jHop's Blog

So, I want to apologize for the long delay in the latest 5 Minute Woodworker project. I've been.... distracted. (Polite way of saying something when I really don't want to go into the details for everybody to know. Besides, you, dear reader, probably don't want to know anyway.) But, despite the past few posts stating what the next projects will be, I have a project started, which is something needed around the house. Unfortunately, this is not quite a 5 minute project.... so far. That is due to my choice in tools, however.

To begin, then, at the beginning:

Our kitchen has very little counter space. It's not a small kitchen, but it's not conveniently laid out. There's really only one counter, the length of the far wall. The stove and refrigerator sit side by side, and make one three foot length of counter inaccessible. The sink is, of course, in the middle of the remainder, and the dishwasher takes up the remaining portion of the wall. Now that you've gotten the dime tour, let us get back to the project. This is a project to increase (slightly) the amount of counter space we have available.

The concept is simple: it is a counter top item to fit over the grates of the stove. This is a gas stove, so this might not work if you have an electric stove. You can adapt it, of course, but this project (part one) is stating my process for this project.

To start with, the materials are really quite simple. So far, anyway. One cookie sheet, one chunk of plywood (3/4), and four machine bolts with nuts and washers. I have not decided how to finish this yet, but that will be detailed in either step 2 or step 3. (I wanted to get this up tonight before I ran out of enthusiasm for it.

So, for tools, I'll tell you what I used. One 3/8" drill, one rotary tool with a cut off wheel installed (Harbor Freight on both), and one Stanley Sharktooth hand saw.

I started with a two foot by two foot square of plywood acquired from my preferred Lowe's. (Not the closest, but that's beside the point.)


I also have acquired one cookie sheet. (Trust me: get a cheap one from a dollar / cheap / general store. Don't use one of the good ones from the house.) I have had this one on hand for a while for this project, just finally acquired the last of the pieces to build this. (Ironically, it was a pair of keys, but that's already chronicled.) This was how I set up the cookie sheet to cut using the cutting wheel, with the Blue Tape line. After using the cut off wheel, I can safely say it probably is not needed. I figured it would help in keeping track of where I'm cutting and cut down on the metal dust. The tape was applied prior to the photo.


The chosen tool for this was something I've been wanting for a while. I had one before, but it burned out. So I was looking for another one for a while. Finally, I purchased a replacement. It's not perfect, of course, but it will work for what I have other projects in mind.


If I were you, I'd use a regular hacksaw. If you have other tools available, use them. This was something I wanted to try very much, and ... well.... You'll see in the next photo what the results are after five minutes...


After perhaps 45 minutes...:


Clean up the edges, and place on sheet of plywood.


I've drilled out a pair of holes on the one sheet, which will be used to attach the halves of the cookie sheet to the plywood. The top of the bolt will be along the top edge. I'm not attaching it at this time, because I still need to cut the sheet of plywood to shape. And why I'm cutting the cookie sheet in the first place is simple: I measured the distance from the front of the grates to the back of the grates, and then compared that measurement to cookie sheets I could find. Without spending a pretty penny, I got the one closest to that size, and decided to cut it in half.

The plywood will need to be cut down to fit over the area. I only want to cover the two burners, and I do not have any particular side for this in mind. Now, I'm using the two halves to lay out the width of the plywood countertop. The length will be determined after attaching the back by the simple layout approach of setting it on top of the grates with the other cut half resting on the grates.

But that's another five minutes for another day. For now, share my view of the natural light I have to work with in my shop.


(Not that I'm gloating. I don't have power outlets outside to wire for lights, even if the landlord would let me wire the place for lighting. So I have to cope with this. And the shadows do actually affect the work I've done: too bright and all the details get washed out. So cutting on fine lines for dovetails or other precision cutting is actually pretty difficult.)

More to come. And next time, we'll discuss options for finishing and using this additional counter space.

I realize it's been a while since I've posted anything about this subject. Believe it or not, I've been conducting a simple test to keep up with the project.


