WOODWORKS

Sam Maloof

2009-05-26T22:17:00.001-03:00

Sam Maloof
January 24, 1916 - May 21, 2009

Assembly and prep for raising!

2008-11-14T22:46:00.004-04:00

Put a few half-bent sections together this week. Had some great help from Scott and Ron. Rebecca even took some time to double check my measurements for me and Anna was sure to take inventory of the mud. Photos by Jody. Raising day tomorrow...

Timberframe

2008-11-14T22:40:00.002-04:00

2008-09-23T09:12:00.004-03:00

Since my woodworking life is now completely taken up with the task of cutting all the joinery for the timberframe home I'm building I might as well post some pictures of the process here. Here are some shots of the progression of a dovetail in one of the main floor joists as well as a pic of the massive circular saw I have for squaring timbers and roughing out some of the joinery.

New "old" saw.

2008-09-23T08:37:00.003-03:00

Here are a few pics of the new (to me) Disston No. 12 crosscut saw I just picked up. I've been looking for a good crosscut saw for a while and was about to fork out for a new one when I came across this one on Ebay. The gentleman who sold it to me refurbishes vintage handsaws and puts them up for auction on a regular basis. I love old tools but sometimes you run the risk of buying a very attractive but not very useful tool. Not the case here. This saw (c. 1896-1917) starts easy, cuts smooth and true and already feels very well worn... all good attributes in a saw. It is nice and clean and he did a respectable job of repairing the wooden handle. If you like to own and use vintage tools you should check out the Techno Primitives website. Check out the link in the sidebar.

Shop updates.

2008-08-24T19:10:00.003-03:00

Shop Doors

2008-08-09T23:11:00.004-03:00

Here's a pair of doors made of reclaimed douglas fir and new pine. The douglas fir frames are of mortise and tenon construction with floating pine panels and glass inserts. The panels are textured with a scrub plane for a nice tactile effect.

Anna

2008-06-24T21:14:00.004-03:00

Anna's been coming down to the shop with me since before she could navigate the basement stairs solo. She has her own little bench, a collection of nails and screws and a her own stash of wood. She likes to sand wood and then glue it together. Her first serious project was a sign with her name on it for her bedroom door. Although she had lots of help from Mom and Dad she actually did a lot of the work herself. She did all the sanding, painted the stenciled letters and applied a few coats of varnish. Her next project is a similar sign for her sister; Becca doesn't like the shop nearly as much as Anna does. Today Anna did something that I didn't do until I was at least in jr. high school wood shop, she planed an edge and a chamfer (a pretty darn good one too) on a piece of pine at my bench. I showed her how to hold the plane and where the sharp bit was and she went to it. I guess now I'll know where to look when my Lie Nielsen 102 goes missing.

Contemplating the Chimney.

2008-06-24T21:08:00.003-03:00

That's me standing in the machine room right in front of the new doors... but before any of that happens I have to smash out that darn chimney!

Timberframing Tools

2008-06-21T22:45:00.004-03:00

Pictured is my small collection of timberframing tools. I've been gathering tools to use in the construction of my new house and these are most of the hand tools I'll need for the joinery in the 8x8 and 6x8 framing members. Most of these tools are antiques that I purchased on-line and refurbished as required. From the bottom are the following: 1-1/4" White chisel circa 1837. This one was in great shape and just needed a good sharpening to bring it to life. Next is an Ohio King 1" corner chisel to clean up the mortises. This chisel is also in great shape and as soon as I figure out the best way to sharpen it it will be ready to go. The 2" framing chisel needed a bit more work. This one took considerable flattening and grinding to get the edge to usable condition. Also, the handle it came with was not the greatest and didn't look like it would stand up to the abuse of pounding out mortises. I turned a new handle in ash from a baseball bat from my childhood and gave it a copper ferrule. It's now sharp enough to shave with. Next is my brand new 2-1/2" slick from Barr Specialty Tools. This is a real prize. I tried for months to find an antique slick in decent shape and for a decent price but most of them were very expensive. This hand forged chisel, complete with a bird's eye maple handle is just a joy to look at and to hold and I'm really happy that I went this route. Next is an inexpensive Ryoba that I bought at Lee Valley. This Japanese saw has both rip and crosscut pattern teeth and will get lots of use in the cutting of the frame; plus, if it gets bent or beat up it's no great loss and the blade is actually replaceable. Next up is an antique Enderes drawknife that I'll use to ease all the corners of the timbers. Doing it this way rather than with a rotor gives the frame a less formal feel and speaks to the handwork that goes into this type of project. Also pictured are two handplanes. One is a small block plane that I made a number of years ago. It's a fairly rough little customer but is great for quickly knocking off corners, especially on the large tenons before fitting. The other plane is a Stanley #191 shoulder plane that I'll use to clean up any tenon shoulders that need it. Finally, at the top right of the photo is a freshly turned maple mallet to drive those chisels deep into the pine. Take a good look because it'll be beaten to hell before too long! There are a few more things I'll use in the frame cutting process. These will most likely include a large (16-5/8"... no kidding) circular saw, a western style crosscut saw, an electric plane and my trusty belt sander. But hey, they're not nearly as photogenic as that beautiful Barr Slick eh?

