a claw at on end. The latter are useful on building sites and farms, but too heavy and clumsy for bench work or any fine woodwork. A 3 ½ oz cross peen pin hammer and a larger 12 oz cross peen, these are sometimes called Warrington pattern, will be all you need to cover most eventualities. The wedge shaped cross peen is useful for starting off small pins or nails held between the fingers without doing your ‘’pinkies’’ any damage. It can also be used for pressing down veneer or inlay and also for working in restricted areas.





Saw:
Most timber yards will dimension timber for you these days; some may even work to a cutting list. This makes it unlikely that you will need to do any rip sawing; this is good because at this stage you do not have the facilities to do so. (Rip sawing is cutting along the grain to dimension the timber in section) With a few exceptions all your sawing will be cross cutting the timber to length or forming joints. Therefore you are not going to need a large rip or panel saw. The ideal first saw for you will be a tenon saw, something like the ones in the picture. I suggest you buy a cheaper disposable one; these have hardened teeth and stay sharp for a long time. You do not want to be thinking about saw sharpening just yet. A standard tenon saw will have a blade 11 or 12 inches long and a cutting depth of about 3 inches with 13 or 14 teeth per inch.

Square:
There are a number of different types in this picture and any of them will do the job. I made the wooden one myself and the very small one, I made when an apprentice. I like using the wooden one simply because it feels good; a number of my tools are made from different timbers in this way. This is just a personal preference because I like the feel of wood and using something I have made myself. The square I would advise for you is a combination square, (Far right) because you can use these for a lot of other things besides squaring. In addition to the right angle they also have a 45 o angle on them which you will find useful, they also combine an adjustable steel rule that can be used for laying out, scribing a line or as a depth gauge. Some also come with a protractor, which is nice to have but not essential. It would be worth investing some of the money you saved on the cost of the saw here, because a square needs to be accurate and accuracy costs money.

What tools do I need?

Naturally the answer to this question depends on what you are setting out to do, to narrow the field; I’m going to make a few assumptions. Yes, I know it’s best not to assume, but sometimes it’s necessary just to get the ball rolling. OK, here goes, you may be male, female, any shape or colour, living in your own home (owned or rented) and you want to do some simple woodwork. This could be for maintenance, decoration or construction and you don’t know which tools you should buy or how to use them.

First, some don’ts. Don’t be tempted to buy a set of tools, no matter how good a deal it seems.
Don’t buy your tools from a DIY or home store, the woodworking hand tools on sale here are next to useless.
Don’t go on a buying spree, after acquiring a few basic items, only buy each new tool as needed.

Choose a specialised supplier of professional hand tools like Axminster tool centre or Classic hand tools for example. Shops like this stock good quality tools and most importantly have informed staff who can give you advice. If you are unable to get to a shop like this Axminster for example has a very good online shop and will send you a comprehensive tool catalogue free of charge. (Postal charges apply if you life outside the UK)



Professional quality hand tools may look expensive at first, this is an illusion as you will only need to buy once if you look after them and they will give a lifetime of service. Long after you have forgotten the cost you will still continue to enjoy the quality.

Shopping List:

Hammers
Saw
Tri-square
Pincers
Small Hand Plane
Chisels
Drill
Clamps
Screwdrivers
Tape
Sharpening system.

You will also need a surface to work on, ideally about 32 inches high (80cm) and fairly sound. You may need to use some imagination like making a false top for your dining table or perhaps buy a fold-up bench like a workmate. These are not ideal substitutes for a real workbench, but then I'm not writing for someone with a fully equiped workshop. I'm writing for someone who is just about to make his or her first cut in a piece of timber. We will be looking at aspects of work holding later in the series.

These basic items can get you going on an amazing range of projects and with a few additions can allow you to realise your creative ambitions.