At the same time as the last entry in this series, I used the same CA glue to join two squares of OSB together. The thought was to answer the following questions:

1) How long will the glue keep the two pieces together?
2) How will heat affect this product?
3) Will this product still be able to be used on the Lathe?
4) What effect will spreading a thin coat of glue between the laminations have on turning?
5) Can two laminated squares of OSB be turned, when mounted to a faceplate on the lathe?

So far, I can answer two of the five questions. (Once I find the keys to my shop, I can start answering the others.) I set up squares and did not casually leave them alone. I left them alone and set them on top of the dryer. I know that this sounds like I ignored it, but I was testing the heat capacity. And, while my dryer does not get hot enough to cook eggs on, you can probably cook a hot dog in a tinfoil wrap or foil dish with a light layer of water. So this is not just a heat soak experiment: this was a long term heat experiment.

I've had this square sitting there for over a year now. And, aside from a little dust and lint fuzz, it's unchanged. So it's probably near to testing. It will be nearer once I get the shop unlocked. (Details on the regular blog entries.)

Keep in mind, this is not changing the structure of the OSB itself, this is just checking the strength of laminations. Based off my experience with the previous blank, my predictions are that this material will 1) need to be turned using a sharp point, such as the skew chisel. 2) this material will splinter and chunk upon turning. 3) lower speeds will be more detrimental than higher speeds.

Future plans include trying a few recipies for wood stabilization. I've been researching a couple, and most have a time requirement. So the first few to be tested will actually be the later ones used. The first ones used will need time to reach maximum penetration, hereafter referred to as the curing process. And I am reaching out for a variety of ideas. I already have one, and I'm in the process of mixing up the batch and acquiring the materials to test and apply. Results will be posted as they are acquired.

I know that there are at least 3 questions that need to be answered. Drop me a line to add yours to that list. ("Why?" is not an acceptable question.)

Well, three hours later, the house is once again ours. Or should I say, we are once again alone in the house.


Just in time to go get the kids. and still no keys, so I can't even celebrate the 17 minutes I have before I need to leave with a light oiling and waxing of the tool table...

In a stunningly typical finish to the past weekend, I've been sitting here for 15 minutes, patiently waiting, only to have the landscapers with the weedeaters undo the past 30 minutes of work....


It all started Friday, when I was off to a Scout camping trip. (Okay, so it was a little more than a camping trip. The Council just turned 100, so this was the celebration camping trip.) Somewhere between stopping for s'mores supplies and arriving at the meeting location, I lost my house keys. This gets more frustrating because 1) this is the second time this has happened, and 2) the key to the shop is on that key chain.

Then, while at the camping trip, the three local train lines (naturally surrounding the location, with one going right beside the tent area) were busy all night long. So no sleep. Plus cold weather, rocky ground, and general sleep deprived reasons....(but it's camping, and I love that.)

Leave Saturday morning to get to work. No shower, no food, no break, just get in the car and go. Work an 11 hour day, and go pick up my youngest stepson, who was spending the day with his father after mandatory Saturday school work. Get home, and no food.

Sunday, leave early (because there's that much work to do) and put in about ten hours. Leave, and immediately need to fill the tank. The good news is that I've gotten out early enough to check the store I went to Friday to see if anybody turned in keys. (No luck there.) Get home, and no phone.

This morning, my wife gets freaked out by the birds stuck in the HVAC room. (We've had this bird problem for a while: they are getting in by a hole near the vent, but the landlord hasn't fixed it yet.) So, I've been patiently waiting for them to exit so I can get into "human wall" mode.

And all I want to do is turn a couple of pens and a bottle stopper......

It could be worse, I suppose.... the cat I chased off could have decided to move in instead...

So I was perusing the web recently, looking for inspiration and ideas about a future project. Not anything this month, but farther out. (I have a few projects that need to be done first, and a few on the planning list in between - but don't we all?) And, while I must admit the source of ideas was not for those under a certain age, they rocked my core for wood working.

I'm trying to find a polite way of saying this, without embarrassing myself or any potential readers. Perhaps the best way, is to talk about it in the abstract. These forms were functional furniture, ranging from bar ware to seating to play time - slash - relaxation. While one of these was not a dramatic change of function, merely a change of form, it led to other projects that were a change in both form and function.

