Starting up...plans?

Road Trip, bought a few board feet of ash…..five @ 4/4×6 x 6' ( more or less) and a 2×4 x 8'....but, what to build with this treasure trove? Got to watching The Woodwright's Shop,,,,Peter Follansbee was showing off a Carved Oak Desk Box….hmmmm. Picked out a few ideas,,,Grandson #3 would like a Computer Desk, sometime….so…

Use a few ideas from Follansbee, and a Rachel's Standing Desk that I made last year…

Kind of blend the two together a bit….hinge the lid at the front edge, instead of the back edge….have it swing down to make a place for a keyboard. Adjust the base to allow someone to sit in a chair…..

As for the inside of the "hutch"? Remains to be seen….Top of hutch needs to have enough room for the monitor to sit….may have some drawers of cubby-holes inside? First..need a "cutlist" of some sort, might even draw up a plan?

Trying to bring this desk into the Computer Age…

need to get a drawing done…and start cutting some parts…

Seems to be a lot of people wanting to play with Ash lately? think I have a 12/4 plank somewhere in the shop?

 

Starting up...plans?

Road Trip, bought a few board feet of ash…..five @ 4/4×6 x 6' ( more or less) and a 2×4 x 8'....but, what to build with this treasure trove? Got to watching The Woodwright's Shop,,,,Peter Follansbee was showing off a Carved Oak Desk Box….hmmmm. Picked out a few ideas,,,Grandson #3 would like a Computer Desk, sometime….so…

Use a few ideas from Follansbee, and a Rachel's Standing Desk that I made last year…

Kind of blend the two together a bit….hinge the lid at the front edge, instead of the back edge….have it swing down to make a place for a keyboard. Adjust the base to allow someone to sit in a chair…..

As for the inside of the "hutch"? Remains to be seen….Top of hutch needs to have enough room for the monitor to sit….may have some drawers of cubby-holes inside? First..need a "cutlist" of some sort, might even draw up a plan?

Trying to bring this desk into the Computer Age…

need to get a drawing done…and start cutting some parts…

Looking forward to seeing this one develope.

 

Legs, Aprons, and Stretchers...

Oh my! Two trips to the shop, today….first was to size some leg stock..had a plan drawn up..

Figured I could get the base done, and then size the "hutch" from there….Hauled a few items to the shop…getting that 8 foot long 2×4 to the shop was a bit..fun. Had the bench cleared off..

Needed to clean the saw off, as well…

Needed two crosscuts from the 2×4…that didn't involve this end..

Set the two on the saw, while I got set up…

Reset the rip fence to 1-1/2" strong….and ran things through…ripping the worst of the edges off

Will save these for any trim work needed…got the blanks close..

Needed cleaned up with a plane..

That #62 was to clean up after the bigger plane….got to try out the new vise and the new dogs..

Stanley No. 6c, Type 10….seemed to work better than the #7c. 16 sides were planed smooth and straight

Lots of shavings made…

Need to set aside one plank…

Will use this as a lid…hauled a plain looking board to the shop, this evening…

Cross cut for long and short aprons…set the rip fence to rip down the center…

Was going to lay out just for the tenons..

Got the two short aprons milled, and almost matched up…used the better looking of the two, to lay out the long aprons…then cut, sand, plane until they matched..

Thought about doing the shoulder cuts, so I set up the mitersaw..

And this was about it, for today. Maybe Friday, I can get something done?
Stay tuned…

 

Legs, Aprons, and Stretchers...

Oh my! Two trips to the shop, today….first was to size some leg stock..had a plan drawn up..

Figured I could get the base done, and then size the "hutch" from there….Hauled a few items to the shop…getting that 8 foot long 2×4 to the shop was a bit..fun. Had the bench cleared off..

Needed to clean the saw off, as well…

Needed two crosscuts from the 2×4…that didn't involve this end..

Set the two on the saw, while I got set up…

Reset the rip fence to 1-1/2" strong….and ran things through…ripping the worst of the edges off

Will save these for any trim work needed…got the blanks close..

Needed cleaned up with a plane..

That #62 was to clean up after the bigger plane….got to try out the new vise and the new dogs..

Stanley No. 6c, Type 10….seemed to work better than the #7c. 16 sides were planed smooth and straight

Lots of shavings made…

Need to set aside one plank…

Will use this as a lid…hauled a plain looking board to the shop, this evening…

Cross cut for long and short aprons…set the rip fence to rip down the center…

Was going to lay out just for the tenons..

Got the two short aprons milled, and almost matched up…used the better looking of the two, to lay out the long aprons…then cut, sand, plane until they matched..

Thought about doing the shoulder cuts, so I set up the mitersaw..

And this was about it, for today. Maybe Friday, I can get something done?
Stay tuned…

bandit,

Looks like you've got a good start on the computer desk…..!! Is this desk for your personal 'puter, or for a customer, or family member….? So far--so good….!! Carry on…!!

 

Legs, Aprons, and Stretchers...

Oh my! Two trips to the shop, today….first was to size some leg stock..had a plan drawn up..

Figured I could get the base done, and then size the "hutch" from there….Hauled a few items to the shop…getting that 8 foot long 2×4 to the shop was a bit..fun. Had the bench cleared off..

Needed to clean the saw off, as well…

Needed two crosscuts from the 2×4…that didn't involve this end..

Set the two on the saw, while I got set up…

Reset the rip fence to 1-1/2" strong….and ran things through…ripping the worst of the edges off

Will save these for any trim work needed…got the blanks close..

