Having a crack - Entertainment Unit WIP

[jackliveshere]

Well the time has come to built a decent entertainment unit for our new plasma tv. It's been sitting on a busted up dodgy el-cheapo chinese chipboard entertainment unit for the last couple of months! Got three weeks off work coming up over Christmas, so it's the perfect time to get stuck into this project :2tsup:

This is going to be the biggest thing by far I've ever built, and very very daunting to boot. The only other piece of furniture I've built is my little table for Weisyboy's pallet competition. I've done my initial design as you can see by my attached jpg's from sketchup. I'd appreciate some feedback on the design at this stage. Take it easy on me though!! Still very much a rookie on the woodworking/designing front :B

Going to have dvd players, game systems etc in the middle open shelves, then the drawers are all going to hold DVDs. well actually we should be able to fit all the dvds on one side of the unit then use the second side for other storage.

Been looking for a while at all the entertainment units on this site and drawn ideas from them plus an idea about how to build the thing! I've found Wongo's (http://www.woodworkforums.com/showthread.php?t=50510) unit especially helpful. Love the design and Wongo did a great job at the unit and the WIP pictures - so that's real helpful thanks Wongo!!

Anyway, I'm interested to hear what you guys think of the design :U Construction will start on the weekend (hopefully design will be finalised by then!).

Cheers,

WILL

[Juffy]

This is going to be the biggest thing by far I've ever built, and very very daunting to boot. The only other piece of furniture I've built is my little table for Weisyboy's pallet competition. I've done my initial design as you can see by my attached jpg's from sketchup. I'd appreciate some feedback on the design at this stage. Take it easy on me though!! Still very much a rookie on the woodworking/designing front :B

Good to see some more (relative) young'uns at the same stage I'm at. The thought of building something to compare to Wongo's work is daunting indeed. :)

I like your design, the accentuated legs with the curve to soften them works nicely. One thing I would suggest - down on page 6 of Wongo's thread is a bit of discussion (http://www.woodworkforums.com/showpost.php?p=538681&postcount=82) on whether he'd need a centre leg to support that span. Is it worth integrating some legs into the design of the front, rather than trying to hide a support up the back? Not sure what material you're going for, but if it weighs anything like what his does it's worth thinking about it.

Also think about ventilation for your equipment - from all accounts, cooping a 360 up is a fast track to a shiny white doorstop.

[jackliveshere]

From the outset, i'm definitely not trying to rival 'ol mate Wongo's work! haha. Not with my meager (sp?) skills! He does some fantastic woodwork and I love checking out the new things he's always making! But to be honest, I do draw inspiration from his stuff, good quality work.

Yeah I read that little conversation about the centre leg support. Honestly i'm not sure :shrug: The TV it will be supporting is a 52" plasma - does have some weight in it that's for sure and of course it will be centrally located. I just couldn't seem to fit something appropiate for a middle leg. Was playing along the lines of a central support with a curve on each side to contrast the main legs. I was also thinking of two centre legs, one on each side of the shelving sections - that way the leg just isn't in the middle of 'nowhere' so to speak.

With ventilation.....what are my options here? Just holes in the back? no back? mechanical ventilation? Yeah don't really know a whole lot on that topic, that's for sure - but definitely worth considering.

Cheers,

Will

[Pops]

Hi Will,

I would probably consider some sort of support between the end legs, thinking that plasma is going to be heavy and then there are the AV units in the centre console.

However, without extra supports, another way to stiffen the frame is to fix a sheet of ply across the back of the cabinet, as in integral part of the frame. Drilling holes in the back at the top of each shelf should be enough ventilation with an open front. Oh, and a big hole for each shelf for all the leads and power lead.

Just a thought, am sure others will have more views to ponder.

Cheers
Pops

[jackliveshere]

Thanks Pops - yup will definitely need a largish hole for each of those shelves for cords to come out - that hole in itself would help with ventilation wouldn't it? Could i get away with just a single hole for each shelf in the back panel, ie 4 holes to accommodate both cords & ventilation?

Cheers,

Will

[Wongo]

:B:B:B

Will,

The unit will sag no matter what. You MUST add support to it. You can either make a strong bottom rail or add 2 little blocks of wood under where the draws and shelves meet.

Good luck.

[jackliveshere]

I've added in four little legs for central support, two at the front & back. Can't really think of anything decorative that looks good, so square little posts they are :) Guess they don't look too bad.

And after much deliberating, I decided to leave the back of the shelves open. Couple of reasons; 1. means that the unit is a little lighter without having a solid back all the way across (it's still going to be heavy as!) 2. didn't really like the look of drilling cable and ventilation holes in the back panel. 3. I figure it's much easier installing equipment having the whole back of the shelves free. Anyhoo, see how we go i guess.

Cheers,

Will

[Wongo]

Now that is pretty sexy.

[Wongdai]

Looking good - but I would prefer cupboards over drawers.

[snapman007]

If you do put on a back, remember separate holes for power and A/V cables.

[jackliveshere]

Looking good - but I would prefer cupboards over drawers.

Yeah i considered cupboards to the left & right. But i think drawers will be more practical for storing dvds, which is the main reason for having drawers. Plus we have cupboards in our current crappy unit and stuff just builds up in there and can't really be organised well.

