>Oak Fire Surround III
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First job this morning, was to make sure this little lot were fed and watered. With all the livestock we have, and a huge veg patch, me and all my siblings are pretty much self sufficient. It takes me about 1/2 hr in the morning, to do my share of the chores.
First job in the workshop was to mark then cut the top rail.
I was going to make a tapering jig to cut the side uprights, but in the end I just measured where I wanted the taper to be.
And then just free handed it through the rip saw, to within 1mm.
All I had to do was take a few shaving’s off with my shooting plane, and it was job done.
It was then a case of laying out for the joinery, and letting the domino go to work. I did reduce the second domino, because I didn’t want it blowing through the front. I measured it and it was only 2mm from doing just that, so good job I checked.
I normally use plain mdf for flat panels, but didn’t have any in stock, so used the American ash faced mdf instead. This should give a better key than regular mdf, which I must admit I don’t really trust for this application. I have no reason to think this as I’ve never had a problem before with it de-laminating, it just seems so smooth and waxy, and it does seem weak when its knocked with a shear tap from a hammer. So I might start using pine faced mr mdf, What do you guys think?
I’m just using some cauls, and a couple of thick platens for this panel, with plastic bags in between the platens and the veneered panel. It was about 9 degrees in my workshop today with the heating on, so I’m going to leave this panel in the press over night.
It was then onto the template routing for my mantle supports, I use double sided tape to stick the template to the timber.
Then it’s a matter of following the template with a bearing guided router cutter.
The grain runs horizontal to the Ogee detail, so I had to do the majority by climb cutting.
I then took the template off, and dropped the cutter as far as the router would travel, and used the previously routed edge to run against.
This left it a little over half done.
It was then a case of changing for a bottom bearing cutter, flipping the timber over, and climb cutting the rest.
I didn’t want to just glue these together without some kind of joinery, so I used the domino again.
All clamped up.
I thought I would make a start on some of the mouldings and spindle work.
After its gone through it looks like this.
This is how it stood at the end of today, could resist a bit of a dry run. This is to my design, so I hope it’s going to look good for the client.
Got to pick the turnings up tomorrow morning, and the new block and cutters are being delivered in the afternoon. Thanks for looking.
>Oak Fire Surround II
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Made a start on gluing some of the component part’s for this fire surround yesterday, the first of which is the 65mm thick Mantle. I am using the domino for this, as I don’t think biscuit’s penetrate deep enough for such a thick piece of timber. I’m using 8×50 dom’s for this, with a row at the top and bottom for strength and good alignment.
This joint is then glued using polyurethane, and my biggest and strongest T-bar cramp’s.
These two always keep a close eye on me when I’m gluing up.
I’m Making the Mantle over size because the ends are being moulded on the spindle, and the breakout can be cut away if the backing board fails. This is just a precaution and will not happen, hopefully.
The next components that needed gluing were the fire surround uprights, I’m using rift sawn for this cut at 80mm in width, for stability, I have book-matched them for appearance and this has an added bonus of stability to. These are going right next to a wood-burner so I’m trying to minimise timber movement as much as I can.
Another component glued up, I use alternative cramps for an even pressure, and I have also dominoed these joints also.
Came out nice and flat, with no light showing through. I hope it stays like this in situ.
Next I made a mdf pattern for the curved bottom rail, and routed this to shape. If you look on the ends of this rail, you can see the small nib I have left for a cramping block, this end is very fragile, and the nib also prevents this from breaking(hopefully).
Here is an over view of how it will look when put together, this also helps me work out the size of the top rail. I have left the uprights over width at the moment, these will be tapered tomorrow on a jig I haven’t as yet made.
Ordered the veneer at 12 o’clock on Friday, and it was delivered sometime on Saturday morning. I bought this from Nantwich Veneers, a very quick service I must say, and very well packaged.
First thing I do when I get a pack of veneer, is to mark the the sides so they are in sequence, I use a triangle for this to minimise mistakes.
As you can see the veneer is lovely(well in my eyes), and should blend with the oak well without a complete contrast between the two timbers(something I wanted two avoid).
I selected the first two leaves of veneer for flattening, for this I just wipe a fairly wet rag with clean water over both sides of veneer, lay on a plastic bag, then place a plastic bag between these two also, then use my state of the art platen press.
I should be able to press and glue these panels up tomorrow, ready for assembly. Thanks for looking.
>Another Saw Mill
>Spent some of the afternoon today, looking at another saw mill that is only 9 miles from my shop. We are sadly lacking sawmills/timber yards in Norfolk, so as soon as someone tells me about one that I haven’t heard of(that’s 20 mins down the road), I like to make some time to go and visit them.