Needed cleaned up with a plane..

That #62 was to clean up after the bigger plane….got to try out the new vise and the new dogs..

Stanley No. 6c, Type 10….seemed to work better than the #7c. 16 sides were planed smooth and straight

Lots of shavings made…

Need to set aside one plank…

Will use this as a lid…hauled a plain looking board to the shop, this evening…

Cross cut for long and short aprons…set the rip fence to rip down the center…

Was going to lay out just for the tenons..

Got the two short aprons milled, and almost matched up…used the better looking of the two, to lay out the long aprons…then cut, sand, plane until they matched..

Thought about doing the shoulder cuts, so I set up the mitersaw..

And this was about it, for today. Maybe Friday, I can get something done?
Stay tuned…

Great project, love the backsaw miter saw

 

Tenons and beads

Ok…in the shop, tenons get made first…I used a small combo square, set to 1/2", locked it down as tight as I could.
Laid out for the 1/2" long, 1/4" thick tenons..

To get the 1/4" line…

I just come in from both sides 1/2"....3/4" thick board….then time to set up the mitersaw..

For doing the shoulder cuts. Half will need these stock holders to keep the parts steady…also needed a stop block

Set so I have a 1/2" long tenon….first cut was made until the correct depth was set….then set the depth stops

To keep the saw from cutting too deep…had to move the bandsaw out of the way, for the long aprons…

Shoulder cuts were soon done. Used that square again, to lay out the cheek cuts…

Candle wax on the blade of the old backsaw….make a few cuts.

I used the thumbnail on my left hand to guide the cuts, and keep them running straight….wide chisel to clean the corner a bit…still had two cuts to lay out and make…

As I notch the tenons a bit…1/2" again. Used the shoulders to guide the saw to the "stop" line, chisel to pop the waste off….elbow is starting to get a bit sore…

Finally, got all the aprons with their tenons set aside….and thought I was done with such work…wrong. More in a moment.
Tablesaw to try and square the ends of the legs, and get them all the same length…hard when the blade won't reach high enough…

Stanley 45 was still set up as a plough plane…took a few minutes to change it into a beading plane..

Started to mill a bead along the show corners….one leg had a bulge near one end…grrr, #3c plane to "de-bulge" it…Kept trying to get the best corners, and avoid a couple knots…

All four legs now have the double bead detail. decided to dig out the mortise jig..

Only to find out all the batteries for the drills in the shop were dead…DOA. brought one upstairs and stuck it into the charger. One in the shop is no longer working. Then noticed I hadn't even milled two short stretchers, let alone made the tenons on them….they go between the front and back legs about 5" above the floor…a long stretcher will then go between them ( foot rest?)....may get two long ones. Long ones can wait, until after the base is glued up…then a dovetail connection will get used.

Not to bad, for 2 hours of shoptime? may try to get something done, tomorrow..
Stay tuned..

 

Tenons and beads

Ok…in the shop, tenons get made first…I used a small combo square, set to 1/2", locked it down as tight as I could.
Laid out for the 1/2" long, 1/4" thick tenons..

To get the 1/4" line…

I just come in from both sides 1/2"....3/4" thick board….then time to set up the mitersaw..

For doing the shoulder cuts. Half will need these stock holders to keep the parts steady…also needed a stop block

Set so I have a 1/2" long tenon….first cut was made until the correct depth was set….then set the depth stops

To keep the saw from cutting too deep…had to move the bandsaw out of the way, for the long aprons…

Shoulder cuts were soon done. Used that square again, to lay out the cheek cuts…

Candle wax on the blade of the old backsaw….make a few cuts.

I used the thumbnail on my left hand to guide the cuts, and keep them running straight….wide chisel to clean the corner a bit…still had two cuts to lay out and make…

As I notch the tenons a bit…1/2" again. Used the shoulders to guide the saw to the "stop" line, chisel to pop the waste off….elbow is starting to get a bit sore…

Finally, got all the aprons with their tenons set aside….and thought I was done with such work…wrong. More in a moment.
Tablesaw to try and square the ends of the legs, and get them all the same length…hard when the blade won't reach high enough…

Stanley 45 was still set up as a plough plane…took a few minutes to change it into a beading plane..

Started to mill a bead along the show corners….one leg had a bulge near one end…grrr, #3c plane to "de-bulge" it…Kept trying to get the best corners, and avoid a couple knots…

All four legs now have the double bead detail. decided to dig out the mortise jig..

Only to find out all the batteries for the drills in the shop were dead…DOA. brought one upstairs and stuck it into the charger. One in the shop is no longer working. Then noticed I hadn't even milled two short stretchers, let alone made the tenons on them….they go between the front and back legs about 5" above the floor…a long stretcher will then go between them ( foot rest?)....may get two long ones. Long ones can wait, until after the base is glued up…then a dovetail connection will get used.

Not to bad, for 2 hours of shoptime? may try to get something done, tomorrow..
Stay tuned..

Sounds like a little slacking off

 

Tenons done, mortises started

Unable to get to sleep last night…meandered down to the shop. A pair of 1×2s needed cross cut to length, edges jointed until they matched each other….any saw marks needed planed away..

Plane is a Millers Falls No. 11….seemed to work nicely, enough..made a mess of shavings..

Didn't even clean up, just trudged back upstairs and tried to sleep, again…..