Cheers,

Will

[jackliveshere]

Well went out into the shed this afternoon to check out the timber situation for the entertainment unit. Still steadily building my timber collection, so it isn't vast just yet :; But I do have the majority of a pack left from one of Studley's reject hardwood flooring sales. It was a mixed species pack - unfortunately there wasn't much of the red timbers which I would love to use for the unit. So it's going to have to be blonde/light brown type timbers I think as that's the bulk of the pack.

I do have a couple of pieces of square Bloodwood though - well I was told it was Bloodwood from the dude I got it off. Honestly I wouldn't have a clue....:B So I was thinking that I would use the darkish bloodwood (it's darker then what shows in the photos) for the 4 main legs and the little support legs, then the lighter coloured timbers for the rest of the unit. I'll also use some of the little red timber I did get out of the pack for some accents, like red drawer handles maybe. Will think about that as I go along.

Cheers,

Will

[Pops]

Hi Will,

Added two supports. Onya. :2tsup: Peace of mind, (strong and no bending in the middle) wins over subtle asthetics sometimes I reckon.

Not needing to put any strength into a backing piece is great. I actually would be happy to have open backs to the shelves. I ripped the back off an old AV cabinet I had because it was such a hassle to change leads, even though infrequent.

So sounds good to me.

For DVDs storage etc. I also like drawers.

Keep us posted.

Cheers
Pops

[jackliveshere]

Just having a play around with some textures on the sketchup model, just to garner an idea of what the unit would look like. Obviously the colours are not going to match the timber I have, but it gives an impression of the constrasting colours.

I do have a problem with the drawer fronts though. I don't have any material wide enough, so I would have to join material. Wasn't too keen on joining two boards for the drawers, but I thought maybe I could do a bit of a feature by joining two different colours in a 'wave' sort of shape which flows down the drawers. Any good?

Cheers,

Will :2tsup:

[Groggy]

Looks good Jack, be good to see it finished. :2tsup:

[Wongdai]

Like the changes. Noice! :2tsup:

[ciscokid]

Yeah i considered cupboards to the left & right. But i think drawers will be more practical for storing dvds, which is the main reason for having drawers. Plus we have cupboards in our current crappy unit and stuff just builds up in there and can't really be organised well.



How about cupboard doors for a cleaner look hiding handy pull out shelves? Just a suggestion. Looking forward to seeing the finished product. :)

[jackliveshere]

Well I finally got a start on the entertainment unit now that I'm on holidays :2tsup: Man I love doing some decent woodworking without feeling rushed and pressured due to a lack of time! It makes all the difference to the woodworking experience IMO. Anyhoo, here's the pics from the day....

First thing was to plan out the timber, which took ages. I had 4 pieces of Bloodwood which I am using for the legs. There are quite a lot of defects in the 75 x 75 lengths though, so I selected the best ones I could.
http://www.woodworkforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=91994&stc=1&d=1229854009

Next was to find and put aside the best defect free boards for the top from my reject flooring pack. There were pencil marks on the top of the boards which said "NB", which I think is Northern Beech. Can anyone who has had one of these packs clarify that?
http://www.woodworkforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=91995&stc=1&d=1229854290

I needed some more working space in my little little workshop, so I set up a door I got from work on some saw horses and leveled it out. I'll assemble the entertainment unit there.
http://www.woodworkforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=91996&stc=1&d=1229854290

And after many many hours of sorting through 1m3 of flooring I've got all the boards aside for the unit (except the drawers, work that out later :U).
http://www.woodworkforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=91997&stc=1&d=1229854290

Next I rough cut all the boards to size ready for dimensioning. I've worked out the hard way that it's easier using the jointer & thicknesser with smaller boards!! haha.
http://www.woodworkforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=91998&stc=1&d=1229854290

Boards all rough cut to size.
http://www.woodworkforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=91999&stc=1&d=1229854290

Still had some major defects in the Bloodwood legs. Checking, splits, gum veins, you name it! The pieces I'm using for the rear legs were the worst as you can see by these end grain shots.
http://www.woodworkforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=92000&stc=1&d=1229854290

Next was to dimension up the legs to final size. Hit 'em with the jointer and table saw and tried to cut around the defects as much as possible. I've read numerous times that some tape on the exit of the cut helps to minimise chipout. So I gave it a go - worked pretty good I'd say.
http://www.woodworkforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=92001&stc=1&d=1229854290

Legs all sized up and ready to roll!
http://www.woodworkforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=92002&stc=1&d=1229854290

Tomorrow I'll start the massive job of thicknessing up all the floor boards to get rid of the two grooves in the bottom of each board. Then I'll start on the top & bottom frames :2tsup:

Cheers,

WILL

[Harry72]

Finished yet:D:)

[jackliveshere]

Finished yet:D:)

Almost..........haha :2tsup:

[jackliveshere]

Got a couple of hours in this afternoon after lunch. Hit the jointer and thicknesser and sized up the boards for the top & bottom internal frames. Then ripped to width on the table saw - was a lot more difficult then I thought ripping over 2.0m boards & trying to keep it square against the fence with two very dodgy infeed & outfeed rollers.

