Friday, October 30, 2015

Saved from the fire

I finally got some progress done on the box top to make it worth editing together and presenting it.  So here is how work on it went over the last while.  I have a murky idea of what I want to end up with and I am just letting the wood take me down it's own path to get there.  Luckily I am not paid by the hour.  I am having fun learning and trying new things.  I still maintain that I can do an honest day's work........it just takes me a week to do it!

Enjoy the video!


Thanks for dropping by!

Thursday, October 29, 2015

Just like new!

About a week ago, I was watching a You Tube video done by one of the channels I subscribe to.  In it, Ray, from the TabLeft Workshop channel described a method of cleaning table saw blades that I had never thought of.  I decided to give it a try and of course I had the camera going while I did it.  It worked really well.  I think the results speak for themselves.


Here is the video of the process



I also spent some time in the shop, and out on the lawn, milling up a bit of wood.  So far I have a little pile of ash, ready to go.


I do believe this is the start of another box build.  The sides to be finger jointed ash and the top.....I pulled out a piece of maple from the firewood pile last year and milled that up for the top and bottom panel.  This involved re sawing it too.  I have some footage of that, but I have yet to edit it and post it.  That may become a weekend project.


I think it will go well together with the ash. 




A handsome combination.  

Now, I just have to figure out what the dimensions of the box will be.  My thoughts are running toward a top that slips over the bottom, much like a shoe box.  So my box build will actually be 2 box builds, one that slips inside the other.

Thanks for dropping by!


Tuesday, October 27, 2015

It's falling

Yup, the seasons are changing and the leaves are falling.  There is a lot to do getting ready for winter.  We have been slowly getting things done around the home.  We got a new tarp for the fire wood pile and that is all strapped down.  That will help keep the fall rains off it.  Around here the saying is that the snow does not come until the ditches are full.  By the looks of the weather report, that could happen soon.  A big rain storm is coming they say.  They are saying rain and high winds for the next couple of days.

We did get some snow already, but it has melted.


This prompted us to get at getting ready.  So now the winter tires are on the car and we went out and bought new boots for the year.  I bought the same model as my previous ones as they lasted 10 years.


They ought to keep my toes nice and toasty for a while!


I have been doing a bit of work around the shop.  I have a bunch of ash that I milled down, and a piece of maple that I took from the firewood pile last year.  That, along with the box joint assembly I just made, ought to be going toward a box I think.

Also on the go are the making of videos.  I have one made and ready to post about a method I found on another You Tube channel, and a new one I just posted with a quick tip on small engines.


Just a short one, but it may be helpful.

I am also taking footage of the box build I alluded to earlier.  I still have not decided on the size, but I am getting clearer on the design.  I am making it up as I go and there have been more than a couple of nights where sleep would not come as I rolled it around in my head.  I have just been milling wood to see what I have and I will keep it within those parameters.

Well, I have a bit more to say, but it will keep until the external hard drive is handier and I can post the photos of what is going on.  So, until next time.

Thanks for dropping by!

Wednesday, October 21, 2015

Completing work on the jointer

Well, I actually did something constructive finally.  I have not been doing much in the shop, keeping busy with other day to day things and resting through an early autumn snow fall.


Yes, those first smatterings of snow look pretty, but by the end of January, the shine kind of wears off.  I made an appointment to get the winter tires put on the car.  As days go by, there seems to be more and more needing to get done before winter.  

I finally got around to finishing off the work on the jointer today.  I ran the camera and got the footage, edited it all, put it together, and uploaded it to You Tube.  It takes longer to upload than to watch.  My connection speed is nothing to write home about.

  I am enjoying making videos.  I am just capturing day to day things and I still have lots of ideas of projects to come.  I am trying to leave in as much information of the process as I can without getting overly long.  There is more to any job than just a tidy edited and stripped down version of things going perfectly.  Just like real life.

I hope you like this one.  I am somehow partial to it.  As always, people who are putting up content on You Tube are really encouraged by clicking that thumbs up icon, sharing and comments.  I try to answer every comment on You Tube, as well as on this blog, when they happen.  My channel is still very small, so I have the luxury of doing that.  Perhaps it will grow and that will end, but I will keep trying.



As always, I am thankful for the time you spend with me.

Thanks for dropping by

Friday, October 16, 2015

Box Joint Jig

I finished up another video today.  This time I made a new adapter for my box joint jig.  When I first made it a few years ago, I just made it to do 3/4" box joints.  You can make as many adapters for the main carriage as you want, one for each size, and they just quickly bolt on to the main carriage and are located with a screw butting up against a dead stop.

