Shop Art : The Stanley Tool Guide

Well, lately I haven't been putting in much time working on (or in) my shop at home. Rather, it's been a long push to get the school shop up to speed. I'm happy to say it is now very close to being finished. I'll post some pictures soon in case anyone is interested.

There was just one problem. I had one wall that was way too blank. It needed something, but I just couldn't decide what it was. Then I found the perfect shop art to hang - "The Stanley Tool Guide". It's from the early 40's and is both practical and decorative. Well, decorative if you are a crazy, hand tool fanatic I guess.

I took it apart and framed the pages. Here are some shots - not the best quality unfortunately, but I think they show what I like about the prints.

The whole wall - and yes, it's pink. Got a problem with that?



And some detail shots:

Gruff Goats

My wife teaches Kindergarten and asked me to make some wooden billy goats to go with the story they are working with: "The Three Billy Goats Gruff".

These were to be simple silhouettes, nothing fancy, so it was very surprising how much fun they were to make. As you will see, I thought they were pretty fun to play with too.

First, I copied the design onto the stock. I oriented the design to allow the grain to run with the long, thin parts to give them as much strength as possible.


Then it was just a matter of cutting the shape out with the coping saw:


All cuts made - reassembled for fun, and to show how I chose to use relief cuts etc.:


The goat freed from the wood:


The brothers three:


Posing a la "The Bremen Town Musicians":


More fun:



There was some kind of magic in this little project. It's hard to explain, but I loved it!

More on the Old Spool

Not too long ago I posted about an old wooden spool that I had picked up.

Recently, a reader sent me a picture of a very similar spool from his dad's tool box. This one was not being used as a chalk line - but was partnered with a plumb bob. Hmm.

What I particularly like is the neat way that the bob is easily attached or unattached to the line. Of course, I'm not sure why you would need to do that, unless it was to keep the line available for other uses.

Maybe, say, as a chalk line?

Here's the picture - thanks Ken!


He also wondered if the spools were actually part of the packaging for the line, and were then just repurposed by the owner:

"I have since wondered if the spool was sold with cord, twine or rope coiled on it much like the plastic spools used today. Then frugal(cheap) carpenters just kept it in their toolbox."

It's an interesting idea, and one that never crossed my mind before! If this was the case, it should be possible to find out by looking at old catalogs and such...

Huberd's Shoe Grease

I love to read WoodenBoat, "the magazine for wooden boat owners, builders and designers", although they really should add "dreamers" to that list - and I doubt it's just me. It is, in my humble opinion, the best magazine out there - especially since the demise of Woodwork. Anyway, I was looking through an old issue from 1999 and stumbled across an article/review of Huberd's Shoe Grease, which I had never even heard of. The author, Greg Rössel, stated that he tried the beeswax and pine tar product on leather with good results, and that it also had some promise on wood. Included with the article was a picture of the can - it looked awesome and I decided to try to find some.

So, I asked Mr. Google and located their site (http://www.huberds.com/) and some online retailers, but never got around to ordering any. Then, not too long ago, I was walking through the outdoor/camping section of my local "Big Box Costco Reseller" and there looking about 100 years out of place was a can of Huberd's Shoe Grease. The can was even cooler in person, but what really sealed the deal was when I popped the lid and took a big whiff of the grease. Mmmm. Deep memories stirred - I knew that smell, and it wasn't just the beeswax. Pine tar? I still haven't figured out where I know it from - previous life maybe?

I bought it:


I've played around with it a little and it is definitely interesting. I don't know if it will end up being a regular finish in my shop or not. I'll keep you posted.

It Is Better To Light One Candle...

...than to sit and curse the darkness.

Well that's so true, but up here in Alaska on the shortest day of the year, with only 5 1/2 hours of sunlight, we like to light more than one.

Here's an easy project that is instantly practical. I made the first three-light holder at my son's request. The four-light was made specifically for Advent. The wood is a 100+ year Doug Fir 2x4 (and a real 2" by 4" too) salvaged from my friend Dave's attic remodel in Cincinnati. It was heavy, and hard as a rock! It was also just right for this project - thanks Dave!

First I transferred the angle for the ends from the original, did the lay-out, and cut the ends:




Then I bored the holes:


I scribed a line in from both sides to create the side bevel:


I wasn't trying to match the angle from the ends, as I think it looks just fine when they are not the same.

I chalked the side for easier visibility and stared hogging off wood with the scrub plane:


I'm not sure why, but the surface looks flat in the photo, but trust me, the scrub was set pretty coarse and the grooves were deep.

Once I got close to my line, I switched to a cambered #6:


The final smoothing was done with a #5 1/4 "junior jack" plane.

Complete:


With oil and wax and next to the original:


And with flaming wax:


This is a fun project for that special piece of wood you've been hoarding (come on, admit it, we all do it...) that also works fine with a nice chunk of 2x4. It's also a good project for kids.

Have fun and light a candle - or two, or three...

Spoons

It's been a fun time in the school shop; we've been making spoons!

The students have been learning how to use gouges, and coping saws. They have also been learning the value of persistence, patience and willpower while sanding, sanding, sanding.

Here is a sampling of the great work being done:








Apologies for the image quality - I only had my phone handy.

Oh, and here's an example of what can be done with the "split top" bench design and student ingenuity:


I love it!

Old Spool Mystery

Here's a bit of a mystery. I picked up this old spool, but I'm not sure how it was used. It has a bit of what looks like green chalk on the line, but it could just be grime. It has about 50 feet of line on it now. The hollow through the axle would most likely be for an awl - used to hold the spool in place while the line was drawn out. It has a great patina and looks like it was turned from maple.

If it was a chalk line, how was the chalk applied? If it wasn't a chalk line, what was it? Any thoughts or ideas?