A White Oak Desk

SwampDonkey · March 07, 2014, 02:40:04 PM

Mine don't do that, they are razor sharp. I just hope someone isn't counterfitting like some unnamed country is known for. Lee Valley is where I buy mine and they have standards. If they ever did what you have experienced you can bet Lee Valley would make it right.

Dodgy Loner · March 07, 2014, 03:50:00 PM

Got mine from Lee Valley too :-\

They have great customer service, and if I had noticed the defective steel sooner, I wouldn't have hesitated to send them back. But when I bought them, I was too green to know that the chisels were the problem and not me. To be honest, back then I was probably a bad enough sharpener that it didn't make a difference :D. Not anymore, though.

SwampDonkey · March 07, 2014, 04:39:24 PM

That's unfortunate.

I like my Veritas honing jig for sharpening any chisels as well, have always had good luck with it.

Dodgy Loner · March 07, 2014, 05:51:10 PM

That's what I use

Dodgy Loner · March 10, 2014, 10:23:01 AM

I have reached the "sweet spot" of a woodworking project, when the bulk of the stock prep is behind, the joinery is in progress, and things are finally starting to come together. I am very glad that the desk finally looks like more than a stack of lumber. It was a lot of work to get to this point. The next few weeks should be fun, then it will be time to finish, and the fun will be over :D.This weekend's progress:

SawyerBrown · March 10, 2014, 10:29:48 AM

That's just really impressive! Beautiful wood, outstanding craftsmanship.

Nice work, can't wait to see the finished product.

Andy White · March 10, 2014, 01:02:49 PM

Dodgy Loner,
To use an old saying( How Sweet It Is! ) Those frames are looking really great! This is the point when you can tell how well the project will turn out. I'll bet Red Clay Hound is beside himself with anticipation! A great job, and am looking forward to the next installment. Andy

Red Clay Hound · March 10, 2014, 08:19:38 PM

Quote from: Andy White on March 10, 2014, 01:02:49 PM
I'll bet Red Clay Hound is beside himself with anticipation!

You are indeed correct Mr. White! Looks like I will be planning a trip to Mississippi when this project is complete. (Like I need an excuse to go see my grand babies!)

Magicman · March 10, 2014, 10:36:28 PM

Don't bring Danny with you. He will be trying to make a raid.

:D

WDH · March 10, 2014, 11:35:34 PM

smiley_curtain_peek

I will show up when you least expect it.......

Dodgy,

Not sure which is better, the joinery or the wood

.

Holmes · March 11, 2014, 06:11:01 PM

Quote from: WDH on March 10, 2014, 11:35:34 PM
smiley_curtain_peek

I will show up when you least expect it.......

Dodgy,

Not sure which is better, the joinery or the wood .

The wood is natural the joinery is simply amazing.

Excellent work

Dodgy Loner · March 17, 2014, 10:45:16 AM

I had to take a break from the desk last week to work on some home improvement stuff. I installed 400 sq.ft. of prefinished red oak in our living room and dining room. I don't really mind home improvement projects, but it's not as fun as "real" woodworking. Fortunately, I was lacking the mallet that I needed to use with my flooring nailer, so I was able to squeeze some woodworking out of the home improvement project. You can buy mallets with rubber faces to use with these nailers, but I decided that a traditional beech joiner's mallet with leather on one face would be far more useful, so that's what I made.

The handle is wider at the top than at the bottom, so it "dovetails" tightly when swinging it, but comes out with a tap on the bottom of the handle.

At 30 oz, it dwarfs a 16 oz framing hammer.

And after 3 evenings and one Saturday, the flooring is installed. I just have to do the shoe molding now.

Okay, sorry for that aside. Hopefully we will be back to our regularly scheduled programming this week!

SwampDonkey · March 17, 2014, 11:15:14 AM

Nice hammer and nice flooring job to. ;D

mesquite buckeye · March 17, 2014, 11:18:10 AM

Oakey dokey. ;D

WDH · March 17, 2014, 08:50:42 PM

The flooring looks great. The mallet looks well made and just right for the job.

thecfarm · March 17, 2014, 09:22:27 PM

Nice picture taking too.

Magicman · March 18, 2014, 07:32:07 PM

Diversions are OK.

Nice mallet and flooring job.

Dodgy Loner · March 19, 2014, 09:55:14 AM

Quote from: thecfarm on March 17, 2014, 09:22:27 PM
Nice picture taking too.

Thanks thecfarm. They're just some iPhone pics. It's amazing that my phone can take better pictures than a $200 camera could just a few years ago.

And thanks for the kind comments on the floor. It replaces some very ugly stained carpet in the living room and some very worn out T&G heart pine in the dining room. I hated to cover up the heart pine, but it is about 100 years old and has been sanded so many times that the tongues were nearly exposed (and it squeaked like CRAZY when you walked on it). It served well for a century, and I hope the red oak will last at least that long.

The wife is very pleased with the new floor, so I am a happy man

. I spent yesterday evening in the shop making my shoe molding. I figured it was a one hour job with the router and table saw. Well, it turns out that I didn't have the router bit that I thought I had, so I ended up having to shape all the molding by hand with a curved spokeshave. It took 3 hours instead of 1, but it was a more pleasant 3 hours without the router screaming at me, so I can't complain. But it is done, and if I can get my wife to paint it for me, then I will be back to the desk next time I'm in the shop 8)

mesquite buckeye · March 19, 2014, 10:43:05 AM

Earplugs make the screaming more tolerable too. ;D

thecfarm · March 19, 2014, 08:05:29 PM

On the picture,what I really meant on what you had in the picture. The light was on,then the door was open and both added a spot of light to the floor. Add those elements added to the mighty fine looking floor.

Dave Shepard · March 19, 2014, 08:11:21 PM

Dodgy, have you seen this morticing video from Paul Sellers? Interesting to see the bevel edge chisel performing so well compared to the mortise chisel.

http://youtu.be/q_NXq7_TILA

Dodgy Loner · April 10, 2014, 11:14:41 AM

It's springtime in the South, which means it's time for plowing...grooves, that is. With a plow plane.

The desk build had pretty much been on hold until the last 5 days. My wife went back to South Carolina to visit her parents, taking the kiddos along. So I have pretty much spent every waking moment since last Friday either at work or in the shop. Much progress has been made!

Both carcases are assembled.