Last year while building a series of Roubo benches I discovered a quick and straightforward method for cutting the large half-lap dovetail that joins the end cap to the front laminate.
Soon after I dropped a line to Megan Fitzpatrick, managing editor at Popular Woodworking Magazine to see if she was interested in the article. My intention was to publish the info right here, but I thought it would be nice if the technique reached a wider audience, so I pitched the idea to Megan first. She agreed to the article and I got busy writing and sawing.
The article appears in this month's Popular Woodworking Magazine. If you're about to build a bench, or something else with big dovetails, I think its worth reading. The method eliminates, without any compromises, any tedious or skill-demanding chisel work. I've used this technique several times since I first discovered it, and it's worked great every time.
It's been said before, we are living in a woodworking machinery Renaissance (insert sound of a turntable needle scratching a record here).
Okay, that's mostly untrue. Manufacture of fine, cast iron woodworking machinery in America has all but died. There were once thousands (yes, that many--have doubts? see this) of companies manufacturing heavy, cast-iron machines all over the country. The choices were astounding. Today I think I could count on one hand those companies who are still at it. Northfield Machinery Builders, is one that is still alive and well, for example. Two of my old machines are 50+-year old Northfields that I bought from a high-school auction in Minneapolis.
Why did I say mostly untrue? Dozens of cabinet and furniture making companies are closing their doors, either closing completely or selling off the assets and setting up shop on the other side of the planet. And herein lies the machinery Renaissance. Many of these companies have been in business for decades, and some going on a century or more. The machines they outfitted their shops with back then are in most cases, still running strong. They are widely available and generally inexpensive through auctions and sales.
Over the past year I have been slowly replacing my modern, Asian-made machines with older, American-made machines. In most cases, I've been able to obtain these machines for much less than a comparable modern machine. And they are better machines in every way. I say this without hesitation.
Back when Americans were making machinery with pride, the folks at the drafting table knew what they were doing. They actually designed machines to work properly, keep settings, and last. They didn't simply use an established blueprint, start up the assembly line, and bank on good sales and repeat business as a predetermined given. The bottom line wasn't the at the top of the list. Making quality machines was.
Sound familiar? It's the same philosophy that's driving the current American hand-tool manufacturers and the very real hand tool Renaissance. Tom Lie-Nielsen, Konrad Sauer, Dave Jeske, Joel Moskowitz (and many more) have dedicated themselves to the notion of making things here, and making them with lasting function and beauty as the driving force.
Since last September I've replaced my jointer, multiple drill presses, and I have an 18" planer, 24" cast-iron scroll saw, small shaper, and a 1916 auto-reciprocating Greenlee mortiser waiting in the wings. For every one of these machines I paid less (and not just a little) than the smaller, cheaper, inferior machines they replace or will replace, and when I sell off my "old" machines, I'll have money in my pocket.
All of these machines were found within a half-day drive of my shop, and most of them less than an hour away.
We may not be able to purchase new, high-quality, American-made machines anymore (I wish it wasn't so), but from my perspective as a blended woodworker, we are living in a sort of machinery renaissance. And I can't think of a better place for these machines to end up than the shops of passionate amateur woodworkers who will carry on the craft and make real, lasting furniture with these machines instead of purchasing curb fodder that is modern factory furniture. After reading Christopher Schwarz's latest tome, The Anarchist's Tool Chest I'm convinced that I'm right in searching out these old, American-made gems and putting them to good use in my shop. If you're not sure what I'm talking about, read the book. It's his best to date.
John's bench was officially done about two months ago. Last night we finally got a few moments to make up this slideshow.
John's been woodworking since he was about 8 years old, when he built his first workbench, completely on his own, with scrap wood and an old clamp-on Stanley vise. His first project was a box to hold a cross, complete with a french-fitted cutout made from cardboard.
John, age 8, using my Lie-Nielsen 164 on my bench (he's standing on a stepstool).
John's first bench.
Making the French-fitted box insert with a chip-carving knife.