Got a late start today….waited until after Lunch…meandered to the shop about 1 pm…
Mitersaw was still set up for tenons, did a bit of layout, and made the shoulder cuts on those two 1 xs from last night
Set up a "Joinery Bench"

Nice when I can just sit a spell….Backsaw had work to do

First, a few cheek cuts…then

Then trimmed the ends a bit….Shoulders guide the saw….chisel and mallet to pop the waste off…
Then the Mortise jig's usual suspects were rounded up..

Mortise gets laid out,

Mortise gets chopped out..

Couple of test fits, until things fit..

Rotate the leg end for end…and repeat..

Then the next leg….then a clamped up dry fit…

Then back to the bench, complete the other side assembly..

Long aprons were sanded until they matched each other…need to do those mortises…tomorrow.

Need to cobble 4 corner blocks, 4 mortises ( front and back aprons)run a cove bit around..try for a Sunday evening glue-up? And..maybe, just maybe..get a decent night's sleep?

Stay tuned..

 

Tenons done, mortises started

Unable to get to sleep last night…meandered down to the shop. A pair of 1×2s needed cross cut to length, edges jointed until they matched each other….any saw marks needed planed away..

Plane is a Millers Falls No. 11….seemed to work nicely, enough..made a mess of shavings..

Didn't even clean up, just trudged back upstairs and tried to sleep, again…..

Got a late start today….waited until after Lunch…meandered to the shop about 1 pm…
Mitersaw was still set up for tenons, did a bit of layout, and made the shoulder cuts on those two 1 xs from last night
Set up a "Joinery Bench"

Nice when I can just sit a spell….Backsaw had work to do

First, a few cheek cuts…then

Then trimmed the ends a bit….Shoulders guide the saw….chisel and mallet to pop the waste off…
Then the Mortise jig's usual suspects were rounded up..

Mortise gets laid out,

Mortise gets chopped out..

Couple of test fits, until things fit..

Rotate the leg end for end…and repeat..

Then the next leg….then a clamped up dry fit…

Then back to the bench, complete the other side assembly..

Long aprons were sanded until they matched each other…need to do those mortises…tomorrow.

Need to cobble 4 corner blocks, 4 mortises ( front and back aprons)run a cove bit around..try for a Sunday evening glue-up? And..maybe, just maybe..get a decent night's sleep?

Stay tuned..

Get some sleep mate!

 

Sunday's Workout

Needed to change to a cove bit on the router….legs, aprons and stretchers needed their moldings done, before any glue ups could be done.

"Router lift" to adjust the depth of cut…

I was going to clamp the parts to the bench, and mill the coves…bench was still set up for the mortises I needed to chop….clamped the parts to the tablesaw's wing..

I'd run the router up to the clamp, then move the clamp to the far end, then finish the cuts…aprons (4 pieces) got this single cove…the pair of stretchers

Have 2 coves..to the outside/show sides….legs..

The two corners that will show, each got a cove. Inside corner will be out of sight…doesn't "need" any.
I wanted the molding done, to help keep track of the sides that will show. Also, it is easier to do the molding now, rather than after things get glued up…marked a few pieces as to what went where…

Then I marked and chopped out the mortises for the long aprons to reside in…test fitting as I went…got one end assembly done, spread some glue, add the clamps..

Set it aside, and do the other assembly….once it was glued up and clamped….hmm, one F style clamp didn't work to hold…got out a pipe clamp that would…then a couple more pipe clamps..

To do a dry fit of the long aprons….needed to find out exactly how long the "footrest" stretchers needed to be

Had barely enough length…and by the time I trim the ends for square….decided to attach these with counter-bored screws & plugs..with a touch of glue…Watch out you don't trip on that clamp…couldn't get to the mitre saw..decided to take the time to bandsaw four corner blocks…carefully following the lines…

These will get drilled, and countersunk…then glued and screwed into each corner at the top of the aprons. Got these done, and set aside….which left these two to mill

Edges weren't the only problem..

Will need to face plane these flat, and square….Jointer to plane one edge straight, on each board

A "cordless" Jointer. Then take this to the tablesaw..

Narrowest section was just over 2" wide, set the fence to an even 2" between the blade and fence..

Run both boards through. Which left the faces to do…

Usual Suspects, all the faces were planed flat and smooth, remember the ugly end?

Look any better, now? No. 6c to knock the worst sections down, No. 11 to smooth plane them…them that sawn edge was jointed square and smooth. Moved a few things around, so I could at least walk through..

Swept the shop…can't remember IF I cleaned the bench up..

Just over 3 hours of shop time….and a Cardio Workout to boot.

Stay tuned…

 

Sunday's Workout

Needed to change to a cove bit on the router….legs, aprons and stretchers needed their moldings done, before any glue ups could be done.

"Router lift" to adjust the depth of cut…

I was going to clamp the parts to the bench, and mill the coves…bench was still set up for the mortises I needed to chop….clamped the parts to the tablesaw's wing..

I'd run the router up to the clamp, then move the clamp to the far end, then finish the cuts…aprons (4 pieces) got this single cove…the pair of stretchers

Have 2 coves..to the outside/show sides….legs..

The two corners that will show, each got a cove. Inside corner will be out of sight…doesn't "need" any.
I wanted the molding done, to help keep track of the sides that will show. Also, it is easier to do the molding now, rather than after things get glued up…marked a few pieces as to what went where…

Then I marked and chopped out the mortises for the long aprons to reside in…test fitting as I went…got one end assembly done, spread some glue, add the clamps..