The name of this saw mill is Richardson’s sawmill and it’s run by two brothers called Kenny and Mervyn, Kennys son Neil looked after me today, and showed me round. It is situated just outside North Walsham on the Bacton Rd, it’s tucked away a bit and there is only one sign on the main road, but it’s easy to find.
I was recommended to go there by my new turner Johnny Taylor when I dropped off the split turnings, for the oak and madrone fire surround. First impressions were not good, the yard is basically a bog with about 3″ of mud everywhere(so take some Wellington boots if it’s been raining).
However if you can get over this small problem, there is an Aladdin’s cave of native air dried timber, Oak, Elm, Chestnut, Birch, Beech, Sycamore, Walnut, and Yew. Most of this timber is kept in shed’s, but there is also some stored outside exposed to the elements. They also have a limited stock of turning blanks of native timber, and they will slab a log for you, for a fee of £4.50 a cubic foot. If you are buying timber for furniture, I would recommend taking a moisture metre with you, just to make sure your timber is at roughly 15% for air dried.
I can recommend them, but have an open mind to what you are buying with regard to moisture content. If you are prepared to buy the timber and let it acclimatise in your shop, you will have some nice timber. I didn’t buy anything today, but will be going back soon to do so. Hope that’s helpful.
>Oak Fire Surround
>Received this order last week from the same clients I was doing some site work for. It needs to be done fairly quick, as I have had to take a week off before starting another job. As with most things I make, a trip/call to the timber yard is my first port of call, after doing a Rod and a cutting list.
The timber yard/sawmill I am using today is Sotterly sawmill in Suffolk, it is run by Ben Sutton, and the mill is in full working order. Ben is a very friendly chap, and very helpful too. I normally use John Boddy’s in Yorkshire, but because this is a job that needs doing asap I’m using a local yard for speed. I’m glad I made the two and a half hour round trip, as the timber is excellent, and there is lot’s to chose from. I was directed around by Ben to some really choice timber, he has most of the common native timbers, Oak, Ash, Elm, Sycamore, Cherry, Chestnut, and Beech. He also kiln dry’s most of this native stock. He stocks European timbers also, and had a very nice burr elm pack that I was very tempted to buy(I must resist), but sadly no job with that kind of timber coming up. I can highly recommend Sotterly Sawmill for good quality native timbers, I would give Ben a call to discuss your needs first, as he travels a lot in search of good timber, and might not be in himself. The yard is open from 8 till 1 then 2 till 3.30
As you can see his stock levels are very high, this is one lane of about forty to chose from, I could of looked around for most of the day, but need to get on with this fire surround.
That’s 15 cuft back at the workshop, I decided to buy lot’s extra(about twelve cube), as stock levels of three and two and a half inch are non-existent at the moment.
Slight problem when I got back, how do you lift this lot on your own, answer, brute strength and ignorance I’m afraid, nearly killed me too.
Mantle detail.
Gun barrel turning.
Here is some of the detail for the middle panel, not that clear from the drawing I’m afraid, but the triangular panel is to be a veneered panel with Golden Madrone as it’s face.
It was time to start breaking this timber down into more manageable pieces, this first cut is for the split turning that I’m applying to the front. I would normally use my chainsaw for this, but found it in my dad’s shed, and of course it’s out of petrol.
The longest length of timber I can deal with in my shop is 12 ft, so these 14 footers have to be broken down thus, it needed to be ripped from both sides, as these boards are 85mm thick, and then cross cut.
These two lengths of 30″ are planned, square edged, then thicknessed.
At the top of the turning, the block is to be smaller than the bottom block. I set the planner with a depth of cut of ten millimetres(my gauge reads about 11.5).
I then need to set the stop, which is just a board cramped to the out feed table.
Then it’s just a matter of running this through slowly, my planer is an old cast sedgwick, and is easily up to the task.
This is how it looks after processing, there is a lot of breakout, but this will be turned away.
I then need to clean the mating surface’s, ready for gluing. My turner is going to do this as I don’t have the time, but the process is to glue them together with paper in-between, so they can be easily split after turning. That’s it for today, I’m doing some more site work tomorrow, but will be back on this the day after, thank’s for looking, if you feel like leaving a comment or two, feel free.
>Rosewood and burr Walnut jewellery box II
>I have managed to get half a day on this today, after finishing my site work early. I really need to get cracking with this box, as it was my wife’s birthday yesterday(I did buy her another gift), and would like to surprise her.
Here is my 45 degree shooting board, made about 15yrs ago, and still spot on.
Close up on the 45 degree shooting board.
This is the result, a nice 45.
I am using quarter sawn oak grounds throughout, this panel will become the top.
Dry run of the sides and back.
Detail of the light coloured burr walnut interior.
Ready for the glue up, I have rebated(rabbeted) the bottom of the sides for a veneered panel, this will be covered on the external side with baize. I have mitred the top of the sides to receive the top.