So last fall, after WIA, when John told me he wanted to make something "serious" and suggested a workbench with our vises, I was thrilled.
As John's teacher, I was extremely satisfied with the outcome of his bench. Some of you may be wondering how much he actually did on his own (he'll be 17 next week). The answer is, a lot.
Instead of giving him a crash course in woodworking, I walked him through each step of making the bench as if I were making it. Need to cross cut wood to length? I'd grab a handsaw and do the first cut. Now you imitate. I would make corrections and explain the "why's" along the way, with some safety lessons mixed in. John jointed and planed (with both hand work and machines) all the lumber for the bench, with me sometimes doing outfeed duties, feeding him the piece for another pass. This way he got a lesson and practical experience for every part of the build. In the end, I did almost nothing during the build other than show him what to do, and perform the first cut or operation.
I did cut the large dovetail that joins the front laminate to the end cap. I needed to illustrate the technique for an article I wrote for the August 2011 issue of Popular Woodworking Magazine. It's a great technique I discovered by chance last year while installing a Benchcrafted Tail Vise. It makes cutting huge dovetails easy and fun, and it's crazy precise.
On the last day of the build I was working in a another building when John stepped in holding the pin for his parallel guide, with a nicely turned ebony handle attached. It had been about three years since I helped him do a couple turnings on the lathe. Then out of the blue, this. It was a great ending to the project, a moment I'll remember for a long time.
This will be our first trip to this part of the country. If you're interested in our products, please stop by to try out everything we offer. We'll have a complete bench outfitted with our vises so you can give the wheels a spin and see how they work. Lie-Nielsen is also an authorized Mag-Blok dealer.
We also hope to have our new Moxon vise in production by that weekend, and we'll have one there to test out. The Moxon vise is THE answer to comfortable backsaw work at the bench.
This event is shaping up to be one to remember. In addition to the numerous tool makers that will be present (and hats off to Lie-Nielsen for creating such a wonderfully convivial atmosphere among us toolmakers), several top furniture makers will be in attendance. Garrett Hack, Christian Becksvoort, Peter Follansbee and many more.
Oh, and don't forget the lobster bake. As native corn-country folk, this is something we don't want to miss.
After some months of work thenew website is up. It's largely cosmetic, so no real surprises. It is however updated in many ways and hopefully more user friendly. You probably noticed the blog has been redesigned as well. Hopefully its all easier to read, and easier to navigate.
The Gallery page has some new videos on it as well.
We've also added a dedicated Downloads page to make instructions and templates easy to find.
And don't forget to read our FAQ, where we thought it made sense to move the instructional videos.
Last week I glued the small chest using Old Brown Glue. It's my first time using the stuff and I have to say I like it. One thing I don't care for is the smell however. When I warmed the glue in warm water then cracked open the lid, I had the same feeling when you start rooting through last night's leftovers first thing in the morning and mistakenly open the Tupperware of broccoli. To me it smells very little like hot hide glue. Not that I enjoy that odor, but its not off putting. In fact, when I do mix up a batch of hot glue I'm immediately taken back in time to some of the more intense sessions of luthiery work. It's an interesting sensation.
Nevertheless, I'm probably going to move towards using this glue for all my furniture making. The main reasons are convenience and conservation. The longer open time of OBG is important for gluing certain long-assembly joints like the dovetails in this chest. Even yellow glue is too quick for my tastes in this case. Yellow glue does not stick to itself, making future repairs extremely difficult. Hide glue just needs to be rehydrated to reactivate it. One thing I noticed right away about OBG that I did not expect. Once it cools and starts to cure it gets super tacky just like hot hide. I love this feature, and it instills confidence. I never experienced this with Franklin's liquid hide glue, which I've used now and then.
After the glue cured (I let it sit overnight) I had the task of planing the joints flush. Planing large unsupported panels after assembly is always tricky. I did cut these dovetails so the joints were slightly proud, but I always find some long grain planing that needs to take place post-assembly. And that's where vibration comes into play. Not in the plane, but in the panel. There is also the issue of the panel flexing to concave under planing pressure and preventing the iron from engaging.