Hello. Is there anybody out there?

2008-06-19T15:11:00.002-03:00

So I know I'm not the best blogger. My posts could be more frequent and I'd like to write more about techniques and ideas as well as individual projects. Future plans, I swear! Now, I'd love to have an idea as to whether or not anybody is reading this blog. So if you're out there drop me a line via comments to this post. Say hi, tell me a bit about yourself and, if you're a woodworker, fill me in on what you do. Thanks for stopping by!

Mike

Instant Shop!

2008-06-19T15:01:00.005-03:00

It's little, it's pink and it's mine. This is my new shop building; Morrison Woodworks World Headquarters, if you will. It's a 350 sq foot house that I got (for free!) after answering an add in our local trader. I contacted a local house mover and he hauled it to the property where I'll be building our new home. Follow the link to my house blog for more on that. I knew that I wanted a shop before the house was built so I'd have somewhere to work on all the woodwork for the house as well as the hand cut timber frame component of the house. The plan was to build a 24x24 building but when this came up (roofed, shingled, doors and windows and trim installed) I jumped at the chance. It's a bit smaller than I had hoped but the plan is to work in it for a while and decide if I need an addition in the future. More pics of the interior reno (and demo) to follow.

Cutting Boards and Utensils

2008-06-07T14:41:00.007-03:00

Here are some more cutting boards. Most of my boards are made from walnut and either birch or maple. The odd duck here is an elm board made with salvaged elm from King's Road in Sydney, NS. It incorporates some of the natural shape of the tree it came from. Also pictured are some wooden utensils. There are spatulas in walnut, ash and cherry (perfect for stir-frying) as well as a pair of elm salad tongs. These are about as close as I come to a production item. They are made in small batches, usually out of leftover wood from larger projects. The batch of cherry spatulas has just been soaked in mineral oil. Once the excess is wiped off they can be put to use. Enjoy!

Elm Bench

2008-06-07T14:12:00.004-03:00

Here's a natural edge bench made out of Elm salvaged from King's Road in Sydney. This a simple small bench whose design lets the beauty of the material take centre stage. The slab is planed to thickness by machine and then the shape is eased, refined and reshaped by hand tools; spokeshave, block plane, chisel and scraper. The legs are cut to shape, a tenon is turned onto one end and then they are given their final form by hand. All surfaces are hand planed, scraped and given a light sanding before receiving several coats of and oil/varnish blend that I mix in-house. This bench will be on display (and for sale) in the gallery at the Cape Breton Centre for Craft and Design.

Pair of Bookshelves

2008-06-07T13:55:00.005-03:00

Here is a recently completed pair of bookshelves. Whenever I can I like to use a beadboard backer for casework. The texture adds a nice character

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The Two Krenovs

2008-05-21T20:21:00.004-03:00

About a month ago I had not one, but two James Krenov smooting planes in my shop. One belongs to me and the other to my good friend Tom Fidgen (follow the link in the sidebar to his excellent blog). I've been meaning to write a comparison of the performance and specs of the two planes but I haven't gotten there yet! In the meantime (probably shouldn't hold your breath) here are a few shots of the similar but very different Krenovs.