Set it aside, and do the other assembly….once it was glued up and clamped….hmm, one F style clamp didn't work to hold…got out a pipe clamp that would…then a couple more pipe clamps..

To do a dry fit of the long aprons….needed to find out exactly how long the "footrest" stretchers needed to be

Had barely enough length…and by the time I trim the ends for square….decided to attach these with counter-bored screws & plugs..with a touch of glue…Watch out you don't trip on that clamp…couldn't get to the mitre saw..decided to take the time to bandsaw four corner blocks…carefully following the lines…

These will get drilled, and countersunk…then glued and screwed into each corner at the top of the aprons. Got these done, and set aside….which left these two to mill

Edges weren't the only problem..

Will need to face plane these flat, and square….Jointer to plane one edge straight, on each board

A "cordless" Jointer. Then take this to the tablesaw..

Narrowest section was just over 2" wide, set the fence to an even 2" between the blade and fence..

Run both boards through. Which left the faces to do…

Usual Suspects, all the faces were planed flat and smooth, remember the ugly end?

Look any better, now? No. 6c to knock the worst sections down, No. 11 to smooth plane them…them that sawn edge was jointed square and smooth. Moved a few things around, so I could at least walk through..

Swept the shop…can't remember IF I cleaned the bench up..

Just over 3 hours of shop time….and a Cardio Workout to boot.

Stay tuned…

Way to go, rest time.

 

foot rest, frame details

Got the base out of the clamps…and set up to install the "foot rest" .....One will get centered..about 9" back from the front of the legs, the other will be around 5 - 3/4" or so from the back leg…

Two holes, two drills…third for the 1-1/8" screws. Drill the counter-bores first, switch drills, and drill the pilot holes..dab of glue. Rotate, and do the other ends…base can now be set aside…

Viewed from the "front" of the desk….while the pilot hole drill was handy..

Drilled a slotted hole in each corner block. Had to do some measurements, next…..needed two long "rails" and two short end rails…to build a frame for the desk unit to sit on…needed to cross cut a plank, joint an edge or two..

Find the exact center to set the rip fence….and rip the rails to width…then rest for 45 degree cuts…LOTS of them

Because the corners will use a tongue & groove joint to connect them….reset the blade height to mill the tongues

Reset the rip fence a few times…the grooves took a little more set ups…

Reset for the middle cuts….needed a chisel to clear away the waste..

Then a few dry fits…first one showed I needed to trim the end of the tongues

Finally got a decent fit at the corner..

Then do the other three corners…came time to glue this frame up…had some "corner clamps" to try to use, meh
One was tossed. at least they held things until some real clamps got installed..

Will let this sit a spell…while the glue sets up…you might be able to see a corner clamp, or two…

Depending on how Mom is doing tomorrow, I may start on the desk unit…
Stay tuned…

 

foot rest, frame details

Got the base out of the clamps…and set up to install the "foot rest" .....One will get centered..about 9" back from the front of the legs, the other will be around 5 - 3/4" or so from the back leg…

Two holes, two drills…third for the 1-1/8" screws. Drill the counter-bores first, switch drills, and drill the pilot holes..dab of glue. Rotate, and do the other ends…base can now be set aside…

Viewed from the "front" of the desk….while the pilot hole drill was handy..

Drilled a slotted hole in each corner block. Had to do some measurements, next…..needed two long "rails" and two short end rails…to build a frame for the desk unit to sit on…needed to cross cut a plank, joint an edge or two..

Find the exact center to set the rip fence….and rip the rails to width…then rest for 45 degree cuts…LOTS of them

Because the corners will use a tongue & groove joint to connect them….reset the blade height to mill the tongues

Reset the rip fence a few times…the grooves took a little more set ups…

Reset for the middle cuts….needed a chisel to clear away the waste..

Then a few dry fits…first one showed I needed to trim the end of the tongues

Finally got a decent fit at the corner..

Then do the other three corners…came time to glue this frame up…had some "corner clamps" to try to use, meh
One was tossed. at least they held things until some real clamps got installed..

Will let this sit a spell…while the glue sets up…you might be able to see a corner clamp, or two…

Depending on how Mom is doing tomorrow, I may start on the desk unit…
Stay tuned…

That's a different mitered corner! I am lazy, would just run a spline through it.

 

Frame installed, desk sides milled

Two trips to the shop….with naps inbetween…fighting a chest cold…among other things…

Frame came out of the clamps..
.

Sanded smooth and flat. Missed those slotted holes….went with a few counter bored holes…three in the front and back rails, and one in each end rail….1-1/8" screws, again. Milled a block of tapered Ash plugs, glued those in place, then trimmed them flush..

There IS a plug sitting there….honest..

I was going to fill some voids in the joints..

Decided to wait until after the cove bit went by..

Found a 2" wide piece of Ash…needs trimmed to size..

This should be the front of the desk box…..

Nap time….

Decided to haul a board to the shop…had "issues" with the mitre gauge and a square not on the same page…
Was finally able to get two parts cross cut for length..

1×6 for the back, and the front piece….used those two to set the length of the sides…crosscuts still were a problem…may just "fire" that mitre gauge….won't hold settings..
Laid out a diagonal line..cut one..

Then a second one. All 4 parts needed to be S4S….

That old #6c was getting a bit heavy….

Might go ahead and do dovetails, tomorrow, then figure out the inside layouts….stay tuned

 

Frame installed, desk sides milled

Two trips to the shop….with naps inbetween…fighting a chest cold…among other things…

Frame came out of the clamps..
.