Next blog, I will talk through the different points of each item on the list above……………

A Break with Tradition

Thinking about a new Shaker piece to show at this years Salon d’métiers d’art in Orléans proved to be a difficult task. I wanted to make something with a relatively small footprint to maximise the stand area and in addition show some cabinetry work to compliment my tables and chairs. The well known and much copied Shaker chimney cupboard seemed to present a form that perfectly fitted my criteria. However I wanted to give it a slightly different interpretation, one based on fine furniture making traditions, rather than the somewhat utilitarian style of the original.

The shape that eventually evolved in my mind, ended owing more to the Arts and Crafts Movement, than it did to the shakers; but in my view this works very well. These two styles quite often converge in a way that is not always apparent. It could even be said that my interpretation looks even more like a chimney that the Shaker design, tapering as it does towards the top, in a classical chimney form. This is perhaps a little unfair as the term is only an arbitrary one. The Shakers didn’t set out to make a cupboard that looked like a chimney; this is simply a name someone at a later date appropriated.

My version is in Cherry with figured Oak panels, Walnut knobs and Walnut pegs to the joints. The back is constructed the same way allowing the piece to stand centre room if required.

What a beautiful finish

Returning from a recent exhibition, I thought about many of the questions I’d been asked and how I might utilise this feedback. Then it struck me that the question that cropped-up most frequently was about the finish and how it was achieved. This is a relatively new phenomenon to me and initially I would give a probably not too helpful answer; like, ‘Oh, in the usual way with shellac and oil’. What I had failed to notice is how far removed a hand worked piece with a hand applied finish had become from commercially made furniture. Once all furniture was finished in the same way or variants of; even after spray finishes became more common there was still plenty of hand polished furniture in most homes. Once Mum’s and Dad’s ‘old junk’ was brought up by antique dealers and replaced with 'nearly wood' flat packs, all point of reference had disappeared. New generations rarely get the opportunity to experience what hand tools can do.

A year or so ago I was teaching a nice chap to make a Windsor chair, I think it was his first serious attempt at making furniture. The only power tool he used in the class was a drill, every other process was done by hand. He stood back looked at his impeccable chair and said, ‘I simply can’t believe I did that with hand tools’ I can still see the look on his face. I know he will never look at furniture in the same way again.

There is I feel a renaissance on the horizon, a getting back to quality, but first the public have to re-learn what that quality looks and feels like and happily they are setting out to do that in increasing numbers.

Moving Furniture. Some do's and Don'ts

There are two period armchairs in the workshop at the moment waiting restoration, besides the normal wear and tear, this pair has suffered from careless moving around. A push here and a pull there probably didn’t seem to be causing any damage, until one day they just toppled over. I thought this a good topic to discuss, because although its important, it’s also so mundane it tends to get overlooked.

Whether you are moving house or just re-arranging a room, moving furniture is not necessarily as straight forward as it may appear. Furniture, even well made furniture can sustain damage if it is subjected to forces for which it was not designed. This easily happens when we are in a rush, or we try to do the impossible on our own.

Furniture is designed to carry weight, either just its own, if purely decorative, or a combination of its own weight and that of something placed on it or in it. Weight is a downward force and a quick look at any piece of furniture will show how it is assembled to counteract force in a downward direction; for instance the position of different components and the direction of the grain running through them. Closer inspection will expose different weaknesses to forces acting from other directions. This is not a fault; after all we want our furniture to be elegant as well as functional, not something resembling a Sherman tank. Therefore furniture is designed to perform it’s designated function and if it is intended to move it will be on wheels.

It’s safe to say that if the piece to be moved is larger than a side chair it will need two people to move it, or some sort of equipment, such as rollers or a trolley as well as a means of lifting. Furniture standing on the floor should never be pushed, especially if on carpet as this will always result in some kind of damage if not breakage, this damage may not be apparent immediately. When lifting always grip a main structural element, never a top or an arm. Remember to empty cupboards and remove drawers, make the unit as light as possible before moving. This is good for your health as well as the health of your furniture. Lift chairs by the lower rail of the back if there is one or by the seat rails, never by the arms or the crest rail. The accompanying photo shows a Louis XV armchair, this would have been a heavy chair when fully upholstered; it has been pushed on carpet and lifted by the arms. I think the picture speaks for itself.