Had to resort back to the trusty circular saw to trim the long members of the frames to length as I don't have the room or capability on the table saw.
http://www.woodworkforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=92081&stc=1&d=1229937840

And here's the top frame cut to size. Just need to cut the mortice & loose tenons.
http://www.woodworkforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=92082&stc=1&d=1229937840

And the bottom frame, only difference to the top is that the bottom shelf will be integrated into it. Again, need to cut the mortice & loose tenon joints.
http://www.woodworkforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=92083&stc=1&d=1229937840

Time to glue up the bottom shelf which goes into the bottom frame. Dry fit first as always.
http://www.woodworkforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=92084&stc=1&d=1229937840

Biscuits cut with the trusty Ryobi biscuit joiner :2tsup:
http://www.woodworkforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=92085&stc=1&d=1229937840

Shelf all glued and clamped
http://www.woodworkforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=92086&stc=1&d=1229937840

And unfortunately, it didn't all go to plan :~ It dry fit perfectly and the joins were nice and tight. Then once I glued and clamped it part of the boards were out of alignment. Not sure why - maybe some problem with the biscuits? Dunno - any ideas would be great. I have done it before so I think it's a technique problem. Anyway, a lot of work to flatten the panel out unfortunately.
http://www.woodworkforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=92087&stc=1&d=1229937840


Cheers,

WILL

[Wongo]

Will,

There is nothing wrong with what you did. It is just the way things are.

I have 2 suggest for you next time

1. Use 2 blocks of wood to sandwich the joint. Apply pressure (lots of it) with a F-clamp to bring the 2 surfaces together.
2. Allow extra length at the end. Add a biscuit to the end and cut the extra length off.

[jackliveshere]

Thanks Wongo. I've glued up a couple of panels before and got away without using any blocks to sandwich the panels and they ended up ok. So I thought I'd just proceed ahead with this one too :B Big mistake - should have had some decent blocks all ready to go. And once that glue goes on, she starts drying real quick and plenty of panic sets in :U haha. I have heaps of panels to glue for this project, so I'll be more prepared next time.

Cheers,

WILL

[Pops]

Hi Will,

Neat trick with the door. Have employed it a few times myself, (keep one in the shed just in case).

Like the colour in those legs. :2tsup:

We have all had one of those, 'Ooops, how did that happen moments', I am well experienced at that. :D It is the bottom panel right. Not so visible.

Is going to look great with the contrasting timbers.

P.S. Like your TV addict cat.

Cheers
Pops

[Wongo]

One more thing Will, go easy with the chalk. It is a bugger to remove.when it gets into the grain.

It is going great mate. When do you plan to finish it?

[jackliveshere]

One more thing Will, go easy with the chalk. It is a bugger to remove.when it gets into the grain.

It is going great mate. When do you plan to finish it?

I'll keep that in mind, cheers Wongo.

Well I've got three weeks including this week off & I don't really have anything else on the cards except some family gatherings later on this week. I'd say that I should have everything constructed bar some of the drawers by then. See how we go :2tsup:



P.S. Like your TV addict cat.

Yes she does like chillin out at the end of the day with something good on the box :U haha

Cheers,

Will

[jackliveshere]

Got all the mortices for the frames cut this afternoon & tenon stock milled to suit. I used a spiral upcut bit in my little Ryobi router - the biggest one I have currently is 5/16", so that was the mortice width :; I built a version of Rocker's morticing jig a little while ago. Here's the setup
http://www.woodworkforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=92147&stc=1&d=1230023867

Not a bad result for a rookie :U
http://www.woodworkforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=92148&stc=1&d=1230023867

All done, 24 mortices in all....after setup time it probably took about an hour.
http://www.woodworkforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=92149&stc=1&d=1230023867

I milled up some tenon stock to suit the mortice width, then rounded over the corners on the router table.
http://www.woodworkforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=92150&stc=1&d=1230023867

I'll glue up the top frame tomorrow, but the bottom frame will have to wait till I fix up that panel from yesterday - fingers crossed I'll get some nice new tools for christmas which will help with flattening that panel :2tsup: And then it gets real serious with some mass panel gluing for a couple of days to make the vertical panels.

Thanks for watching :U

Cheers,

WILL

[Juffy]

Not a bad result for a rookie :U

Pfft....you can't call yourself a rookie if you're doing M&T with a jig and making your own tenons ffs. That's expert stuff. Rookies do it by hand with a blunt chisel and wonder why it takes 5 times longer. :doh: :U

Looking good Will, keep up with the photos. :2tsup:

[jackliveshere]

Thanks Juffy :) Believe it or not it's only the second time I've done M&T joints. Rocker's jig is easy to make, and it's almost fool proof if you take the time to set up the jig and the router. I also like the idea of doing loose tenons as I feel I have more room for error then integral tenons (though I've never tried integral tenons, so can't really comment!). Easier to recover from a stuffed up loose tenon then an integral one! haha.

Hope people don't mind me posting lots of photos :B I figure that there would have to be someone who finds it useful or interesting and it's good being accountable and posting the whole process I'm going through :2tsup:

Cheers,

WILL

[Marginata]

That's a lot of work you've done there Will, great stuff. I can't wait to see the finshed project. I must get around to making one for myself.

[ajw]

Don't worry about putting too many photos on the WIP. Most forumites love to see a good WIP, and plenty of photos really helps to show what you're doing.

Looking forward to watching your progress.

ajw

[AlexS]

Will, don't worry about too many photos, there can never be too many. This is an excellent thread for anyone who's planning to do a similar job. You may consider yourself a rookie, but the systematic way you're going about things makes the difference. Looking forward to more.

Re the timber moving during the glue up - what Wongo said.