Now, I am not going to post the links to the locations I was viewing. First off, they are not important, the thought is. Secondly, there are still some things about my life that I do not need to share. (You don't need to know about my choices in wardrobe, all my reading material, which science fiction shows I prefer to watch, why I change the color of my hair, et cetera. While we live in a society that shares everything, I do still enjoy some privacy. Even if it marks me as a different generation than others.)

So the concept I'd like to share is this: Furniture, even fine furniture, does not have to be basic. Even when we do so called fine furniture, it's still a simple or basic form. We merely dress it up with a few extra curves or panels. Perhaps an extra piece of trim molding, gingerbread, whatever, gets tacked on to dress up the furniture. In the end, the most of the projects we tend to build is based on a simple form: the basic box.

Cabinets, bookshelves, dressers, even chairs and stools, are all based off this form. Four sides, rectalinear (I'm creating words as we go, hold on) structures, cross braced with itself, all projects we tend to create are based off the box. Maybe we'll put a front on it, maybe we'll leave it open. But it all seems to be trapezoidal in shape. (For those who do not remember geometry, a trapezoid is defined as a four sided object with two parallel sides. Typically, rhombuses are specialized forms of these shapes, where it has two sets of parallel sides, where the top and bottom are parallel to each other, and the sides are parallel to each other. A square, then, is a special form of rhombus, where the four sides have a 90 degree angle between the corners.)

These forms I stumbled across were about as far from this as possible. They were three dimensional, following the same concepts as the furniture we might have requirements of (cabinets, seating, et cetera), but in a completely different shape. They were curved. They had hills and valleys. They had sharp edges and ridges within a single face, changing planes multiple times. (More geometry; I'm sorry.)

Perhaps too often we fall into this thought that everything needs to be simple. Square is easy, simple, quick, and - unfortunately - boring. Perhaps that's why I prefer lathe work, as it adds a third dimension to my projects... Think of a lidded box, for example. The box sides are carved out using a tool on the lathe, which will spin a chunk of wood around a central axis, and you remove to the desired shape and form. Even if you add eccentric chucks, which change the central axis in relationship to the center of the stock you are turning, it's still the same concept. (You merely need to add calculations in when you remove material.) But the box is still an interior hollow, with a square lip to allow the lid to sit over the hole we've created.

Perhaps the forms I was seeing falls more into the art category of wood working, except some of these examples were based out of plywood, and some were basic furniture (in function). Imagine, if you will, a bar cabinet that is almost entirely curved. A stool that is not just circular but hemispherical and elliptical at the same time. A large table (perhaps for dining, perhaps not) that is not just triangular, but not one of the three sides are the same length. Remember the video from a few years ago of the circular table that expanded, with more leaves popping up by magic from the central capstan pedestal? This would be an example that bridges this gap.

Now it had me thinking, I take the forms of all my furniture for granted. Which then got me thinking, how can I change the thought process I have for my planning? Where can I make changes to improve my work? Even some of the projects that we've seen posted from the Student work on display at showcases have pushed this boundary, they all seem to fall in that "four square" approach.

Take laminations for curves. It's still based off a square material. Although we are adding curves and twists using the forms (which are a pain to figure out), they started as a four square product. Steam Bending wood changes this slightly, as you start with a larger chunk of four square stock, and then alter the structure just enough to allow change. But this is a thought for another time.

For now, I'd like to issue a thought, or perhaps a challenge. Try to imagine a project - maybe your next one, maybe one down the road - where you do not use four square sides. And if you are looking for inspiration, maybe I'll see you at websites promoting Tim Burton. (Oops, so much for my secrecy...)

Rest assured, dear reader, that I have not vanished into the ether. I'm sure you are aware that my shop is a member of a chaotic family, and that shop time is precious. And not always easy to come by.

This stems from the fact that my shop is not traditional. (Among other reasons, but I'll get to those in a moment.) I have a need to unpack the storage "shed" to get to my shop if I want to do any wood working. There are no outlets out there, nor do I have permission to add any. (Both from the family and the landlord. And, while I might want to add one pair of outlets, a light, and a switch, I have no desire to fully wire the "shed" as a shop.) And, due to the inconvenient nature of power tools requiring an outlet, I temporarily used the storage location as just that.