Sanded smooth and flat. Missed those slotted holes….went with a few counter bored holes…three in the front and back rails, and one in each end rail….1-1/8" screws, again. Milled a block of tapered Ash plugs, glued those in place, then trimmed them flush..

There IS a plug sitting there….honest..

I was going to fill some voids in the joints..

Decided to wait until after the cove bit went by..

Found a 2" wide piece of Ash…needs trimmed to size..

This should be the front of the desk box…..

Nap time….

Decided to haul a board to the shop…had "issues" with the mitre gauge and a square not on the same page…
Was finally able to get two parts cross cut for length..

1×6 for the back, and the front piece….used those two to set the length of the sides…crosscuts still were a problem…may just "fire" that mitre gauge….won't hold settings..
Laid out a diagonal line..cut one..

Then a second one. All 4 parts needed to be S4S….

That old #6c was getting a bit heavy….

Might go ahead and do dovetails, tomorrow, then figure out the inside layouts….stay tuned

Last time my #6 was used may have been on the workbench? have a Krenov jointer plane with a Hock Iron
that is so light and easy to use! Looking forward to seeing them D.T.s .

 

Dovetails and migraines

Usually not a good combination….seemed to have "lost" a day….

Plan was to do through dovetails, to connect the four sides of the desk unit….didn't quite go as planned
Laid out a few tools…to do the lay out work…

That bevel gauge…the angle it's end was cut at….turned out to be the same angle I wanted for the pins..

Was going to use those dividers to set the spacings….I merely came in from each edge. And whatever the middle pin turned out to be….Then the dovetail saw

Seems to do the job nicely, enough. Then came the chopping out of the waste (headache started in)

Chopped about halfway down, leaving a tab out on the end, for support….so when I flip the board over, and chop from the other side…

Then I could stand this end up on the part that will be a side of the desk…making sure I had the correct one

Then I could trace around the pins, to mark out the tails ( headache getting worse..vision issues) and bandsaw to the waste side of the lines, leaving the lines…and a few extra cuts to help the waste leave

Then clamp this on top of another board..to save the top of my bench. Same as with the pins, chop half way down from each face….

Then time for a dry fit..

Tad bit snug….can pare for a better fit if need be…better than too loose of a fit. Set these two aside

I'll get to that front rail in a bit….or at least try…Got the other back corner done…

Headache getting worse….got the pins milled on the front rail..

And that is as far as I got, that day…..bad migraine….wound up in the Hospital overnight…..Lost most of Friday…getting the head scanned….they did find a few cobwebs in there…

Taking today, and maybe tomorrow off from the shop….not feeling all that great…

Stay tuned,,,

 

Dovetails and migraines

Usually not a good combination….seemed to have "lost" a day….

Plan was to do through dovetails, to connect the four sides of the desk unit….didn't quite go as planned
Laid out a few tools…to do the lay out work…

That bevel gauge…the angle it's end was cut at….turned out to be the same angle I wanted for the pins..

Was going to use those dividers to set the spacings….I merely came in from each edge. And whatever the middle pin turned out to be….Then the dovetail saw

Seems to do the job nicely, enough. Then came the chopping out of the waste (headache started in)

Chopped about halfway down, leaving a tab out on the end, for support….so when I flip the board over, and chop from the other side…

Then I could stand this end up on the part that will be a side of the desk…making sure I had the correct one

Then I could trace around the pins, to mark out the tails ( headache getting worse..vision issues) and bandsaw to the waste side of the lines, leaving the lines…and a few extra cuts to help the waste leave

Then clamp this on top of another board..to save the top of my bench. Same as with the pins, chop half way down from each face….

Then time for a dry fit..

Tad bit snug….can pare for a better fit if need be…better than too loose of a fit. Set these two aside

I'll get to that front rail in a bit….or at least try…Got the other back corner done…

Headache getting worse….got the pins milled on the front rail..

And that is as far as I got, that day…..bad migraine….wound up in the Hospital overnight…..Lost most of Friday…getting the head scanned….they did find a few cobwebs in there…

Taking today, and maybe tomorrow off from the shop….not feeling all that great…

Stay tuned,,,

Here's wishing you a speedy recovery what ever the problem is.

 

Catching up

Figured I could at least finish the dovetails. Had the pins from the front done earlier. Used those to mark out the tails, and the bandsaw to make a few cuts….easier than using the handsaw, and I can see the cuts better..

Used a board under the part, to save the top of my bench. Still was a bit rough trying to clamp these in place. Like before, I chopped about halfway down, then flip the board over..(Mountain Dew was from thursday..yuck)

And complete the chops, nice when I can sit down to work….Tried a dry fit…or three..

Had to pare a bit to get a decent enough fit. Then work on the other side piece, until it also was fitted…then dry fit the entire mess..

Added a clamp to hold things still, while I measured for some other parts….side view?

Meh, still a dry fit…other parts were from the the pile of off-cuts..

I needed to surface a couple flat and square….needed one piece to support a couple drawers..

Will set this into a dado, as soon as I figure out how far down it goes….drawer size as to how tall the sides will be.

Plane to smooth all four sides….had two such thin boards to do. A second one will be the back of the pencil holders. Drawer parts?

Had a few 1×6 scraps. Ran these through the bandsaw, right down the center. Need to change the blade to the 1/2" wide, BRAND NEW blade, and resaw these down to 3/8" thick. Add a plywood bottom, and should be enough for a few drawers. Follansbee merely nailed his together, I think that is also what I'll do.