So I clamped the chest to the bench in the tail vise and inserted a wide board between the front and back of the chest. The board is just a tad longer than the inside width of the chest. The brace introduced a very slight convex bow to the outside of the panels, allowing my smoothing plane to ride the arch easily. No chance of the cut disengaging from the panel as it deflected away from the sole. The brace also prevented any vibration. It was as if I was working the panel directly on the bench top.
Sighting down the panel's edge the slight outward bow can be seen.
Once the corners were planed flush (the end panels were short enough not to need the brace trick) and the joints revealed, the accuracy of the Bridge City JMP became evident once again. I was simply blown away by the quality of the joints. Every one was dead on. No gaps. Simply put, the joints were as close to perfect as possible. If you're into that sort of thing (I like tight joints too, but I don't obsess about them), the JMP won't disappoint. All I did was make careful scribe lines (see that in the video in the previous "Personal Work" post) and then line up those scribe lines right the blade's edge on my zero-clearance tables on the JMP. That's it.
When we started Benchcrafted we never intended to build workbenches. But funny things happen when people half-way across the continent become your friends and ask you to build for them. I have a soft spot for this, and it's hard for me to say no. It's safe to say I've made Burger-King wages on almost every bench I've built. It's the intangible payment I get from these relationships that I really value.
But this bench is different. I didn't build it for anyone. I built it for me, for my personal shop. When I first helped Ron Brese create his Shaker-style bench early last year I knew immediately I wanted one for myself. Evidently, lots of other people wanted one too. So much so that they asked Ron (and us) for plans within a few days of the bench's completion. No exaggeration.
After we decided to satisfy woodworkers clamoring for a Shaker bench with Benchcrafted workholding, I set to work on building my version of the bench, a version that I thought would appeal to a wide range of woodworkers and shop sizes.
The offspring of that idea came to fruition about 10 months ago. And I couldn't have been more pleased with the outcome. I immediately fell in love with the piece and started daydreaming about how I could shoehorn it into my 600 sq. foot shop alongside an already enormous 100" long, 500 pound Roubo bench.
Winter dragged on and we had to deal with some product changes at Benchcrafted and the inevitable delays they cause, and progress on the Shaker Bench plans slowed. Finding room for the bench in my personal shop became a fading dream and was relegated, for fear of damage, to a safe corner in a storage area, hibernating until earlier this week when we moved the bench into my shop for a photo shoot.
And that's when I realized I had to sell this bench. The only option after the shoot was to put the bench back in storage. And that's something that I just couldn't do long term. This bench needs to get used and enjoyed by someone. And it doesn't look like that person is me.
I hope someday to build another Shaker style bench and use it alongside my Roubo. Workholding capabilities aside, there is something about a Shaker bench that just oozes inspiration, and that's something we all could use more of in our shops.
So this bench will make the long trip this summer to the Lie-Nielsen Toolworks 30th Anniversary Open House, July 15-16 in Warren, ME, where it will be for sale and available for pickup Saturday July 16th. If you are interested in acquiring this bench please contact me directly at jameel@benchcrafted.com for details or questions.
This post marks the first for a new category at the Benchcrafted blog: Personal work.
In the past year I have been scaling back content at my other blog for no other reason than I haven't done much luthiery work for a couple years now. And much of my recent work has more to do with workholding than luthiery. So look for more personal work here in the future, interesting or not!
It's firmly established now. We are living in a woodworking hand-tool Renaissance. And yesterday I experienced it yet again.
I'm building a small chest for a friend using some of the hardest, densest, gnarliest maple I've ever come across. It's like working a tropical exotic. But yesterday everything clicked.
As many know, Andrew Lunn is no longer making saws. Like others I was on the list. So I'm still looking for ultimate performance. I've found that in John Economaki's Jointmaker Pro, which I now use to cut almost all of my dovetails, and especially the critical, joint-as-design-element dovetails. The JMP was simply awesome for cutting the joints in this chest. And they all fit together, without paring of any sort, right off the saw. And setting it up for the cuts was easy. If you can line up two marking knife lines, you can cut perfect air-tight dovetails with the JMP. I recommend using the cross-cut blade for this operation. I've found, oddly enough, that it tracks better than the ripping blade, especially in ornery woods.