I have a few more boxes I want to build and I wanted a smaller box joint so I made the new one to handle 3/8" box joints.  I think they will look nice on a variety of stock thickness's.  There were some pitfalls along the way that I documented.  I mean really, everyone has set ups they have to do, and adjustments, and not everyone has the equipment to always make these things go smooth.  Some would edit out these things, making it look like they zip through a project with nary a thought.  It is like all the TV shows where they rebuild an entire room in a half hour.  Our life isn't edited into all the nice bits, and I rather like catching the complications along the way and figuring out a way to make it work.

Yes, it would be great to have some of my tools and equipment upgraded.  Perhaps someday that will happen.  For now though, I have what I have, and I get great enjoyment out of them.  I think that is the whole point.  I go out there to enjoy myself and partake in my hobby.  When I worked it was always mechanical in nature.  I have always loved tinkering with things, so maybe having machinery that needs some thought and attention suits me too.

After I finished the jig, I ran some wood through the planer and brought it down to 1/2" thick in preparation for building boxes.  I still have a bit more to do, but probably not to the same thickness.  I now have to come up with some sizes and get thinking about the building of them.  I also have to get my set screws for the jointer and get that going too.   In the mean time, I hope you enjoy watching some of the prep work that needed to be done in order to get on to the next project.



Thanks for dropping by!


Monday, October 12, 2015

A busy day.

It was a beautiful day today.  Too nice to stay indoors.  I spent the day behind the shop, using my mini tiller and levelling the ground a bit back there.  After checking the weather, and learning that rain is in the forecast, I spread out the rest of the lawn seed we had on hand.  A bit of moisture always helps.  All in all, an enjoyable day.

But I did promise a video to be out.  Well here it is at 11:20 PM and I just finished uploading it to You Tube.  It is longer than I had anticipated and I added a bit at the beginning which adds to it.  I think every wood worker on You Tube has a "sharpening" video, and I guess this one is mine.  I used a lot of editing, speeding things up to 8X speed to try and cut down on the length.  I didn't think it would be all that entertaining watching my hands go back and forth.  I just slowed the video down for commentary and such.  It took a lot of work.  Probably more time dealing with the video than it took to do the job.  I am more convinced now that more, shorter videos, are better.  I suppose I could have broken this one up, but there is a continuity to it that only comes with keeping it together.

I hope you enjoy the show!


Thanks for dropping by.

Sunday, October 11, 2015

Happy Thanksgiving

Today is our Thanksgiving day here in Canada.  I look back since the last one and tally all the things that have come to pass.  Mostly I am thankful for my partner in life, Sally.  My stalwart companion through all things thick and thin.  She makes my life much more enjoyable and easier.

Last year, the shop was just a dream, and now I am working in it.  It is not done, but it is a far sight better than what I had last year.  The last few days I have not spent much time in it.  We went to Stratford on my quest to find the set screws I need for the jointer.  Well, I did manage to find some, but only in lots of 100, and I only need 6.  So I called the first folks I went to in Clinton as they said they could order some if the normal machine screws I got from them (for 15 cents) did not work....and they didn't.  But I had fun messing around anyway, so it was worth the try.

Yesterday, which was Saturday, I finally went out to the guitar jam in Mitchell.  After the Desperado video, it is very apparent that I need to get back into shape.  I grabbed the S&P 6 that I did the string change video on and headed out the door.  It didn't take long there for my finger tips to start hurting.  Oh my, did they ever....and my strumming is rusty too.  It is really going to be a challenge when I get the 12 string back in rotation.  Good thing I love the instrument so much, despite my lack of talent and effort I put into it.

Today, I did get into the shop.  I put the jointer away until the set screws come in and decided to take a look at the Record No 078 Rabbet plane that I bought at the Cider fest.  I let the camera roll through most of it and now have a new video to edit and get up.  I really didn't start out to get it completed today, but I have it functioning with about an hours work.  It was in really good shape.  I did a bit of research and as far as I can tell they were made between 1932 and 1980 or so.  I don't think mine is one of the older ones, but, you never know.  It could still use some minor tuning, but it cuts a rabbet, or rebate, depending on where you are from.  So for $20 CAD (about $15 USD)  and about an hour's labour, I have a nicely functioning tool.  I ran out of room on the memory card once and had to load that onto the external hard drive to continue, and just about ran out of batteries on the camera near the end.  I would really like a bit of an improvement in equipment, maybe some day, if the price is right.  All said though, I think I have enough to make a decent video.  I hope to do that tomorrow and get it posted.  I have been remiss in taking still photos though, for that I am sorry, I hope the video makes up for it.  So, until next time....