Pencil Holders?

3 pieces. 2 on the ends will get a cove bit to mill grooves for pencils to sit in. Not sure about what the center piece will get…..maybe a forstner bit cut area for paperclips? Glued to the inside of the front of the desk, then the backer piece gets nails and glue…

And this is where things are at. Doubt IF I get anything done, today…that Monday thing…maybe by tomorrow, I can get a little more done.
Stay tuned…

 

Catching up

Figured I could at least finish the dovetails. Had the pins from the front done earlier. Used those to mark out the tails, and the bandsaw to make a few cuts….easier than using the handsaw, and I can see the cuts better..

Used a board under the part, to save the top of my bench. Still was a bit rough trying to clamp these in place. Like before, I chopped about halfway down, then flip the board over..(Mountain Dew was from thursday..yuck)

And complete the chops, nice when I can sit down to work….Tried a dry fit…or three..

Had to pare a bit to get a decent enough fit. Then work on the other side piece, until it also was fitted…then dry fit the entire mess..

Added a clamp to hold things still, while I measured for some other parts….side view?

Meh, still a dry fit…other parts were from the the pile of off-cuts..

I needed to surface a couple flat and square….needed one piece to support a couple drawers..

Will set this into a dado, as soon as I figure out how far down it goes….drawer size as to how tall the sides will be.

Plane to smooth all four sides….had two such thin boards to do. A second one will be the back of the pencil holders. Drawer parts?

Had a few 1×6 scraps. Ran these through the bandsaw, right down the center. Need to change the blade to the 1/2" wide, BRAND NEW blade, and resaw these down to 3/8" thick. Add a plywood bottom, and should be enough for a few drawers. Follansbee merely nailed his together, I think that is also what I'll do.

Pencil Holders?

3 pieces. 2 on the ends will get a cove bit to mill grooves for pencils to sit in. Not sure about what the center piece will get…..maybe a forstner bit cut area for paperclips? Glued to the inside of the front of the desk, then the backer piece gets nails and glue…

And this is where things are at. Doubt IF I get anything done, today…that Monday thing…maybe by tomorrow, I can get a little more done.
Stay tuned…

Mountain Dew and Bourbon works for me! No way could I drink straight Pop. That puppy starting to look like something real fine!

 

Been busy, need to get caught up

Where was I? Had some mortises to chop?

Well, I set up the router table, to mill grooves to hold all those pencils/pens

Needed a few of these chopped out. Backer strip for the pencil holder..
Was going to use the thin Ash strips…..went out and bought a 1/4" thin strip of Poplar, instead..

Rather than a full width hole, I made them to accept a notched end….drawer shelf is now full depth….dry fitted

Had to trim the poplar a few times…kept wanting to bow

Hinges were also bought. Messed around and did a glue up….

Let this set overnight. Fun part was that pencil holder…..

Well, two hours shop time today…got the unit out of the clamps, without any issues….set up the router..

Ran a rebate all the way around…then marked and cut a plywood panel to almost fit..

Then planed and sanded all the sides of the desk unit, and set it in place..

The reason I wasn't too worried about the fit of the plywood, edges of the desk covers any gaps.

Dovetails cleaned up….pencil holder?

Took a beltsander to the underside of the holder. To level the playing field enough case will sit flat. Hauled a plank to the shop, cross cut to 30"....set one in place, thinking it might make the top shelf..

Hmmm, maybe the other half might be better…?

Put the first one aside, for now….may rip out a few pieces for a bread board end..

Second plank needed jointed. Then the last of the 1×6 planks came to the shop…also cross cut to get tw0 decently straight 30" long boards….then ganged them up..

Then unfold these into a panel, spread some glue, moosh the second board around a bit, add a few clamps..

And a caul or two….will let this set a few days…..I laid out a few things..

To find out the angle things need to be beveled to…..so the lid and the top shelf meet nicely….

Will be Saturday, before I can get back to the shop….shop will be closed, tomorrow, due to a Funeral.

Stay tuned…

 

Been busy, need to get caught up

Where was I? Had some mortises to chop?

Well, I set up the router table, to mill grooves to hold all those pencils/pens

Needed a few of these chopped out. Backer strip for the pencil holder..
Was going to use the thin Ash strips…..went out and bought a 1/4" thin strip of Poplar, instead..

Rather than a full width hole, I made them to accept a notched end….drawer shelf is now full depth….dry fitted

Had to trim the poplar a few times…kept wanting to bow

Hinges were also bought. Messed around and did a glue up….

Let this set overnight. Fun part was that pencil holder…..

Well, two hours shop time today…got the unit out of the clamps, without any issues….set up the router..

Ran a rebate all the way around…then marked and cut a plywood panel to almost fit..

Then planed and sanded all the sides of the desk unit, and set it in place..

The reason I wasn't too worried about the fit of the plywood, edges of the desk covers any gaps.

Dovetails cleaned up….pencil holder?

Took a beltsander to the underside of the holder. To level the playing field enough case will sit flat. Hauled a plank to the shop, cross cut to 30"....set one in place, thinking it might make the top shelf..

Hmmm, maybe the other half might be better…?

Put the first one aside, for now….may rip out a few pieces for a bread board end..

Second plank needed jointed. Then the last of the 1×6 planks came to the shop…also cross cut to get tw0 decently straight 30" long boards….then ganged them up..