Glue up time, the cramps are there for thier weight really, as the masking tape does a very good job.
I didn’t get a picture of the veneering of the top, but the veneer I selected is a very attractive burr of unknown timber, looks, feels, and smells like mahogany(I’ve never seen mahogany burr before however). But I’m puzzled as to what it is, any ideas? I really hope to cut the box in two next week, and make a start on the interior, reminds me I must order the hardware, Thanks for looking.
>Rosewood and burr Walnut jewellery box.
>OK so I know I said it would be traditional, but as usual I’m not that organised. First off I couldn’t find the pearl glue, it’s in the shop somewhere I know it is. Then I realised I had run out of gas to heat the glue up with, so I need to get this done soonish(wife’s birthday). I just don’t have the time to run to the suppliers or wait for a delivery, so the box will be done with what’s on hand.
I thought I would look for some suitable veneers in my store first, see what look’s nice together.
I liked the rosewood for the outside.
I had a look at this burr(madrone?) I had for the inside.
But decided against in the end and went with a simply figured walnut burr. I will be using the Madrone for the top(I think).
This is a close up of the Indian rosewood.
I cleaned all the quarter-sawn oak that I will be using for my grounds.
Followed by a going over with the toothing plane, this helps the veneer and glue stick to my grounds of oak.
Close up of the planes mouth showing the iron.
This is how the finished surface looks, I am toying with the idea of going over my entire bench with this plane, for improved grip(I believe this is how the French treat their benchs).
Noticed a couple of the teeth are broken, I tried to hollow grind them out but the steel is very hard(cast), so this will take a bit longer than I had today.
Indian Rosewood blank for the lippings.
Glued the middle lippings in place before veneering.
I used a PU glue for this
Quick rough up with the toothing plane.
And onto the veneering, I’m using titebond II for this, with an ancient printers press(ideal for small boxes).
Thats the front and back pressed.
Followed by the two ends, I just used some MDF platens for these. That was it for today, will try to get some more done in the evenings this week, gotta do some site work this week so won’t get much workshop time.
Thanks for looking.
>Busy Bee Today
>Took a bit of a break from cabinet making today, to pick up my new Bees. Up until recently I was a bee-keeper with two hives to look after, however with the recent cold weather(it got down to -17 here) I lost both hives. So today, I had to go see my friend the bee-keeper, he’s going to retire as he lost all his hives bar one in the frosts too, and has generously given me his last hive. These are a nice calm strain of bees, so I’m over the moon.
Here they are all loaded up, ready to go. One hive and 10,000 bees ready to go.
I decided to insulate the hive this time, as a precaution.
It was also time to make up some more frames, these come in kits with the wax in wire already.
You can just make out the wire in this frame.
Hopefully come May I can split this hive and have two again.
Photo Opportunity
It was also a chance to take a photo of the plate rack I made him recently. This is bow fronted in oak and the finish is fumed with Amonia to give it a darker appearance.
Back to cabinet making tomorrow with a little Traditionally veneered Rosewood jewellery box,
Thanks for looking.
>Little Chunky Side Tables part deux
>OK all wrapped up on these today, barring the polish which I will do tomorrow.
Glue up time.
I’m using a Wurth PU adhesive, mainly for speed but also the strength. I have also used the wudcare product too which is also good.
I only apply the glue to the mortice cheeks, as this glue is very messy(as with all PU’s), and I don’t want to have ton’s of cleaning up to do after the glue has set. I have found with all PU’s that even though you push the majority down to the bottom of the mortice, If you are careful and plunge the tenon into the mortice twice, you get good coverage on the tenon cheeks. This way there is virtually no cleaning up after, which is something to be avoided at all costs with this type of glue, as it could potentially ruin the finish.
There’s me telling you to avoid this at all costs, and what do I do, not but ten minutes later..oh dear.
When you do get PU glue onto your finished surface, the main thing is not to wipe it off at all. I always let it cure fully before even attempting to clean it off, once cured it’s a simple matter of scrapping it off with a sharp chisel then planing or sanding. You must make sure it’s all off, really take a good gander at the area to make sure you have.
Here is my cramping block arrangement, I do not like the oak coming into contact with any metal as the metal could react with the tannins that are present within the oak and could cause a bluish/black stain to appear. It’s also good practice anyway so you don’t mark the work. I will be getting round to making up some blocks that fit on to the sash bar, as it’s much easier than trying to faff with four blocks when you are at the gluing up stage.
Because these tables are small enough to fit on to my table saw, I can check that the feet are all touching, and there is no rocking. If the piece won’t fit on the saw you would need a level floor, and you could use some winding sticks as well.
I am going to be using some oak buttons to attach the tops to the bases, You can route these or, as I did with the other one, use a domino. Just make sure you can fit the domino into you base before you glue it up.