[jackliveshere]

Thanks guys....appreciate it. I'll keep it up with the photos :2tsup:

[jackliveshere]

Well that time of the day again for an update :U First up, I glued the top frame. And you wouldn't believe it if I told you, but I think I had nearly a flawless glue up!! You know how stressful those glue ups are...:; Anyway, worked out pretty good, all the mortice and tenons pulled together nicely and everything was square. Even the diagonals matched up!! Far out, it was some sort of miracle....maybe my skills are on the improve ?? :o
http://www.woodworkforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=92226&stc=1&d=1230110803


After lunch, next thing on the agenda was some more milling! Always fun and I know the neighbours just absolutely love me when I get that 'ol GMC thicknesser cranking :no: So I jointed, thicknessed and ripped all the boards for the 2 central uprights & 2 end panels. Once the boards were all dressed to sized, I glued up the two central upright panels. Taking the advice of Wongo, I prepared myself a bit better today - got a bit of a 'clamping cauls' setup going with some framing timber. Basically the two big ones allow me to get clamps around the cauls on the panels.
http://www.woodworkforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=92227&stc=1&d=1230110803

http://www.woodworkforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=92228&stc=1&d=1230110803


I aligned all my boards and worked out the best way they fit and matched together. Cut all my biscuits, then made sure I did a full dry clamps (cauls & all) with the biscuits in just to make sure it was all going to work! I sure didn't want a crooked panel like the other day. Here's it all glued up
http://www.woodworkforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=92229&stc=1&d=1230110803


And the most awesome part of it? Flat panels :U Well close enough too it, will just need a little scraping in some areas.

Christmas tomorrow, so no more progress till boxing day. Merry Christmas everyone :2tsup: Hope you all have a great day tomorrow wherever you are!

Cheers,

WILL

[Wongo]

I am just glad that your having fun because that is the most important part. :2tsup:

[artme]

Will this is agreat WIP! :2tsup::2tsup::2tsup: Greenie on way!

Great design!:2tsup::2tsup:

Love that Northern Beech.:2tsup::2tsup:

You must live close to cramp heaven!:D

[Groggy]

Nice job so far Will, thanks for the WIP :2tsup:

[philf]

Good job Will :2tsup: thx for the wip top stuff. Also it's good when blokes like Wongo and Alex chime in with their expert tips and support, it helps all us newbies.

[Rattrap]

Great lookin job Will, enjoying the progress!

[jackliveshere]

Howdy folks! Well not much progress on the unit over the last couple of days. Christmas of course yesterday and most of today was taken up playing with my new goodies! Man I did well :U Gave the wife a few ideas and she wrangled up all of them between my family.

I've been wanting to get into some more hand tools lately, so mainly got hand tool related stuff for xmas. Some water stones, veritas honing guide, card scrapers & my personal favourite, a sweet new Veritas low angle block plane :2tsup: So it was the first time today that I've ever sharpened anything, and now my only other plane, a #4, actually works! wow! haha. :2tsup::2tsup: And boy, do I love card scrapers! They are fantastic for such a simple item.

So the only thing I got done today was some flattening of the bottom shelf panel which was stuffed the other day (see above). Usually I reach for the trusty belt sander and hit the panel with a vengeance!!!! :devilred: But today I decided to change it up and try to build on my skill set. Reached for my #4 which I just sharpened and tuned for the first time (still need some more sharpening practice though...damn it took me ages...luckily I have a heap of blunt chisels!).
http://www.woodworkforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=92378&stc=1&d=1230284001


Also tried out the card scrapers as I mentioned earlier. These things and something else. I can see why people love them and to be honest, once they are burnished they are so easy to use. Except my thumbs are friggin burning tonight, red raw from the heat!!
http://www.woodworkforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=92379&stc=1&d=1230284001


Unfortunatley, not everything went to plan. The middle board of the three has a bit of curly figure. Was a bit susceptable to tear out by the #4. Not too sure how to fix it as some of it is pretty deep. Any ideas from the pros out there would be awesome! Maybe just keep hitting it with the card scrapers till it's all out?? Though I'm sure it'll create a few hollows though...:think: Picture is a bit dodgy sorry...flash was too close :B
http://www.woodworkforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=92380&stc=1&d=1230284001


Tomorrow looks like a promising day. So hopefully I'll have plenty more progress to show then! Thanks for watching :bye1:

Cheers,

WILL

[gimjam]

Hi Will,

Just caught up with your WIP - looking good mate.
Keep up the photos - you can never have too many photos:2tsup:

I'm also keen to hear any advice from the more experienced folks about the tear-out you have been getting from the #4 in your last post.

Keep up the good work!

BTW - nice looking clamps.

Cheers,
Geoff

[missionaryman]

Hi Will,

this is an awesome WIP, thanks for putting in the effort to take all those pics and commentary. I'll be following this closely to the end, good luck

[Mauro]

Will, if you try to sand/scrape the tear out you'll only create a crater as you've guessed. In this sort of situation there are 2 options, 1) Bog up the tear out with putty (can be ugly if the putty isn't a close colour match) or 2) Use the other side of the board as your top side so the tear out is never seen on the under side.

Good luck:v:

[Basilg]

G'day Will

Card scrapers are fantastic tools for working small areas of tear out a couple of things I have learn't are:

Use a couple of fridge magnets on the back of the scraper under your thumbs which greatly assists in reducing burns.