This was complicated by the fact that my primary bench, which is the semi-permanent home of my lathe, is too long to put into the location I want to. By less than one inch. After a few choice phrases, I accepted it, and went looking for the closest outlet. I have found two: one in the kitchen, on the other side of the sink, and one in the living room, right by the front door. Both have advantages, and both have drawbacks.

You see, I need to run an extension cord from these to the shop. And, while I have an outdoor rated cord, it is only 25 feet. True, the shop area is well within this distance. The shop area is a section of concrete porch, which both the storage shed and sliding door to the kitchen front off. This porch area is nearly ten feet long, and perhaps five or six feet wide. I actually have plans in process to partially enclose it, using a removable framework of lattice panels and outdoor lumber, so that I can get something resembling a finishing area when I need it. The reason this is a problem, however, resides not in the powercord, but the necessity and timing of said cord.

Using this cord means I must, by definition, get the cord from the shop to the house. While not normally a problem, and certainly necessary to run the circular saw to trim off one measly inch, the weather has been the hindrance. Now that I have the majority of my tools on hand, barring any future lottery winnings to allow for a sudden acquisition of more/ deluxe hand tools, I am merely waiting on that most wonderful and fickle thing: weather. While it is one thing to run a lathe on an extension cord (I've done it before), it is another to do this with the winter winds blowing into the now-open house. Or, as the wind pattern here has shown, having the rains whipped right into the open doors.

Apart from being bad for the carpeting and heating bills, I worry about electrical shock. Just because it's an outdoor cord does not mean it will not break down, and is completely impervious to short circuiting. After all, water and electricity mix about as well as popsicle sticks and duct tape. Sure, you can use them simultaneously, but the results are not always going to be fantastic.

So now, I sit here rejoicing. For Winter has gone to bed, and the warmer weather has finally arrived. I know it's warmer, because I caught myself driving to work the other day without my coat. Of course, the very next day I repeated the experience, and discovered that the temperature was half of the previous day's temperature... so obviously I have to pick and choose my dates of outdoor fun better.

And, to top it off, I have fine feathered ... visitors ... who do not appreciate my using their outdoor space for my shop time. The several flocks of geese have made it abundantly clear, not just to me but to the many residents of this community, that this is not our space, and they do not even tolerate our intrusion into it. (There's one neighbor of mine who has that orange snow / danger fencing up right outside their door - literally - and a goose has made it's nest in it. This puts the beak within mere centimeters of their front door. If not for the fence, the kids inside would probably lose a finger or earn a painful bite every time they walk out the door.)

Before you ask, these geese are fearless. There was recently some drainage work done on location, requiring a small steam shovel.(okay, so it wasn't steam operated. But you get the picture) This machine was driven off it's trailer, and parked in the lot by us. The geese actually forced the crews to park it elsewhere at night during the three weeks it was on site doing work. I have photos of the geese sitting on top of cars, claiming them as roosting points (I assume). And I've already lost plants to them, who thank me for the snacks. So a circular saw will not deter them.

Still, I'm looking forward to the time I can drape a cord over the sink, or run it out the front door. Now, I just need to get my finances in line from car repairs (another ongoing pain, which I shan't bore you with other than to say that they happen) and I will be making dust just as soon as I can.

My one disappointment about this shop setup is that I do not have anywhere to store lumber. So that means I'm getting and using lumber almost immediately. Lumber without acclimation time is ... how should I put it... dangerous? Risky? Chancy? I have decent storage capabilities for smaller lathe projects, but beyond some small scrap blocks, I'm going to have to have my sheet goods brought only as they are needed.

What luck that a lumber yard is within five miles, right? They've been there all along, tempting me and driving me to distraction, reminding me of my one inch the entire winter. Wednesday, that inch comes off. (There's no forecast of rain. The geese will just have to deal with it.)