This is the bit I used in my router, a 8mm wing cutter.
That’s these two wrapped up and ready for spraying tomorrow.
Thanks for looking.
Chunky Side Tables
Chunky side tables.
Made a start on the four breadboard ends for the top’s today, these are for some small but chunky side tables I’m doing this week. Here is the process in full..
First I need to mark where the shoulder line will fall, I do this with a marking knife(home made), but it could be done with a marking gauge also. I use the cleat itself for this, and just score the two outer points.
I now take my mortice gauge and mark from the face of each top, a 12mm tenon. This is a very unusual gauge(at least to me), I inherited it off my grandfather, and I think he might of made it. It seem’s to be made of Ebony and Brass and weighs about a pound.
Some parts of it need replacing, but it works very well.
You adjust it via a flush fitted steel bolt.
The two scribing pins have seen better days, and can easily be replaced.
I would be very grateful(perhaps even some rosewood veneer) if anyone has any information on this gauge, as I have never seen one like it, and I remember my grandfather using it a lot.
Anyway onwards and upwards
It’s then a case of carrying these knife marks all the way around, and especially on the sides to avoid breakout. I then set my router to this mark, and take out the waste gradually about 5mm per pass .
Until you end up with a nice shoulder line, and the start of a tenon.
Flip over and do the other side.
I then mark out the haunches to allow for the inevitable movement that you nearly always get on a breadboard top
I use a couple of ways of cutting the waste out, firstly get as much waste out with the bandsaw as the throat will allow.
I then use a tenon saw for the haunches that I couldn’t reach on the bandsaw(well I could if I flipped the top and marked the other side too but I’m not that organized).
I use a coping saw to remove the waste between the two vertical cuts.
It was nice to use my new Ashley Iles chisels to clean up the ends a bit.
Lovely chisels these.
Morticing the cleats on my Sedgwick 571 is so much quicker than by hand.
The cleats are thicknessed 2mm oversize(1mm each side this is planed off later).
It’s now time to make up some oak dowel, for this I use a dowel cradle, and plane by hand. You can use a dowel plate for this, but I have found this quicker at least for me. The corners are planed off until you end up with this.
The dowels are then tapered with a chisel, so they will go though the draw bored tenon.
I drill a hole through to both sides of the cleat, You can place a loose tenon inside to stop breakout within the mortice, and this saves a lot of cleaning up.
I then tap a brad point bit with a hammer to mark the hole for the tenon
I move the bit 1mm to the tenon shoulder to give me a nice tight joint.
This might be a bit controversial, as I place some very small drops of glue(titebond II) on the tenon. I fully expect this to fail, as most of the glue is scraped toward the shoulder, which is end grain, and wont hold well. But it makes it easier to plane the top, and then finish sand with it held secure, at least until it’s polished.
The dowels are then hammered to just proud of the surface, I use a large Warrington for this, You must keep the dowel moving or there is a chance it will break. That would be a disaster, and a bit of a pig to fix. so use a heavy hammer and keep tapping.
Close up of the draw bored joint with the dowel planed flush, ready for a finish sand.
The finished top
The base details
These tables are not to my taste, but are exactly what the client wanted, They were/are nice to make as they use traditional techniques.
In my next post they will be finished.
Norfolk Cabinet Maker Mark Rhodes.
Norfolk Cabinet Maker Mark Rhodes.
Hello everyone, my name is Mark Rhodes I have been a Cabinet Maker working in Norfolk since I left school in 1989, and before that I was a hobbyist clinging to my cabinet maker grandfather’s glue smeared apron strings. It was largely his influence that sent me on this path, most of all working with him in his tiny shed at the bottom of the garden. I knew once I had smelled hide glue mixed with his tobacco smoke, and seen all the wonderful different timbers he was using I was hooked. I guess if I counted the years before I was Apprenticed at 16, I have been a woodworker for 27 yrs. I have had a very varied hand tool apprenticeship which I am forever grateful. This Blog will mainly be about my day to day life as a Cabinet Maker working on his own in his 15th century flint built barn, there will be photo’s and videos of techniques that I use, as well as my thoughts on various hand tools, and hand tool techniques that I use. There will be unbiased tool reviews on hand tools and power tools that I have used for a minimum of a year. Please let me know if this is something that interests you also? I have thought about starting this Blog for a while now, as a way of getting my business more noticed on line. However I have decided this will not be an extension of my website, and it will be my thoughts throughout the day as I work as a professional cabinet maker only. Here are some examples of the work I do.
So as you can see, quite varied work. Thanks for looking.
| Mark Rhodes, Thwaite Hill Farm, Middle Hill Road, Aldborough, Norfolk, NR11 7NU Telephone: 01263 761809 Mobile: 07765 861219 |  |