Make sure you work back from, and around the tear out to avoid a localised dip which makes the 'crater' almost undetectable.

Planing techniques can help a lot to reduce tearout in the first instance some of these are:

Use a very, very, sharp blade and keep it sharp during the process ( Shavings in the pics indicate you are looking good on this one )

Skew the plane relative to the direction of cut.

Keep the plane mouth opening very fine 0.4mm or less would be good.

Use a plane with a higher pitch than normal, or a Scraper plane (one of Terry Gordons planes can provide both by simply turning over the blade. I used on of Terry's smoothers to flatten a quarter sawn oak table top which was a bit of a BOTHER as the medullary rays were tearing out all over the place, and it did a great job

Regards

[Poppa]

Nice WIP, keep up the photos as they really add to the story. I like the design too, and using Studley's timber just adds to the whole thing.

[jackliveshere]

Hello hello :)

Well I haven't posted anything on the entertainment unit since xmas eve. Mainly because I haven't really done anything - thought I would have, but life is dynamic as you are know. So after some time away and some family dramas & developments I'm back into construction today.

Unfortunately I've had a few steps back. My "workshop" has SERIOUS water issues. There are 4 different ways the water can come in :C We had another storm up this way late last week and there was some leaks that I wasn't aware of - quite a few components of the entertainment unit were in the vicinity of the water and there was some carnage - bowing, cupping, etc. So I've had to find more boards and remill which is a bugger :~ :~ :~ I was quite annoyed after the storm last week so I had to take a few days off woodworking just to relax and rediscover my 'want' to woodwork. But good news, it's back :2tsup:

Thanks for all the replies in the mean time :U


Hi Will,

Just caught up with your WIP - looking good mate.
Keep up the photos - you can never have too many photos:2tsup:

I'm also keen to hear any advice from the more experienced folks about the tear-out you have been getting from the #4 in your last post.

Keep up the good work!

BTW - nice looking clamps.

Cheers,
Geoff

Geoff mate....good to hear from you! Yup the clamps are in full swing. I use them for everything from cutting boards to entertainment units :U Great clamps, that's for sure.

Mucking around a bit more in the workshop with my hand tools, I come to discover that all the tearout I posted about initially probably wasn't tear out. I'm still learning to sharpen & have now got plane blades extra sharp! Also, the mouth wasn't very tight. Anyway still working on planes and trying to not get frustrated!!!


G'day Will

Card scrapers are fantastic tools for working small areas of tear out a couple of things I have learn't are:

Use a couple of fridge magnets on the back of the scraper under your thumbs which greatly assists in reducing burns.

Make sure you work back from, and around the tear out to avoid a localised dip which makes the 'crater' almost undetectable.

Planing techniques can help a lot to reduce tearout in the first instance some of these are:

Use a very, very, sharp blade and keep it sharp during the process ( Shavings in the pics indicate you are looking good on this one )

Skew the plane relative to the direction of cut.

Keep the plane mouth opening very fine 0.4mm or less would be good.

Use a plane with a higher pitch than normal, or a Scraper plane (one of Terry Gordons planes can provide both by simply turning over the blade. I used on of Terry's smoothers to flatten a quarter sawn oak table top which was a bit of a BOTHER as the medullary rays were tearing out all over the place, and it did a great job

Regards

Thanks for the comments Basil. You have some very good advice there. As I mentioned earlier I am always trying to improve my hand tool skills, especially with planes and sharpening. I think I have card scrapers down now and they are an invaluable tool.

My first attempt at tuning my #4 then using it on that figured board didn't end up so successful. I blamed the board, but I now see that my technique had a lot to do with it. Blade not quite sharp enough, wide-ish mouth, etc. One thing I still haven't corrected yet is the mouth choking with shavings. To all the experts out there....what would likely be the problem there? Chip breaker not ejecting chips properly?

Also, I've been reading a bit about taking out the cheap stanley blade & chip breaker and buying a new combo, like a Lie-Nielsen or Hock. How much improvement would I get out of my Stanely Bailey #4??

Thanks Guys.

Cheers,

WILL

[Basilg]

Thanks for the comments Basil. You have some very good advice there. As I mentioned earlier I am always trying to improve my hand tool skills, especially with planes and sharpening. I think I have card scrapers down now and they are an invaluable tool.

My first attempt at tuning my #4 then using it on that figured board didn't end up so successful. I blamed the board, but I now see that my technique had a lot to do with it. Blade not quite sharp enough, wide-ish mouth, etc. One thing I still haven't corrected yet is the mouth choking with shavings. To all the experts out there....what would likely be the problem there? Chip breaker not ejecting chips properly?

Also, I've been reading a bit about taking out the cheap stanley blade & chip breaker and buying a new combo, like a Lie-Nielsen or Hock. How much improvement would I get out of my Stanely Bailey #4??

Thanks Guys.

Cheers,

WILL

Now you really are getting into the spirit !!. I have fettled a number of Stanley / Record planes and in my opinion they can perform as well as an expensive high end plane :o. However. you have to be prepared to put in the hard yards to fettle them properly. I won't repeat here what is required as there is plenty of information on this readily available either on the web or books, videos and magazines. Richard Vaughn covered the issue very well in the Australian Wood review issue 57. I have Hock, & Academy blades as well as the standard ones and they do improve the performance. However, the biggest improvement comes from fettling the plane & I recommend you start with this, before spending hard earned on a better blade. the most common cause of choking is the chip breaker not seating properly on the back of the blade. This must seat perfectly across its whole width, if not a fine shaving will lodge in the gap and then it quickly becomes a log jamb. I have also found it beneficial to polish the front of the chipbreaker so that shavings slide through easier.