Then unfold these into a panel, spread some glue, moosh the second board around a bit, add a few clamps..

And a caul or two….will let this set a few days…..I laid out a few things..

To find out the angle things need to be beveled to…..so the lid and the top shelf meet nicely….

Will be Saturday, before I can get back to the shop….shop will be closed, tomorrow, due to a Funeral.

Stay tuned…

I continue to enjoy your blog. The desk is coming along nicely. It is showing your skill. Saturday is supposed to snow so should be good for shop time.

 

Lid work

Among other things…4 hours of shop time…..wasn't that great of a day..meh..
Began by tracing around the desk, once it was as centered as I could get it….then drill a few pilot holes…

Was hoping I would miss a few things underneath…nope…corner blocks were in the way. Placed the desk back on the base…kept trying to clamp things in place….finally found a 3×3 block, and clamped things down..

Fun part was lifting this thing up, onto the saw, where I could get to the pilot holes….had to re-drill a couple

Once there were enough screws to hold things together, then try to get this back on it's own 4 feet….and noticed the poplar backer for the pencil tray had split….grrrrr. re-cut the 3×3 block a bit, and glued in a filler block..

Set up the rip fence…and ran that wavy plank through a few times….middle of the plank was the worst, chopped that out, then ran the leftovers through to get some bread board end stocks…..again, cutting out the worst..

Not much left….thought I could use the Stanley 45 to run some grooves…grain fought back…set up the tablesaw, and try that….

Meh…wound up later just using the router table….Plan WAS to use Roy Underhill's through tenon bread board ends…Tablesaw again to do a bit of "chopping"

Knock the waste off with a hammer…used a chisel for a bit, then a plane..

This is the non-glued up "Top" laid out for a pair of tenons…

Backsaw to make some of the cuts….then a strange saw for a couple others..

Had two tenons ready…needed to chop two through mortises…..that didn't work too well , board did the splits

Decided to just use a tongue and groove connection…Made a new end cap…..routertable to mill a better groove
Got Both ends done, then clamps and glue…and set aside

Then do the lid the same way….and get it clamped up..

Let these two sit a spell…then come back and sand everything flat and smooth….and try to figure out the meeting angles I need….and maybe start on some drawers? We'll see….

Stay tuned….

 

Lid work

Among other things…4 hours of shop time…..wasn't that great of a day..meh..
Began by tracing around the desk, once it was as centered as I could get it….then drill a few pilot holes…

Was hoping I would miss a few things underneath…nope…corner blocks were in the way. Placed the desk back on the base…kept trying to clamp things in place….finally found a 3×3 block, and clamped things down..

Fun part was lifting this thing up, onto the saw, where I could get to the pilot holes….had to re-drill a couple

Once there were enough screws to hold things together, then try to get this back on it's own 4 feet….and noticed the poplar backer for the pencil tray had split….grrrrr. re-cut the 3×3 block a bit, and glued in a filler block..

Set up the rip fence…and ran that wavy plank through a few times….middle of the plank was the worst, chopped that out, then ran the leftovers through to get some bread board end stocks…..again, cutting out the worst..

Not much left….thought I could use the Stanley 45 to run some grooves…grain fought back…set up the tablesaw, and try that….

Meh…wound up later just using the router table….Plan WAS to use Roy Underhill's through tenon bread board ends…Tablesaw again to do a bit of "chopping"

Knock the waste off with a hammer…used a chisel for a bit, then a plane..

This is the non-glued up "Top" laid out for a pair of tenons…

Backsaw to make some of the cuts….then a strange saw for a couple others..

Had two tenons ready…needed to chop two through mortises…..that didn't work too well , board did the splits

Decided to just use a tongue and groove connection…Made a new end cap…..routertable to mill a better groove
Got Both ends done, then clamps and glue…and set aside

Then do the lid the same way….and get it clamped up..

Let these two sit a spell…then come back and sand everything flat and smooth….and try to figure out the meeting angles I need….and maybe start on some drawers? We'll see….

Stay tuned….

May try again after lunch, and maybe get something done…waiting on the camera battery to charge back up…

 

Lid installed, PIP

2 hour shop time last night, 4pm to 6pm….parts for the lid were taken out of the clamps, sanded clean, and squared up. Bread board ends needed trim a bit. Found a strip of scrap that I could use to set the "meeting angles" of the lid

Short section is for the top shelf. Once the angles looked decent, I could use these to set the bevel on the tablesaw

The long section needed a bit of clean up, bandsaw did a wavy cut….once that was where it matched the top shelf's already cut angle..

And double checked I was cutting the bevel on the correct edge…I could set the saw, and make the rip cut…Then worked on the hinges….after I had drilled a few mounting holes, and screwed the top shelf in place..

Usual toys when doing very small screws…candle wax on the brass threads helped a lot…

Screws were driven by hand. Finally got both hinges installed..

C clamps are for gluing on a book rest strip..

Let this sit until this morning, then the clamps came off, and the lid was closed…

Hope the Dark Walnut stain like I used on the Coffee Table project will make the grain "pop" a bit
PIP?

Front view….debating on a "topper", though..

