Olde Tool Workshop

As woodworking is my main hobby, obsession, meditation etc., I do not usually venture in other crafts … usually. But I have recently been contemplating a journey into the wild and wonderful world of leather work. This is mainly a desire to make items for my tools such as sheaths and various means to protect my tool’s sharp edges from each other and my skin.

I have several cases and sheathes I have purchased or inherited and I still have several items that need to be protected. I have some Axes, adz’ and drawknives in dire need.

I hope you had a nice Holiday! I sure did. I got a chance to spend some quality time in the shop the last few days. This English Layout Square is a project I have been meaning to take on for some time, but just never got around to it. After seeing the re-run of the Woodwright’s Shop online where Roy and Chris built this, I had to make one too; it looked like too much fun to pass up.

Mystery Mallet, Popular Woodworking, Saw Box

You know, woodworking is so much fun. I just love the chance to carve up some wood with sharp tools and a little skill; after which, you have something new that you made, and can be proud of. After my previous weekend escapade (see A Bad Day post), I was in the need of some serious fun. The chance came in the form of a class at Roy Underhill’s Woodwright’s School. I was scheduled for the Mystery Mallet class on Saturday. This is a whole day class where you make an intriguing and beautiful woodworking puzzle. The class fit the bill perfectly to balance the experiences of the previous weekend.

A Perfect Mitered Dovetail?

Is there such a thing as a bad day in the workshop? I guess if you gouge yourself with a “pig sticker” or slice yourself with a knife, these could be considered bad days. This is not what I am talking about here.

Some days, the good and the bad are not balanced, and you end up with more of one than the other. Yesterday was definitely one of those days. It all started out innocently enough. I’ve not had the opportunity to work in the shop for a few weeks…seemed like forever…but I wanted to continue with the moulding for my Saw Box. I had completed the shaping of two mouldings with my desired profile, and all I had to do was the mitered dovetails and wrap the bottom of the box - then I would be golden. As I had done this for the lid sans the molding profile, I felt pretty confident that I could do the same for the bottom skirt.

The big problem with ordinary mitre joints is they are weak and do not offer a lot of glueing area. This is the reason I chose the mitered dovetail joint. The mitre hides the groove and the dovetail gives the joint strength. I have never cut this joint before, I have only seen Roy Underhill cut these on his 2-episode show on the Woodwright’s Shop where he made a Joiner’s Tool Chest and used this type of joint for the same reason as I was going to use it. My effort was a process of trial and error; my first one was ok, but it had a few extra unnecessary cuts. Fortunately I foresaw this difficulty and planned ahead with extra long stock, which gave me a couple of tries for each piece. When it came to cutting the critical second cuts on each board, I was getting pretty good at it.