[jackliveshere]

Thanks Basil. Yeah the chip breaker does need some work on it, just to get it right. I'm going to head back to the plane when I get around to it and give the blade another practice sharpen, then fix up the chip breaker. I must say, it's one of the most frustrating things when the plane chokes up and you have to stop every 1/2 a second and clean it out!

Cheers,

WILL

[jackliveshere]

Well got into it this afternoon. Doesn't look like there is much progress, but things happen in the background you know :D Milling, gluing, etc. Once I've got one more panel glued tomorrow and then clean up the glued panels, the unit will rise from the ground with the basic carcass. Happy days then!

As I mentioned earlier, having some water issues lately. I milled boards up for two replacement panels today, had to resort to some boards from Studley's pack which weren't the best, but ah well. Here's a picture of a warped offcut with some nasty black stuff from the water. As you can see, it really moved!
http://www.woodworkforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=93308&stc=1&d=1231142901


As most of you will know, my first panel glued in the project was a bit 'dodgy' so to speak - the water got to that panel, the bottom shelf. So I had the opportunity to remake it again today and this time I wasn't skimping on the clampage!!! Muhahaha! (I know we've seen some clamping pictures already, but couldn't resist with this one!! Just about didn't have any clamps left in the shop! haha)
http://www.woodworkforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=93310&stc=1&d=1231142901


And for all you peeps out there with some awesome dust collection setups, check out my wicked setup!! Suffer in your jocks! I know you are all jealous of it :clap3:
http://www.woodworkforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=93309&stc=1&d=1231142901


And finally well I was waiting for panels to dry, last thing this arvo was to start cleaning up the top frame with my fandangled new scrapers - gotta love them, they leave such a nice finish to the timber without evening reaching for the sandpaper :2tsup:
http://www.woodworkforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=93311&stc=1&d=1231142901


Till next time, cheerio :U

Cheers,

WILL

[Basilg]

Will

Frustrating it is and many have been down the path, but stick with it and you will get there and find it very rewarding and satisfying.

The black stuff from the water looks a bit unappetising I hope it is not getting into the water supply, even a double Bundy could not neutralise that !!

That is an interesting dust extraction set up I guess the Cyclone came before the filter !?

[jackliveshere]

Hello again :rolleyes:

Well I had a decent day today in the workshop. First up was to un-clamp the bottom shelf from yesterday and clean it up with a cabinet scraper. Then I trimmed it to width on the table saw and removed that snipe from the thicknesser. Turns out second time around with this shelf, I made another blue and cut the three boards to the wrong width. Luckily the panel just sufficed and was good enough to just slot into the bottom frame members without any trimming or planning. The glue up on the bottom frame was stressful AS! Things didn't quite go to plan, joints didn't go together nicely, panic set it, all the usuals :) Once it was all clamped the bottom shelf was skewed about 5mm to one side, still square, just not quite in alignment with my marks. Shouldn't matter though as there should be enough play once I put the centre uprights on.
http://www.woodworkforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=93368&stc=1&d=1231232450


Next was to move back onto the legs. I've been watching plenty of Wood Works with 'ol buddy David Marks and he uses the template and flush trim router bit trick heaps when he works with curved components. I figured it was time to try this method out for my legs. Made up a plywood template to match the size of the legs.
http://www.woodworkforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=93369&stc=1&d=1231232450


The curve was a little tricky - i'm sure there is a better way to do it, but this is what I did. I knew the basic dimensions of my arc, where it started and finished and the centre point. So I got a thin piece of scrap and bent it at two ends so that it fit the shape I wanted - then clamped it lightly so I could trace it - damn I wish I had four hands!! haha.
http://www.woodworkforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=93370&stc=1&d=1231232450


Since I don't have a bandsaw, I rough cut the curve out with a jigsaw as close as possible to the line.
http://www.woodworkforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=93371&stc=1&d=1231232450


I then made a couple of 'flexible sanding strips', as David Marks calls them, lined with 120 & 240 grit sand paper. Using these and a fine file I cleaned up the curve so it was good to go.
http://www.woodworkforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=93372&stc=1&d=1231232450


Once the template curve was done, I also marked and cut out some notches which go on each leg to receive the frames. These notches are incorporated mainly to allow the legs to be set into the unit a bit more. I then chiseled the notches out on all four legs. More hand tool practice :U
http://www.woodworkforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=93373&stc=1&d=1231232450


Once those notches were chiseled out I got my first opportunity to see something tangible! I just sat the frames into the legs lightly so I could see the overall look and size of the unit. Very happy to get to this stage!! woo hoo!
http://www.woodworkforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=93374&stc=1&d=1231232450


So tomorrow I'll finish the curves on the legs, then start cleaning up the centre and end panels and size them to suit the frames, then mill up the small centre legs. Happy days :2tsup:

Cheers,

WILL

[jackliveshere]

Started today with another panel glue up....damn there's plenty of panels in this project! Then moved onto some serious sanding and scraping of the frames and existing panels already glued. That took up the majority of the afternoon to be honest....doesn't time fly when you are having fun sanding???