So no, I have not disappeared. I might chose some obstacles to disappear, but those very obstacles are what makes us (in general, as I doubt many look forward to the obstacles I have) enjoy our accomplishments. I look forward to chasing the geese away with a circular saw, or Random orbit sander. I relish the opportunity to pull out my bench, and make the neighbors wonder what I'm up to. I eagerly anticipate hanging sheets of plastic up to keep breezes and contaminants away from my finish, curing on the porch under the summer sun. Now to see what sunshine will do to curing times...

I'm in the midst of planning on the next project. It will be a 5 Minute Woodworker project. It will be documented to the best of my ability. Keep in mind, that may not be as good as I'd like...

This will be a workbench... but I need some suggestions on how to finish it.

The basic plan, and I have worked that part out so far, is that it will be a laminated plywood bench, roughly 28 inches wide and 48 inches long. This can be done from one sheet of plywood, and three total pieces of 2x4. The back will have one piece of 2x4, and the front will have 2 pieces. The front will be a full length vice, and that's where I need the help. I've never attempted to construct a vice before, so I need all the help I can get.

I'm thinking it will be a Moxon style vice, twin screw, but I don't know how to do this. So, when I build this, I'm going to leave off the front-most piece of 2x4 (the outer / front face of the vice) while I work it out. Any and all suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

the lengths of 2x4 and plywood strips will be laminated in the same direction, so holes will be drilled and the whole thing will be bolted together. Of course I'm using glue during this, but I just want to be sure. besides, I'm not positive I can't use the bolt locations as the support rods / screws for the vice...

The bench will be resting on a pair of sawhorses, probably the plastic ones from Harbor Freight, so the whole cost on this bench should be close to $100... give or take. The fun part will be cutting the plywood.

I've been forced to sit on my hands the past few months. Believe me, I'm itching pretty badly to hold a tool in my hand, even just for a moment. I find myself glancing longingly at the catalogues from Lee Valley (don't you keep all the back issues, too?), browsing the isles like some half-lost wandering spirit, or staring in rapt fascination at some tool video online.

All because my shop is my front porch. You see, while the tools rest all warm and snug in their wee little beds, with visions of maple curls running through their heads, the precipitation has been falling. And the more solid forms of it are hardly conducive to breaking out the shop. I need to set the workbench up on saw horses (once it gets built, that is) to be able to work on it, and this needs to be pulled out from the storage room all my tools slumber quietly away in.

The reason I don't like solid precipitation (I refuse to use the four letter word just yet... Check out my Cafe Press shop for the logo at Five Minutes Away... don't have the link handy right now.) is that it builds up in front of the door. Plus, I need to clear away piles of ... visible rain ... to set up shop. Then, once the teeth stop chattering, I can break out the tools and start to keep warm.

One other problem is more mundane: humidity and wood mix, but rarely in ways you might expect. This needs to be kept in mind while working on your projects. What started out as a simple straight frame rapidly becomes a pretzel or ornate piece of artwork, and none of the joints will line up. So winter actually becomes a hindrance to wood working.

On the other side of the window, though, while my tools dream of biting into some fibrous material, I dream of projects that will be built. Simple things, like trivets and paper towel holders, office supply holders, pen and pencil cups, and basic boxes fill page after page with sketch and design. More complex projects swim in a sea of simple crafts like gators in the bayou; alluring and waiting to lunge out from the depths and capture you completely. Fortunately, though, there's no death roll.

Purchases are planned, tool catalogues are read, plans are acquired, researched, and sketched out. I'd say it's almost like setting up for school - get your syllibus in order, get your red and blue pens out, sharpen your number two pencils, and start stocking up on notebooks and paper.

It makes it exciting, but the nerves are starting to fray. I find myself looking at the calendar, counting down the days to summer, because it means longer days, brighter light, barbecue pits, swimming trips, and a few hours a day with a cool plane sweating in my hand and a hot beverage waiting for me when I get in.

At least I have car repairs to keep me busy, so I don't start chewing the wood like the termites...

So, I figured I'd beat out the other, better-known version of this header with this entry. As of right now, like most woodworkers, my shop is in desperate need of organization. Unlike many woodworkers, my shop is extremely temporary. As in, outdoors. I set it up and break it down for each session. As of right now, like many in the more northern climes of this wonderful world of ours, I have issues with humidity and more ... solid ... forms of it. Currently, I'm glad for rain, because it's finally cleared out the snow from my work area. Unfortunately, the forecast is for more snow in the future. As in, tonight.