Thanks for dropping by

Tuesday, October 06, 2015

Continuing on the Jointer

Seeing as I had the jointer out for the "rust" video, I decided I ought to give it a bit of a going over and see how things line up.  The knives were a bit low, but the rest of the machine is in outstanding condition.  I have been running the camera while I work.  I really enjoy messing around in the shop.  Even if sometimes things don't go as planned.

I don't mean for my videos to be educational, but rather, snippets of things that happen on a regular basis.  Sometimes things don't work out at first, but that is how real life happens.  A little bit of perseverance is sometimes needed.   Sometimes you need to try a "work around" solution or two, just to see if you can.  It is all part of the process, and for me, focusing on a challenge is something I like doing.

I hope you enjoy this. It's really just a guy messing around in his shop.  I am having fun tinkering and also making the videos.


Thanks for dropping by!

Monday, October 05, 2015

Embarrassing bit, but I did it

I have been going over and over on whether to put this out there or not.  I recorded it right after I did the guitar string change and it has been sitting on my hard drive.  I am not a good player and I am acutely aware of what my voice sounds like.  But if I am to encourage people to get out there and record themselves doing their hobbies, I figure I better live by those words.

I have been working on the shop for 6 months and have not touched the guitar in all that time.  I really love the instrument and it has been a companion for most of my life.  I don't practice enough, or play in front of people often.  So, here it is, me, embarrassing myself, and willing to let the world know that even if you are not great at something, enjoy it any way.



Thanks for dropping by!

Saturday, October 03, 2015

Rust never Sleeps

I belong to a few forums, and with the coming of winter, the question always comes up about what to do about the iron surfaces on machinery and the rust forming on it.  It is not the cold that does it.  Far from it.  In order to oxide (rust), ferrous metals (those that contain iron) need 3 things: Moisture, oxygen, and warmth.  It is cold and dry in the winter, so why is rust such a problem?

Well it is not always that cold and dry.  There are many days when the temperature gets close to, or over the freezing mark.  These days are relatively humid, and with your iron changing temperature at a different rate, the humidity condenses on it, creating ideal conditions for rust.  If you put a tarp over the machine, it will make it even worse as you just put your machine in a green house.

The temperature swings go on all winter and may be even worse in the spring.  By the time you are wanting to pull your machine out of storage you may end up with a nasty surprise.

I have dealt with this for many years, having my tools in the leaky old shed.  Even the new shop will have no heat in it this winter.   I can't do much about the temperature, but I sure can do something about the moisture and oxygen getting to the metal.

This video shows how I do it.  My old jointer has been living neglected and in less than ideal circumstances for about a year now.  A little attention is needed, so I hope you enjoy this, and maybe even it will help out a bit.



Thanks for dropping by



Friday, October 02, 2015

Getting rid of the time conflict

It has been a bit difficult for me for the past week or so.  Not anything vital or important.  It's just that these blog entries have gotten ahead of my You Tube videos and I found it hard to keep switching between the timing of them both.  Perhaps in the future, time travellers will have the same dilemma.

It was time to buckle down and get my video footage edited and put up so everything is in sync again.  I am still experimenting with editing and it takes a while to get a video all sorted out and put up.  I am using Microsoft Movie Maker, it came with my Windows 7 Pro on this laptop.  That fits into my budget just fine.  The last bit of this footage was taken this morning, right after I completed the work.

I feel much better now.  I feel like I am caught up and less frazzled.  I may be a bit OCD I think.  Silly things like this weigh on my mind more than it should, and I let it.  At least it is motivation to get things done.

I have another video on my hard drive that I am hesitant to release.  Right after doing the string change and maintenance on my acoustic guitar I shot myself doing a tune.  This after not touching it for 5 or 6 months.  To start, I am not a very good guitar player, and I know what my voice sounds like too.  Not strong, and not accurate.  My Dad used to tell me I had a good voice for cooling soup.  I think that is a fair assessment.

So, this video kind of clears the slate and now on to the next thing.  Hopefully keeping everything on the same time line from here on in.  I hope you enjoy it.  As always, likes, comments and shares are a wonderful thing in the life of someone doing You Tube videos, and new subscribers are always wanted.  I only have just over 30 subscibers, and would like to keep it going, so showing some interest is always encouraging.

Now, on to the video:


As always,

Thanks for dropping by