Celtic Colours Office

2008-04-28T23:34:00.003-03:00

These are some photos of the display cabinets and reception desk I recently built for the new offices of the Celtic Colours International Festival. The only real criteria I had to follow was that the piece compliment the existing decor and that it incorporate some reclaimed material with a connection to the local area. For the top of this piece I used Douglas Fir that I recently salvaged from the demolition of Saint Anthony Daniel school in Sydney. The planks were floor joists that spanned 24 feet and measured 2-1/4" x 15-1/2". Pretty awesome stuff. After planing the planks (and pulling the nails) I darkened them with oil based stain. I then sanded and polished them to highlight the heavy grain of the wood and finally applied several coats of an oil/varnish blend. I love working with reclaimed and unique wood and this piece was a great opportunity to bring some local history into the shop.

Birch Shelving: Revive Hair Studio 2

2008-04-04T19:16:00.002-03:00

Here are some pictures of the birch shelving units at Revive Hair Studio. The larger piece and the floating table were built for the former Revive location. The two smaller units were built for the new location in Sydney River.

Wood, Concrete and Steel: Revive Hair Studio

2008-04-04T18:58:00.002-03:00

This is the reception area at Revive Hair Studio in Sydney River. I built some display shelving for the previous location and was lucky enough to be asked back to build some additional shelving and the reception desk seen here. This was the first time I was able to incorporate metal into a piece. It was also the first time I got to build a curved concrete form. This was a great opportunity to work with materials I don't always get to use and try some new things.

Curly Maple Table.

2008-03-30T00:21:00.003-03:00

I thought this was an interesting perspective on this table. I built it a number of years ago when I studied furniture and cabinetmaking. This photo, taken by my 4-1/2 year old daughter, shows a hint of the figured maple top on this table. The drawer fronts are coloured with multiple layers of aniline dye and the whole piece is finished with water based laquer. This original design, based on Shaker pieces, is used as a computer desk and is easily customized.

Fresh Elm.

2008-03-29T23:42:00.007-03:00

My worlds are colliding! Not really, but I'm going to make this a double post. I'll also post it to my housebuilding blog. See the sidebar for a link. I just had some Elm milled by Roy and Terry at Sydney Forks Sawmill. This is wood that grew along
King's Road in Sydney. The butt of this particular specimen measured about 36 inches across. I managed to get some beautiful boards from this tree but the largest logs had a bunch of nails and mystery metal embedded in them so we had to stop sawing them. In case you don't know, metal can make for a pretty grumpy sawyer. I prefer a happy sawyer. The logs we couldn't mill will get used for carving, turning and various other woodworking endeavors before going to the firewood pile. The stacked boards will have to air dry for a year at the very least before being turned into furniture for our house and other projects and commissions.

Ironwood Spokeshave in Progress

2008-03-29T22:46:00.013-03:00

Sometimes I need a diversion. Now and then I just can't get motivated to do the work I'm supposed to be doing and instead I'll take on something small to get over the hump. Such was the case about a week ago while staring at a recently completed and delivered piece that was back in the shop for "alterations". I just couldn't get to it. I had been meaning to rebuild my bench top for about two years. I had a slap of maple (a recycled bench top itself) sitting in the shop as well as a second vise. I decided that after years of procrastination it was absolutely essential that I fix up my bench immediately! I spent the better part of a day getting the new top together. I added a wide apron and mortised the vises in behind for more practical holding. It still needs some tweaking but it's a huge improvement over the old top. Once that was done it was time to get back to work... but wait, there's that chunk of Arizona Desert Ironwood a friend gave me a few years back. And there's that spokeshave kit my wife gave me a few Christmases ago. Yup, I really need a new spokeshave. I'm only part way through the process of making the new tool but the wood is really something else. Beautiful figure and colour and a truly unique, almost smoky, smell. Here are a few progress shots of the shave-to-be with some other handmade tools. The first is of the wood after re-sawing and flattening. the plane in this shot is my Beech bodied jack plane. I restored this antique and added a white oak sole and a walnut handle. The second picture is the wood looking a bit smoother and is shown with my James Krenov smoothing plane. Next is a shot that shows the beautiful colour of the ironwood and finally there's a shot of the blank complete with a rather long crack that I've reinforced with epoxy. Now, back to work!

