Working on that infill (still)

I've been going into work early to squeeze in some time on my infill during the week. I don't have a decent vise for metal work at home at the moment. I just pack up my little red tool box full of files and spend 45 minutes or so putzing away before starting work. It's a nice way to start the day. I'll have to do a separate post about the saw and files...and the cold chisel. The little things in life can be extremely satisfying, and for some reason, the cold chisel that I've been using is one of those things. Anyway, onto business..

Here's the brass sides. I did a little additional filing to help sharpen the corners a bit before marking them onto the steel sole. We'll get back to these guys for some more filing and drilling, hopefully later this week.

In keeping with a philosophy...

In many ways, I try to be a minimalist. In reality, I'm not. I'm getting there though. Today I sold a bunch of books, CD, and DVD's that I'm not into anymore. Someone else can enjoy them. I would have liked to get more for them, but some of that money was spent when I was in high school or college! So it's new money to me. Small house (750 sq ft), small car (a prism, seriously, I drive a Chevy Prism). On the books and movies, I pared down my total collection to the books that I really can read again, and movies that I really enjoy watching. I've been done with punk rock for a few years so that stuff is mostly gone (except for a few choice albums...some stuff just gets ya). What's this got to do with woodworking? Everything. I have some tools that I'm not using. They are being or have been sold. My collectible stuff isn't going anywhere, you'll have to pry my Baldwin planes out of my cold, dead fingers. I intend to get more of those, as a matter of fact. Maybe I took Chris Schwarz too seriously (if you haven't read The Anarchist's Tool Chest, you should...if you can't afford it...I'll loan it to you). Maybe the economy sucks and I can't get overtime. Maybe, at the tender age of early thirty something, I'm finally becoming a grown up. Maybe, I'm just a spaz case. Who knows? Or it could be that I had a crappy day, shelled out $400 to fix an aging furnace and screwed up a project to boot. Again, who knows? Anyway, every day I find that I'm trying to pare back on "things." If it ain't useful, it ain't welcome here anymore.
Now...let's see how the bright new plane I just bought fits into the this equation. Hmmm...I guess you'll find out when it arrives, it should be a treat!
I also decided it was time to read some Machiavelli, so it could get really weird around here.

Resawing

Ripping is one thing, resawing is a whole other animal! You can't build everything from inch thick lumber, and buying stuff that's already brought down to a thinner section is expensive. What's a budding neanderthal to do? Steve Branam shows his technique for resawing here. I figured that would be a good place to start. I got some inch cherry and went to town.

The intended victim. It's a pretty piece of cherry, and I hope to keep it pretty!

Scrub plane

Not everyone is in to scrub planes. I am. I've read differing opinions on their use and origin. For instance, some say that they are a rather late comer to the plane game and are a bit of a cheat. Others say they are of German descent and were meant for edge preparation. I don't have the research resources to confirm or deny any opinions. All I know is that they are infinitely useful. I especially like them for preparation of very rough edges...like those found on stock coming straight off the mill saw.

Back about a year ago when this thing was new. It's a bit of a fashion statement. The wood selection was on purpose...to annoy those who are more sensible. Let's just say that I'm not quite into these stark contrasts much anymore.

The joy of toolmaking

It's a very satisfying feeling when you can make and use your own tools. It's even more so when they perform well. This is my jointer, 23 1/2" long, with a 1 1/2" x 1/4" iron that I made.

Yes, the tote is ugly. And yes, I put it in a bad spot for adjusting the iron.

Cutting a tenon

Instead of fiddling with tools tonight, I decided it was high time I did some actual furniture building. I've been slogging through a small coffee table. I'd build a larger one, but then I wouldn't be able to get around it in my tiny house. To build the table I need to make several mortise and tenon joints. Being a noob, this is a joint I have never completed before, well, properly anyway. My kitchen utility table has those loose tenon thingies (which I hate, and I'm angry about WHY I ended up using them, but that's a gripe for another day). I've tried practicing a few times but never had much success. But then...
Derek Cohen has a great write up about how to get through the M&T joint here. I tried to follow his method, and did pretty well. So, thanks, Derek! With some practice, I'm sure I'll have this down in no time. Below is my first shot, I've got several more to get through.

The cheek cuts marked on the end grain. I chipped it out a bit on the shooting board...I really need to consider a dedicated mitre plane. The board is 3/4" thick, so the tenon will be 1/4" thick.

Infill progress

Finally! I knew I could get my rear end kicked into gear on this thing. I got the sole squared and cut to size and pierced the mouth. I originally set out to do most of this work with a hack saw and files. Like all smart (ok...slightly better than stupid) people with access to a mill, I decided that 100% hand work was not practical. If I had a large disk or belt sander at my house, I would have used those. Anyway, I ran the sole through the bandsaw and milled the final dimensions.

The bottom of the sole. By piercing at an angle in the mill I was able to get an accurate angle for the mouth. My hope is that this will save me work later. There is a little bit of work to do by hand to square off the mouth.