Anyhoo, last thing on the cards this afternoon was to continue on with the curves in the legs. I picked the worst leg (one of the back ones) to start with. Man the little jigsaw was struggling cutting through the 45mm thick leg blank. The other big problem I was getting was chipout - big chips too. I think the timber is quite old and the piece I cut the back legs from had a lot of defects so was pretty brittle. I had to cut about 4mm away from the traced line so that the chipout wouldn't wreck the curve.
http://www.woodworkforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=93430&stc=1&d=1231320614http://www.woodworkforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=93438&stc=1&d=1231321924


Once I had rough cut the curve with the jigsaw I loaded up my little ryobi router with a new spiral flush trim bit from James @ Saws & Bits. I do have a little router table but there is a dip in the top and it's not that accurate at the moment. Plus I really struggle with control when straddling big pieces into that massive flush trim bit. So I decided to use the hand held router. The other big reason for this was I wanted to climb cut so I could avoid chip out on this very brittle timber.http://www.woodworkforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=93439&stc=1&d=1231321924


And just because a day isn't a day without dramas, I had some. Well I was climb cutting I pulled the router away but not enough so it routed in the normal direction. The timber ripped out with chunks flying everywhere :C I also somehow knocked another chunk out from the other side of the leg. You can see the carnage in the picture below
http://www.woodworkforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=93432&stc=1&d=1231320614http://www.woodworkforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=93440&stc=1&d=1231321924


I found most of the big pieces from the chip out on the ground and tried to do a running repair job. Once it's dried I'll touch the curve up near the problem by hand and hopefully blend it in. Then I'll have to fill some of the other holes once I have some sawdust from the legs. Hopefully that'll do the trick. At least I know the best technique now for the other three legs.
http://www.woodworkforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=93433&stc=1&d=1231320614http://www.woodworkforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=93441&stc=1&d=1231321924


Finally, a day isn't also a day with a site inspection from the workshop foreman!! Just in to check the structural integrity of the cabinet :U
http://www.woodworkforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=93434&stc=1&d=1231320614http://www.woodworkforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=93442&stc=1&d=1231321924


Till next time, later :2tsup:

Cheers,

WILL

[Harry72]

Dunno about that foreman Will... must had a hard night as he's a little fluffy around the gills!

[Pops]

Hi Will,

Great write-up. :2tsup: Top work on the unit.

Looks like the unit has also passed the first cat-scan. :D Nice scanner.

Cheers
Pops

[missionaryman]

Good on ya Will, it's looking good so far - when finished this will be an heirloom.

[Rattrap]

Another chapter in a throughly interesting saga, thanks Will. Makes me feel better that i'm not the only 1 who stumbles from 1 f**kup to another. Half my time seems to be spent correcting little mistakes or modifiying designs to hide them.

[jackliveshere]

Another chapter in a throughly interesting saga, thanks Will. Makes me feel better that i'm not the only 1 who stumbles from 1 f**kup to another. Half my time seems to be spent correcting little mistakes or modifiying designs to hide them.

Don't worry Rattrap, I'm sure I'll bring you some more mistakes along the line! haha. I think there are many people on these boards which often stumble through new techniques and processes as I am. But hey, we're all better for it in learning new things and furthering our woodworking skills :U

Thanks guys :2tsup:

Cheers,

WILL

[Wongo]

Will, you are doing really well. :2tsup:

[artme]

Been foolowing with interest Jack. Great WIP:2tsup::2tsup::2tsup:

You are certainly a man of patience!:2tsup::2tsup:

[jackliveshere]

Thanks blokes :)

Bit more done today, more time consuming sanding & scraping of the glued up panels. Rest of the curves cut & routered on the other three legs; fixed the splintered leg from yesterday (well best I could) & finally cut the 4 small legs for the middle of the unit. No pictures today though :o

Cheers,

WILL

[Al B]

Excellent WIP :2tsup: WILL well done,
You are doing a really great job, I look forward to seeing it all finished.

[jackliveshere]

Excellent WIP :2tsup: WILL well done,
You are doing a really great job, I look forward to seeing it all finished.

Thanks Al! You & I both are looking forward to seeing it finished!

Over the last couple of afternoons I've been getting the vertical panels all sanded and scraped ready to fit. Time consuming to say the least. But it's done now and I've started to fit them in. Here's a picture with the four panels clamped in place....don't think I have many clamps left in the rack! haha. Starting to look like a unit now :U
http://www.woodworkforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=93696&stc=1&d=1231577245


A couple of things to see in the next picture. A couple of nights ago the right middle panel cupped and also twisted a little. :damn: I've had it under weight for a day or so which helped a little, but not totally. So I clamped those horizontal cauls which took the cup out of the board. This way I can fix it in place straight and it would then hold. I also had to clamp the panel to the end panel to fix the little bit of twist. Finally, I found the easiest way to locate both of the middle panels in relation to the legs was to set up the mitre gauge with a stop block and cut 8 spacers which I clamped to the top & bottom frames. The panels then sit against the spacers and are perfectly located and square :2tsup:
http://www.woodworkforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=93697&stc=1&d=1231577245