So the current situation is the shop is... waiting. Now is the season for planning and preparation. Saving up for purchases, planning what those purchases will be, thinking ahead to what projects I'm going to do, and other big projects.

One of those big projects is trying to get the Five Minute Woodworker up and running. I'm in the process of plans, so I have not even started looking at websites or hosting. (Cart before horse issue, you understand.) I'm thinking the focus of the project is less five minute projects and more the concept that every wood working project can be broken down into manageable bits (perhaps five minutes?) that anybody can tackle. I'm hoping to include skill builders, projects that include skill builders, and project Ideas. I'm also hoping, once things get finalized, to have "guest videos" of other fellow wood workers presenting a five minute video of projects or skills that are useful, wonderful, interesting, or anything along any of those lines.

If I seem distracted, I think it's fairly justified. Now, all I need to do is get back to making sawdust....

So I purchased my laminated panel the other day. It happened to be the last one of this size they had on the shelf. Someone must have leaked that there was a need for these out there...... This is for the Rocking Horse Charity Build this year, and I really wanted to participate, even though the home shop is not going to be usable. So I'm borrowing my grandparent's estate to do this. It's not in my control, so I apologize for the conditions of things like lighting, stock support, outlets, et cetera.

(A side note: it turns out the company that made this is one I own stock in. I thought it funny I'm putting money back in my pocket by building this. Oh well. It's only half-pennies.)

So I get it stuffed into the car, and the door doesn't want to close. A little grunting and shoving, and it's finally in. (The guy in the truck and the other contractors in their cargo van were definitely laughing at me. i chose not to notice.) I get in home, and notice that there is some damage on the panel, so I won't be able to lay out the pattern as the cutting layout suggested. Of course, I have laundry going in another room, so I'm staring at this panel pacing back and forth, not actually focusing on anything.

Finally, I get the pattern taped together. Decided in the long run I couldn't afford to do as Marc recommended and get the pattern printed full size. I didn't remember to print a second page of the ears and foot rest, so I had to free-hand trace one of each. One nice thing about printing out the complete plan is that you have several sheets of paper to make other patterns on. And you can use one sheet of paper as a "guesstimate" for the saddle: this helped immensely when laying out the pattern to fit onto the panel I have.

Some photos of the process so far:

This is the panel, just out of the car.


The panel on it's temporary work surfaces. This will probably also be the primary cutting surfaces. Yes, I know this is not very safe. I promise I will take my time. (I'm also looking for sawhorses. Unfortunately for me, the four that my Grandfather had are either buried or resting under a leak in the garage roof. I can't do this in the garage, because my car is sitting there, in the midst of a dozen simultaneous repairs....)


My method of matching up edges of the pattern to be taped together. I used a similar method for tracing; using a sheet of plexiglass and a chair missing the bottom, I was able to trace out a good enough copy of the ears and foot rest to lay it out on the panel.


As you can tell from this shot, the panel has some..... issues. Layout required some creativity, so this particular corner will the the outside left (as seen from the ... er... horse's rear end? also note the knot in this image. The layout lines shown were initially for the support piece going in the forehead of the horse. This made it look like a unicorn that had lost it's horn. Rather than scarring some poor child, I tried other segments to fit there. The only one that fit without any issue at all was the seat back. But that proposed another anatomical issue, since the tail would be mounted directly over this knot. I'm going to end up using this portion as part of the ear, so this will be interesting to cut.

No photos of the cutting process yet, since I had to get the car repairs done. (Which was a nightmare in itself, and still didn't get done.) And if I didn't have to go in to work tomorrow or Friday - have I mentioned my usual work schedule is Saturdays and Sundays? - I'd be back over there tomorrow morning working on this. As it is, I probably won't get any cutting done until Friday evening at the earliest. Oh well. I'm having fun, so it doesn't really bug me all that much.

Plus, I have a pair of companions on this build. If the camera would focus on them, I'd get a couple of shots of these spiders I've named George and Ethel that are in the window well.