Ripper Posted January 4, 2012 Report Share Posted January 4, 2012 I join the forum a few days ago and have been hang’n around reading and learning. After seeing all the great projects posted here, my “training project” seems pretty trivial so I am hesitant to post this but, hey, I am a newbie so I thought I would go ahead make myself look like the newbie I am. Anyway, here’s my first “training project”. I know it’s an easy project especially for you guys but, ya gotta start somewhere right? My main goal was to just use some basic technique’s (clamping, gluing, trying to make a straight cut …) to get things going and see how some of my tools performed. The table saw worked well as did the cross cut sled I made a few weeks ago. I cut the slots with the table saw because I am not completely comfortable with the router yet and the router I have has seen better days...much better days. It felt like it took about 5,000 passes per slot to cut them all (note to self...next purchase, a danged dado blade! ). I used 1x8 oak which I purchased from the local home center. I don’t have a useable planer or jointer yet but it was already pretty much flat and straight out of the rack, at least well enough for what I intended it for. My finish sander is another of my tools that has been through the ringer and back so, on the plus side, I was able to use it as a reason to go out and buy a good orbital sander. The main thing I worked on was my finishing. I spent a few hours over a couple of days working through the various grits and used a butcher block finish on it (the brand escapes me at the moment). I am pleased with the finish although there are a few things here and there I am not happy with but, they are the types of things that only you see because you know they are there. My original intention was that it would sit at an angle with the 45 as the bottom but the boss said she wanted it horizontal so it would take up less counter space....no biggie. So, after a few rookie mistakes that I was luckily able to recover from (thank goodness for 60 grit!), here is the finished product. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southwood Posted January 4, 2012 Report Share Posted January 4, 2012 Looks good Ripper and welcome Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimmykx250 Posted January 4, 2012 Report Share Posted January 4, 2012 you have to start somewhere. Nice job for a fist time at bat! You should be proud. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ripper Posted January 5, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 5, 2012 Thanks guys. To be honest, I have been around tools... built my shop, built my work bench which is....well.....functional... I guess its just a lot different when you are holding a possible tool of destruction over a very expensive and beautiful piece of Birdseye as apposed cutting a $2 piece of pine with an so-so circular saw. There is also all kinds of techniques, tricks of the trade, ways to finish a piece, etc.. that I still have to learn. Not to mention how to use (correctly) a band saw, jointer, planer... Still got a ways to go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhl.verona Posted January 5, 2012 Report Share Posted January 5, 2012 I think if you're prepared to post your project, that means you've reached a level of workmanship that you're confident enough to accept criticism by your peers. I don't think it matters how high the mountain, or how difficult the climb - what counts is that you've taken on the challenge, and succeeded. Still got a ways to go. Enjoy the journey! John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ripper Posted January 5, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 5, 2012 Thanks John. As long as it's constructive criticism, I'm good with it . Seriously though, yes, I can use all the suggestions and help that come my way. I'm sure I still will have a few of those posts that people will look at and say "really....really,really?" but, I figure I might as well jump on board and see where this takes me. I will enjoy the journey whether it ends up being a big part of my life or whether it ends up being a short side trip (shooting for the former)! Thanks again Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bombarde16 Posted January 11, 2012 Report Share Posted January 11, 2012 Every project that's ever left my shop has been a training project of some sort. Constantly pushing yourself to learn new things is one of the best parts of woodworking. What, then, did you take away from this project and what's going to make the next project better?Tolerances. As you pointed out, the oak 1x6's from the home center were already flat enough. (For what they charge for oak, they bloody well better be!) Even if there had been a little cup, the design of the piece is such that a few clamps and the massive gluing area would have cured all their ills. Would it have been nice to have things jointed to dead-on, optically flat? Yes. Necessary? No.Using the right tool for the job. How much time would that dado stack have saved? How much is your time worth? On the question of those grooves, though. If it took you 5,000 passes to waste out the wood inside, am I right to assume that you were moving the fence just a kerf for each cut? Faced with the task of wasting out grooves with a standard table saw blade, I would have made fewer cuts and then come back to dig out the resulting "spines" with a chisel. Get the first 1/2" or so clean and then the inside (which will ultimately be glued up in the depths of the block) can stay fairly rough. Do the grooves go all the way through? If they did, the block could well be reversible with one end cut to lean at the angle (you originally wanted) and one end cut square to stand straight (as the boss decreed). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bombarde16 Posted January 11, 2012 Report Share Posted January 11, 2012 thank goodness for 60 grit! +1 Although I'd suggest that 36 grit in a belt sander will fix just about anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ripper Posted January 17, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 17, 2012 Hey Rob, Sorry, its been a few days since I have looked at this post….. “(For what they charge for oak, they bloody well better be!)” – Ain’t that the truth!! Man, I really enjoy looking at the various videos on TWW and other sites but, when they say to take a piece of scrap to make your practice cut with, it pains me when they pull out a piece of wood that a novice like me would drool over. But, it is the absolute truth. You need to make the practice cuts in the same type of material to see how it reacts. My problem is, after what I paid for it, I have my scrap oak neatly tucked away because I am afraid I will scratch it somehow much less use it to practice on….lol…. As far as making all those cuts for the grooves, I used my cross cut sled (a great starter project for a beginner in itself by the way) and nibbled away at it. I am a novice at chisels also so I wanted to get rid of as much material as I could before using one and then finishing them off with a little sanding. You're right, the inside grooves are not going to be visible but, I guess it’s the inner woodworker in me (and probably most others) that still wants it to be done right. As far as depth, they did not go all the way through. I wanted the knifes to slide in and out easily but also didn’t want them flopping around too much so I made them a little bit wider than the knifes. Thanks, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted January 24, 2012 Report Share Posted January 24, 2012 I like seeing clean end grain. Poorly cut and finished end grain is the first thing someone would see on your knife block. It takes perseverance to hang in there and get the cut cleaned up to make the end grain shine. Good work! We all see small flaws in our work but that's part of the hallmark of handmade! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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