Before I started fixing anything I made sure that all my measurements were matching up cause once you start fixing things the smallest mistake will carry on through the rest! There's no fancy joinery holding the middle vertical panels, they are just screwed through the top & bottom frames :B. The screws will be hidden so I figured it was the easiest and quickest way. I transfered up the join lines where the panels meet the top frame and then laid out my screws ensuring they would fall in the middle of the panel. I then pre-drilled and countersunk....don't wanna split this bad boy!! In hindsight I think I went a little over board with the screws :B:B:B
http://www.woodworkforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=93698&stc=1&d=1231577245


Tomorrow I'll have to fix the end panels in place. They are going to be a little more tricky I'm sure :;

A couple of things I wanted to ask all you knowledgeable people out there. Any suggestions about how to fix the shelves to the centre verticals? I was thinking of some stopped dados (is that the terms?) and sliding the shelves in with a notch cut out at the front for the stopped bit. I was also maybe thinking of picking up some of those little mounting 'pins' - you know the ones that you use for adjustable shelves? Maybe biscuits? Dunno. Looking for some inspiration and ideas for the shelves.

Cheers,

WILL

[Juffy]

In hindsight I think I went a little over board with the screws :B:B:B

I don't understand. What is this "going overboard with screws" concept? Is it possible? :):roll:


I was thinking of some stopped dados (is that the terms?) and sliding the shelves in with a notch cut out at the front for the stopped bit. I'd run with that. Clean front edge and concealed join, can't lose.

Looking good Will, I'm still doubting your claimed novice status. :2tsup:

[AlexS]

Looking good.
The time you are spending on scraping and sanding might be a pain now, but down the track you'll be glad you did it.

[jackliveshere]

Just thought I'd update this thread as it's been a while. Been a lot of rain up here in Townsville over the last 6 weeks or so & unfortunately I've had major water problems in my workshop. Thrown out a lot of stuff and ripped out benches and the likes. I'm in the process of waterproofing the shop a bit better to stop the main places water can get in and then re-fitting it out. I just wish it'd stop raining for a couple of weeks.

The entertainment unit was a bit of a casualty too. A lot of components have been damaged by water and others by excessive & continuous moisture. So I'm sort of back at square one for now which is a pain in the ass. I could continue on with my current design but I would have to remake basically everything but the legs (that means more wood)....so not sure about that. Either way I'm a bit miffed about it and the workshop in general due to these water problems. But hopefully there'll be another entertainment unit and maybe WIP along the line.

Cheers,

WILL

[Wongo]

That is no good.

[Afro Boy]

Hi Will,

Sorry to hear that you were effected by the floods up there. That totally sucks that your work and workshop have been damanged in the process.

Australia is a crazy place at the moment. Floods up north and fires down south.

I hope you manage to get things back in order and working again quickly.

Cheers,
Af.

[Rattrap]

Really sorry to hear that Will. Be best to get the workshop sorted then u can enjoy your craft without fear of it being ruined.
I'm in that boat myself. I got probably 2 more months to get my shed lined before the winter rains & humidity start. Its not that it leaks from the rain but i get so much condensation that in the mornings it drips from the steel beams all over my equipment & wood. :((

[artme]

Rotten luck Will. :(:(:(

Hope it dries up enough for you and that the waterproofing goes well.

[BobR]

Sorry to hear about your bad luck. Hang in there.

[Harry72]

Mate what a bummer:(

Will your insurance cover the cabinet?(and the workshop!)

[jackliveshere]

Thanks for the words guys. Had a good day today waterproofing the workshop. So hopefully tomorrow I'll finish things off, then do another clean up and throw some more stuff out. Then I'll be right to start on some new benches and cupboards, then back to some projects :2tsup:

Harry, yeah some things I can claim on insurance, some others I haven't even worried about.

Cheers,

WILL

[gimjam]

Bummer Will - I was really enjoying your WIP

Hang in there, I hope you get your workshop sorted soon.

Cheers,
Geoff

[recordcollector]

Now you really are getting into the spirit !!. I have fettled a number of Stanley / Record planes and in my opinion they can perform as well as an expensive high end plane :o. However. you have to be prepared to put in the hard yards to fettle them properly. I won't repeat here what is required as there is plenty of information on this readily available either on the web or books, videos and magazines. Richard Vaughn covered the issue very well in the Australian Wood review issue 57. I have Hock, & Academy blades as well as the standard ones and they do improve the performance. However, the biggest improvement comes from fettling the plane & I recommend you start with this, before spending hard earned on a better blade. the most common cause of choking is the chip breaker not seating properly on the back of the blade. This must seat perfectly across its whole width, if not a fine shaving will lodge in the gap and then it quickly becomes a log jamb. I have also found it beneficial to polish the front of the chipbreaker so that shavings slide through easier.

Can You tell me where chipbreaker came from as Stanley and Record call it a Backing iron

[Basilg]

Sorry Etymology is not one of my strong points.

I have always known it as the Chipbreaker. In their respective literature, Jim Kingshott refers to it as the "back Iron" John Sainsbury as the "Cap iron" James Krenov as the "Breaker" David Fink as the "Chip breaker" Ernest Joyce as the "Cap Iron", Ron Hock as the "Chipbreaker", Lie Nielsen as the "Chipbreaker".
In summary there is a lot of differing terminology in use, & it really does not matter which you use as long as others understand what you are referring too. However, in fine furniture work we are producing fine shavings rather that "chips", and since the " "chipbreaker" was originally intended to provide support to the cutting edge to what is a relatively flexible blade, to reduce vibration then " Backing Iron " may be the most appropriate. But I will probably continue to use what I am used too!

Regards