mickyd's Woodworking Projects

swampgator · Post by **swampgator** » Thu Apr 29, 2010 11:36 pm

Micky,

JPG and Dusty gave good advice on the table saw blade. I use this blade most of the time and as advertised, it leaves a very clean cut unless I stop.

http://www.shopsmith.com/ownersite/cata ... blades.htm

and look at blade A. This is sometimes called a hollow ground blade. When I am trying to get near a finish cut, this is my blade of choice. It sure reduces sanding time and effort. Hope this helps.

dlbristol · Post by **dlbristol** » Fri Apr 30, 2010 9:57 am

Micky, The project looks great, It took me over a year to get a bed done! I have a freind who says the " most anybody can do most any thing, they just can do it fast enough to make a living or well enough to get hired a second time". That why most of us have one career and lots of hobbies. Enjoyed the thread!

mickyd · Post by **mickyd** » Mon May 03, 2010 1:28 am

Thanks etc guy and wannabe for the reality check that it is a hobby. Your right, when it gets done, it gets done. I think I'll call my honey do list a hobby list also.

Managed to complete the top for one lantern. Would have been all three but instead, I made some pretty exact scrap with the other pieces. Cut the angle in the wrong direction and realized it too late, after cutting 6 pieces. So, it meant a remake.

To complete the top pieces, I cut the 45 degree with the miter gage with an extension. I cut them about 1/8" oversize and finished the ends on the conical sander. The final side was done with the part nested in this jig and the quill stop set so that all pieces would be the exact same size.
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Next glued them up 2 sides at a time. There must be a better way so don't be afraid to share it.
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Sneak preview. Still needs finish sanding. Don't have the copper motifs in it yet either but that will come.
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shipwright · Post by **shipwright** » Mon May 03, 2010 6:08 pm

Mike

This is a proud moment for all of your "big brothers" here. Job Well Done !!

Paul M

JPG · Post by **JPG** » Mon May 03, 2010 7:22 pm

How come you used the conical disc to trim the miter? You had to move the workpiece(and jig).

With a 'flat' disc, you can advance the quill to trim the entire surface at once with the workpiece stationary in the 'jig'.

Surely ONE of the THREE came with a flat disc!

You clamped like I would have for so small a project. Larger projects can be clamped all 4 corners at once. Those simple clamps are not as accurate nor as 'automatic' as you would think. Make sure to firmly press the two pieces down to the 'bottom' of the clamp. Verify squareness b4 glue sets!!!!! At final corner(s) glue up, verify equal diagonals.

Some corner blocks are easier to use on small pieces. They are merely L shaped pieces with the interior corner relieved. Accurate cut on the legs of the L.

mickyd · Post by **mickyd** » Mon May 03, 2010 8:08 pm

JPG40504 wrote:How come you used the conical disc to trim the miter? You had to move the workpiece(and jig). No rational reason other than maybe it was fate. I got bite on the thumb with the conical resulting in a nice big blood blister and it added to my BE CAREFUL thinking.

With a 'flat' disc, you can advance the quill to trim the entire surface at once with the workpiece stationary in the 'jig'.

Surely ONE of the THREE came with a flat disc!

You clamped like I would have for so small a project. Larger projects can be clamped all 4 corners at once. Those simple clamps are not as accurate nor as 'automatic' as you would think. Make sure to firmly press the two pieces down to the 'bottom' of the clamp. Verify squareness b4 glue sets!!!!! At final corner(s) glue up, verify equal diagonals. I QC'd the fixture before and during use to make sure it was true. Initially put my square in it then as you said, made sure parts were bottomed out. Miters came out exceptional.

Some corner blocks are easier to use on small pieces. They are merely L shaped pieces with the interior corner relieved. Accurate cut on the legs of the L.

see above

shipwright wrote:Mike

This is a proud moment for all of your "big brothers" here. Job Well Done !!

Paul M

Thx Paul. Still have to finish to be 100% worthy.

horologist · Post by **horologist** » Mon May 03, 2010 9:03 pm

Mike,

I have to agree with JPG on this, the flat disk is the way to go.

My method is to set the miter gauge to 45 degrees with a drafting triangle. Then sand both ends of the shortest piece until they are clean and the length is correct. Then put the piece somewhere handy but safe. Murphy's law dictates that if it falls you will crush the corner of your miter.
Sand the first end of the next piece, now begins the iterative part of the process. Lightly sand the second end until it is clean and the length is correct. To check the length lay it next to your reference piece and hold them side by side with one end flush. Rob your finger across the other end and sand until it is also flush. With your finger you can feel difference of a few thousandths, much more accurate than you can measure. Remember the length can vary slightly, as long as all the pieces are the same length. Repeat. With a little practice you should be able to sand them all in short order.

This is how I get nearly perfect miter joints on my picture frames.

Troy

charlese · Post by **charlese** » Mon May 03, 2010 10:39 pm

Way to go, Mike! Your photo of the glowing candle preview made me smile, big time! Yea!!!!! Glad to share your pride!

Miter corner glue ups - always a challenge! I have some corner clamps about the same as the one shown - Although they should be fool proof, they seldom work out that way for me. If gluing one corner at a time, I usually end up making adjustments (more sanding) the last corner even though the four sides cornered perfectly before glue and clamps. I think the reason is because the pieces get glued up so they are offset slightly, making the two sides a little shorter than planned. Then the other corner(s) won't close perfectly.

To offset this scenario, I now use a band clamp whenever possible and do all four corners at the same time. A little wax paper and come rubber bands would work good on your project. Also masking tape would also work on the tops just like the sides.

mickyd · Post by **mickyd** » Tue May 11, 2010 3:43 pm

Completed by lantern woodwork Sunday (excluding sanding) and I have all three sizes built up with glass installed and unsecured tops. I was able to salvage my first prototype lantern, the one that I built 1/4" too narrow, I was able to scribe and cut 1/4" off the width of my glass to fit. I had been trying unsuccessfully to sand / grind thinking I had to remove only about 1/16" but after I made my second lantern, I realized that the glass overlaps in the corners as shown here. Initially, I was trying to get the width of a single piece of glass to fit the opening. That's where it was just a tad tight. Anyway, that's where I am.

Question regarding the finish to apply.....I decided to not use this set of lanterns outside. They will be mantle pieces after all. Would a straight tung oil finish be OK to use? Any other suggestions?

mickyd · Post by **mickyd** » Thu May 13, 2010 4:32 pm

On the fly design change.......a couple of my corner miters had gaps at the outer edge. My 45° edges were obviously somewhat less. Decided that instead of filling it or hiding it in the back, away from view, that I'd instead rounded all four corner on the disk sander.
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I actually prefer the rounded corner to the sharp one. It softens the design and it actually blends in better with the top which also has a rounded edge.

Applying the tung oil finish and cutting out the copper motifs will complete this project.