Finished Walnut Cradle

After a lil bit of blood, alot of sweat, an no tears (no crying for lilwodguy).  Here is the finished walnut cradle.

My very next post will include how this all came together, to include glue-ups, and how the legs were cut after glue up for sizing and leveling.  Thanks again for taking a look! 

To take words from a great song... Another one bites the dust (sawdust).

Take a Shellacing

This week there was a lot of sanding being done.  Doing this was so I could prepare for the next step...  Finish.

Though sanding seems like an easy proposition... To ensure it is done correctly I take the following steps

I mark the workpieces heavily with a pencil then sand until all of the pencil marks are removed.  Because the workpieces came directly from the planer, I sanded using each of the following grits..

80
120
150
220

After sanding I applied one coat of shellac.  Click here to see the product I used.  The link shows a spray can; however, what I used was the quart.

The application was with a rag.  I cannot stress how important it is to be sure to apply thin coats. Quite honestly the thinner the better, and don't be concerned if there is slight streaking.  This will happen and clear up in later coats.  Just remember "thin to win".

After the first coat... I sanded lightly using 320 grit sandpaper.  I then applied a second coat.

After the second coat I applied a coat of Johnson's Paste Wax using 0000 steel wool.  I then let it set up for about 15 minutes and then buffed it out.  There will be more pictures coming in the next post as glue-ups begin.

Sometimes We Take Two Steps Back (Tenon Fixing)

There were many challenges this week that came up with the walnut cradle.  When trying to clamp up the cradle I found the spindles were about ½” long.  It could have been worse, in that, they were not short.  One end of the spindle had to be lopped off and the tenons all had to be re cut on one side.

There was lesson learned here.  Test fit two of the spindles to check that everything fits before moving on and cutting all at once.  Not a big deal, just a bit of lost time and effort.  These are the trials of woodworking all of us go through.

In the process of getting the tenons fixed & dialed in with a chisel, I busted two.  My good friend Yoshi recommended that I drill out the end, and use a dowel rod as a tenon. 

Below is a video and some pictures of the process for fixing tenons.

Repaired Spindles

The Mortise and Tenon Joint

I personally like to cut the mortises first.  This allows me to cut my tenons to match.  So this is how we got started. 

First we started by marking or laying out where all of the mortises will be cut on each work piece.  It is important to be as accurate as we can when doing. 

Here is a picture of the layout:

After Marking cutting the mortises they must be cut.  We do this by using the dedicated mortiser.  It is important to mark the sides that will be put toward the fence.  This is because just in case we are off a little bit we can still match up the mating work pieces correctly.

Here is a video showing the cutting of mortises, and some pictures of what the mortised work pieces of the walnut cradle look like once completed.

In the past I cut tenons on the table saw; however, I had some difficulty getting them sized just right.  I also ran into several challenges with the shoulders and tear out.  The latest tenon cuts were made on the band saw.  What a difference.  I found this was much more accurate for me.

Here are two videos of the process:

A)   Cutting the cheeks was done using the band saw fence

B)   Cutting the shoulders was done using a miter gauge and a stop block

Mortiser Cleanup and Setup

Because I am relatively new to the hobby and prior to building the shop I had absolutely no woodworking or carpentry experience most of the tools I have had previous owners.  I will discuss tool ownership.  It will expain in more detail how I came to obtain my tools, and how I was able to ammass a number of tools at relatively low cost.

Getting to the mortiser.  It is a JET Bench Top Mortiser Part# JBM-5 that can be found here.  Being the impatient, and puzzling person I often am.  When I cut the mortises for cradle one, I didn’t have the depth adjustment, and I didn’t screw the mortiser down to the table.  Now it worked… But, I definitely wouldn’t suggest using this tool without having it held down to the table (especially when you have more than 120 mortises to cut).   I am now all tied down properly.  I just used four long carriage bolts, large washers and nuts.

I wiped her (the mortiser) down really good to get her looking better.  I am a bit embarrassed to say that it still had the original owners dust on it when I used it for Cradle I.  There is still some rust on the post that I will deal with before she finds her final resting place in the shop.  Nothing in the shop is in it’s final position, or mounted where they will stay as of yet.  The babies started coming and cradles needed making. 

Tonight and tomorrow’s primary focus will be on the mortises that must be “drilled”.  Tonight’s task will be to layout.  As much as I would like to start getting these done, I don’t want to be fatigued whilst completing this mission.  I have made many errors whilst working and being tired.  Thank goodness I still have all of my fingers.

I also am looking into getting a new tool.  I am looking into purchasing some setup blocks from Kreg.  They run about $44.99, and my frugal nature has left them on the shelf once.  If anyone has experience with these (positive or negative) please comment.  Also if there are lower cost alternatives that you can recommend, please do.  I would like to find a less expensive alternative. 

Upcoming Posts on Cradle II:

Mortising Layout and Cut

Tennon Cutting & Clean Up

Hole Boring and Glue Up

Finishing

Here are some pictures of my current setup, and a video I found.

Cradle I

Here is a picture of a cradle I finished right before Christmas.  The wood species is Poplar.  The finish is four coats of shellac and one coat of wax.

I have started another cradle which is being made from Walnut.  More posts to come on Cradle II

The shellac used is Zinser blonde shellac the product is here.  It is the picture in the upper right-hand corner.  Now I am not sure if this product is wax free; however, there is a sealer that specifically states it is wax free.

Can anywone provide some insights on the wax/non-wax versions of this product.

Getting Started

This blog is to share my woodworking experiences with others.  Because I am relatively new to woodworking, and the only previous experience I had was a seventh grade shop class, you will see many conclusions that I come to leaving you scratching your head.  This is because I don’t usually do things the right way the first time.  This is of course not by design, however, this will give you the reader the opportunity to comment and provide help to me, and others following this blog along the way.

I will be showing progress of various projects, and include my methodology and its reasoning.  I welcome all comments…  Good, Bad or Ugly.  I hope to learn a lot through this process, and give others an opportunity to learn right along with me.

Thank you for visiting, please come back and visit us again.

Some sites I recommend are:

Some sites I recommend are:

Southeast Michigan Woodworkers

Fine Wood Working Magazine

Wood Magazine

Woodsmith Shop (Free Plans!)

Wood Whisperer

Ask Woodman