Smoothing this wood was a physically demanding task. I have a Shelix head on my planer, but the traces are always removed and flatness always tweaked with hand planes. For me, machines are my shop's apprentice. I expect them to do the grunt work perfectly and without complaint, and leave the precision to me. I spend very little time in my shop setting up machines. To smooth this nasty wood I used a Lie-Nielsen #7 followed by a Brese 132-50P panel plane, both bedded at 50 degrees. The L-N got things flat, and the Brese polished the surfaces. But both planes needed honing after each side of the panels was smoothed.
But I was most impressed with my new Fujihiro chisel by Chutaro Imai. On the recommendation of Raney Nelson I purchased a 12mm Fujihiro bench chisel from Hida Tool a couple months ago. I chopped all the joints for this chest with this chisel. And I didn't go back to my stones once. That's right. The edge retention simply blew me away. That's about 5 running feet of continuous rock-hard, abrasive birdseye maple end grain work. And for fun I took some wispy thin end grain basswood shavings after I finished the last socket. Simply amazing. I think Raney has hooked me on Japanese chisels.
The chest is almost done. With all the difficulty of working this wood, I'll admit I have a soft spot for it. It's just too beautiful a material.
And its all free. The only other place I'd rather be in St. Louis for free is on a tour of Anheuser-Busch. Not that I like Budweiser, but the tour is cool (the Clydesdale pen is as clean as the brewery, and that's as clean as an operating room--no joke) and at the end they give you free beer. If Bob is absent from his bench, this is where he'll be.
We'll also be bringing John's Split-Top Roubo from The Benchmaker's Apprentice that he recently finished. Here's a sneak preview.
Today I started by putting some finishing touches on the leg vise chop. I also finished up the tail vise sliding dog block. Also, because the front apron drops down farther than the bench top, I cut this for a little modern flare, but it's just a 45*, so not too modern. Now I started working on the cleats that hold the shelf. The barrel nut meets the shelf cleat, preventing the cleat from fitting in its groove completely. We'll have to remedy that, won't we. Perfect fit. Now, after finishing the shelf pieces themselves, the two edge pieces must be cut to fit. The shelf boards are shiplapped on their long edges. Another perfect fit! Man, this day is going great! Until... At this point, this is what the dogs look like. To get the spring working, we need to make an angled cut at the bottom of the piece. I made a quick jig to cut the angle on the dogs. Now we need to make that springy piece thinner. Now, you might want to use a hand plane, but here at Benchcrafted, we don't believe in simplicity. It's sort of like magic. Every magic trick appears to be simple, but in actuality, it is quite complex(or is it the other way around?). Anyway, we developed a magic trick of our own while building this bench. Everything in your head will be saying that this was a mistake, but it was in every way intentional (and copyrighted).
Anyway, you might want to take a lighter cut when using this method.
Here is the jig we routed quickly to do this. It works, let's say, iffy. I wouldn't recommend doing this. From there, I glued up the dogs. And then added screws for added strength. Then I drilled for the big Spax lags and attached the tops. Now it's time to flatten the top. I make a chamfer to minimize blowout because it's faster to plane across the grain on this. I also file the dog holes. It took a while, but I got it pretty flat. Well, there you have it. That was the Benchmaker's Apprentice, and that is a Benchcrafted Split-Top Roubo Bench. I hope you enjoyed the pictures and details and my rambling about stuff I don't know anything about. Thanks for listening, and stay tuned, because in the near future (as in sometime in the next few weeks) we will be posting pictures of this thing because, as you may recall, she's getting painted. And if you want even more, you might get to see the Benchmaker's Apprentice Bench in St. Louis at the upcoming Lie Nielsen event. So stay tuned for news on that, also.