Too small? Not big enough? too plain? Shop is a bit too cold, today…need to make a bunch of Ash plugs, to cover all the screw heads….and maybe start on a drawer, or two. Had to bring the glue upstairs…

Stay tuned…

 

Lid installed, PIP

2 hour shop time last night, 4pm to 6pm….parts for the lid were taken out of the clamps, sanded clean, and squared up. Bread board ends needed trim a bit. Found a strip of scrap that I could use to set the "meeting angles" of the lid

Short section is for the top shelf. Once the angles looked decent, I could use these to set the bevel on the tablesaw

The long section needed a bit of clean up, bandsaw did a wavy cut….once that was where it matched the top shelf's already cut angle..

And double checked I was cutting the bevel on the correct edge…I could set the saw, and make the rip cut…Then worked on the hinges….after I had drilled a few mounting holes, and screwed the top shelf in place..

Usual toys when doing very small screws…candle wax on the brass threads helped a lot…

Screws were driven by hand. Finally got both hinges installed..

C clamps are for gluing on a book rest strip..

Let this sit until this morning, then the clamps came off, and the lid was closed…

Hope the Dark Walnut stain like I used on the Coffee Table project will make the grain "pop" a bit
PIP?

Front view….debating on a "topper", though..

Too small? Not big enough? too plain? Shop is a bit too cold, today…need to make a bunch of Ash plugs, to cover all the screw heads….and maybe start on a drawer, or two. Had to bring the glue upstairs…

Stay tuned…

Had to turn heat down in the Shop up here, temp almost at freezing outside? That Desk looks so good, wish I had an excuse to build one!

 

Plugs and drawers

Plugs needed milled…

Scrap of Ash, 3/8" tapered plug cutter…always make a couple extra, just in case..

Simple enough to install…pop out a plug with the screwdriver, bead of glue on the smaller end of the tapered plug. Push into the hole, watching how the grain matches up…drive the plug home with the hammer…once they are all installed, come back with a chisel, trim the upper part of each plug…then flush cut with a small plane..

You can also see where I added a strip of Ash to the edges of the lid….to get the needed overhang. Accent piece was also glued in place…which left parts for drawers to be milled..

Already glued in the dividers…one to separate the two drawers, and one to support the drawer shelf…

Rounded up the parts for the drawers, sized the two drawer fronts, and a few other parts, to fit

Then milled a few parts for one drawer…

Let's see, thicker part is the drawer front, with a rebate for the sides, and the 1/4" plywood bottom…there are 2 poplar squares for the drawer sides. back of the drawer was a resaw, 3/8" thick…trick was to glue and nail these all together….Ash don't like nails..

Sides nailed and glued into rebates….then add more parts.

As long as where I was nailing at, was over a bench leg, nails seem to drive better…even for the back and bottom

Then stuff the first drawer into it's new home..

While I cut and assembled the second drawer, which was a 1/4" different in width…I found some small handles that seem to fit the style of the desk….

Then just closed the lid..

Still have 4 plugs to install…

2 on each end. Get those done, and a final sanding of the entire desk…should be about ready for stain and finish, maybe?

Stay tuned..

 

Plugs and drawers

Plugs needed milled…

Scrap of Ash, 3/8" tapered plug cutter…always make a couple extra, just in case..

Simple enough to install…pop out a plug with the screwdriver, bead of glue on the smaller end of the tapered plug. Push into the hole, watching how the grain matches up…drive the plug home with the hammer…once they are all installed, come back with a chisel, trim the upper part of each plug…then flush cut with a small plane..

You can also see where I added a strip of Ash to the edges of the lid….to get the needed overhang. Accent piece was also glued in place…which left parts for drawers to be milled..

Already glued in the dividers…one to separate the two drawers, and one to support the drawer shelf…

Rounded up the parts for the drawers, sized the two drawer fronts, and a few other parts, to fit

Then milled a few parts for one drawer…

Let's see, thicker part is the drawer front, with a rebate for the sides, and the 1/4" plywood bottom…there are 2 poplar squares for the drawer sides. back of the drawer was a resaw, 3/8" thick…trick was to glue and nail these all together….Ash don't like nails..

Sides nailed and glued into rebates….then add more parts.

As long as where I was nailing at, was over a bench leg, nails seem to drive better…even for the back and bottom

Then stuff the first drawer into it's new home..

While I cut and assembled the second drawer, which was a 1/4" different in width…I found some small handles that seem to fit the style of the desk….

Then just closed the lid..

Still have 4 plugs to install…

2 on each end. Get those done, and a final sanding of the entire desk…should be about ready for stain and finish, maybe?

Stay tuned..

You have outdone yourself- AGAIN!!

 

Stained and varnished, a PIP

Before this is posted as a Project?
Miwax Dark Walnut oil stain…brush a bit on….then wipe down..

Then Minwax Clear Gloss Poly..one coat

Fun part, was carrying this up those stairs….have a leaky hole in the top of me head, now….it is called a header for a reason…ow.

Pencil trays seem to work well enough..

These two stretchers are where your feet will go, so they are offset to the rear

Anyone want to try to build one of these?

Will be posting as a project, here in a bit….thanks for following along!

 

Stained and varnished, a PIP

Before this is posted as a Project?
Miwax Dark Walnut oil stain…brush a bit on….then wipe down..

Then Minwax Clear Gloss Poly..one coat

Fun part, was carrying this up those stairs….have a leaky hole in the top of me head, now….it is called a header for a reason…ow.

Pencil trays seem to work well enough..

These two stretchers are where your feet will go, so they are offset to the rear

Anyone want to try to build one of these?

Will be posting as a project, here in a bit….thanks for following along!

Somehow looks out of place in today's world, would like to stand behind it and feel its presence, sure hope you left your mark on it for future generations?