Maple Dining Table

2008-03-15T19:52:00.003-03:00

This dining table measures 40" x 60". All the surfaces are hand planed and/or scraped which leaves a subtle texture that doesn't exist in a machined, factory finish. The table is coloured with an oil based stain, varnished and hand rubbed with wax.

Kitchen Cabinet

2008-03-13T20:34:00.002-03:00

Here's a shot of a European style kitchen cabinet in natural birch. These are frameless cabinets with a modern look. The countertop is concrete. This was my first set of kitchen cabinets and my first concrete countertop. I have since done concrete work in kitchens, bathrooms, as hearths and in commercial settings.

Turn It Don't Burn It

2008-03-10T10:00:00.004-03:00

This bark covered vase came directly from the firewood pile. As I stack my firewood for the winter I try to keep an eye out for interesting pieces that I can save from the stove. These vases are truly one of a kind, each one as individual as the tree it came from. This one is made from Beech which tends to grow unevenly and burly in this part of the world.

Wooden Bowls

2008-03-08T01:17:00.007-04:00

Although I don't get to do it as often as I'd like, turning bowls is one of the reasons I got into woodworking in the first place. Here are some examples. The first two are made of Elm that grew on King's Road, just down the hill from my house. The shallower bowl is made from a Cherry tree I was given a while back. The bark covered bowl is carved from a spruce burl and the small bowl is spalted maple.

Maple and Walnut Cutting Boards

2008-03-08T00:44:00.003-04:00

Here are two examples of my cutting boards. Cutting boards can be made any size and mine are usually made of contrasting woods. While people often comment that it's a shame to actually cut on them, these boards are made to be used and will last for many years. They are constructed with waterproof glue and sit atop small feet. These feet make the heavy boards easier to lift and the resulting airflow keeps the underside clean and dry. They are finished with mineral oil and locally produced beeswax.

Pine Shelves

2008-03-08T00:36:00.002-04:00

I designed and built this piece for my two little girls as a way to help them combat clutter in the living room. The design is influenced Shaker furniture as well as Japanese furniture and architectural design. The baskets were purchased before final dimensions were decided. This piece is made from wide pine boards that were air dried and sat out to weather for a period of months. This process gives pine a very rich and unique colour. The finish is tung oil.

Tray in Curly Ash, Walnut and Cherry

2008-03-08T00:29:00.003-04:00

This functional piece is available in various woods and can be sized to meet your needs.

Bird's Eye Maple and Spalted Beech Box

2008-03-08T00:24:00.003-04:00

This is a detail shot of a small box that I made a few years ago. I love small pieces like this because they give me the opportunity to play around with design and to use special, often recycled, pieces of wood that may be in short supply.

Elm Corner Cabinet

2008-03-08T00:14:00.008-04:00

This cabinet is the result of a collaborative design process between myself two close friends who have been renovating their century old farmhouse just outside Sydney. The lighter wood is Elm from trees that grew along King's Road in Sydney for about 150 years. The darker wood is also Elm but is coloured with an ebony oil-based stain.

Live-edge Walnut tables

2008-03-08T00:02:00.003-04:00

This was a particularly interesting job. The owners of a beautiful timber frame home wanted tables built as featured elements in a small living room. After searching for the right piece of wood they found an amazing slab of walnut from a lumber dealer in Margaree. At its widest, this piece was just over 40 inches and over 8 feet in length. Through careful collaboration with the home owners I laid out the rough shape of each table on the wood. Next came the scary part; cutting that magnificent slab in half with the circular saw. These pieces had to fit very precisely around the 8x8 posts of this home. The tables sit atop simple brackets and are finished with oil and wax. Although these pieces will never be reproduced I love working with live-edge wood and try to keep a supply on hand.

Platform Bed

2008-03-07T23:50:00.003-04:00

Here are two views of a queen size bed based on a client's design. The headboard is MDF and the rest of the bed is solid poplar with a very dark stain. This bed does not use a box spring. Instead the mattress is supported by wooden slats. This particular design could be built in any size and in virtually any colour.