Sam Wilson: woodworking

Another morning cutting off grooves

Sam Wilson — Sun, 23 Feb 2025 03:20:00 GMT

Fremantle
2025 February 23 (Sunday), 11:20AM
· woodworking ·

I seem to spent lots of tine cutting off tongues and grooves. I quite enjoy it, although not as much as cutting tongues and grooves, that's a very satisfying task.

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Making Japanese whetstones

Sam Wilson — Wed, 08 Jan 2025 08:25:00 GMT

Fremantle
2025 January 8 (Wednesday), 4:25PM
· woodworking · videos ·

This is an interesting video about the production of Naniwa whetstones in Japan. I can't actually remember what brand I have (the labels have worn off), but they're pretty similar I think. I have some natural stones too, but the artificial ones are good (as far as I can tell!) and are easily flattened with each other (I have two 800s and a 1200 and they're similar enough to work together, and then any one of them is used to do the 5000).

The process of mass producing Japanese abrasive stones. (13:24)

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Out of the Woods Exhibition

Sam Wilson — Sun, 10 Nov 2024 09:00:00 GMT

Midland
2024 November 10 (Sunday), 5:00PM
· Midland · furniture · woodworking · railways ·

The Fine Woodworking Association of WA had an exhibition today in the old pattern-making workshop at the Midland Railway Workshops. Interesting pieces, quite a few from high school students, and lots of foreign timbers (especially from the US).

The CWA share premises in the next building over (next to the powerhouse) with the Hand Tool Preservation Society, and the Machinery Preservation Society — and I think a couple of other organisations, like the people restoring the powerhouse machinery. Morning tea and lunch for two cost only $20, and was taken sitting at some nice old jarrah cafeteria tables.

We walked down to look at the remains of the Coal Dam, where there's extensive steel boardwalk but very little in the way of explanation about the remaining structures or their place in the area's history. The urinals of the railway workshops are given much more.

^{[todo – Upload photos]}

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Metalworking vice

Sam Wilson — Sat, 20 Apr 2024 10:34:00 GMT

Fremantle
2024 April 20 (Saturday), 6:34PM
· woodworking · metalworking · metalworking bench · vices ·

I finally got around to bolting down the new (old) vice. It's a swivelling one, so I stuck it at the corner of the bench and it can be used on either side (although a spanner does need to be kept on hand). I've been meaning to get it cleaned and greased and fixed down for years, but my dad took pity on me and recently machined a terrific new clamping bar for it so I could actually get it done (the original clamping mechanism was a couple of too-small washers that ended up just spinning in place, quite useless).

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Re-waxing the garage door

Sam Wilson — Sat, 29 Apr 2023 09:00:00 GMT

Fremantle
2023 April 29 (Saturday), 5:00PM
· woodworking · finishing · wax ·

I've applied a new coat of wax to the workshop doors. This time, a mix of linseed and beeswax applied hot. It's just a matter of plonking the wax tin in a double boiler for a little while, and wearing gloves. The door had been in the sun all morning so the wood itself was pretty warm, and the whole thing took about five batches (although every time I do this it uses a bit less, as the expansion gaps get more and more filled with wax).

The finished finish.
Some bits were thicker than others.
Shiny!
As it cooled down, chucks fell off the rag.

Dowelling jig

Sam Wilson — Thu, 30 Mar 2023 12:55:00 GMT

Fremantle
2023 March 30 (Thursday), 8:55PM
· woodworking ·

I bought a dowelling jig the other day, and made the frame of a box with it on the weekend. It went incredibly well, considering the lack of care I took over accuracy. I just bunged the thing on the corners of the boards and drilled away merrily — no clamping, not even a depth-stop on the drill bit, let alone a ruler or square within sight. But because the jig sets the first hole centred on whatever the thickness is, and then subsequent holes in reference to that, there's not much that can go wrong. I was pretty impressed.

It was also a nice exercise for me in realising that not all boxen need dovetails. This box is for my new angle grinder, so I wanted joints that would reflect the precision and beauty of that machine.

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Firmer chisel

Sam Wilson — Mon, 26 Oct 2020 00:15:00 GMT

2020 October 26 (Monday), 8:15AM
· woodworking · chisels ·

I've fixed up the firmer chisel I bought at the Men's Shed open day a couple of weeks ago. It turns out it's a Titan (Australian firm from Tassie), and probably made between 1945 and 1960. Someone's written a book on the company, but I can't find a copy anywhere.

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P33

Sam Wilson — Mon, 28 Sep 2020 03:12:00 GMT

2020 September 28 (Monday), 11:12AM
· woodworking ·

I've dressed the legs, and the jarrah has come up pretty poorly. It's full of nail holes and knots and crappy bits. Hopefully when it's all together and polished they'll all just look like 'character'!

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Reshaping my small plane blade

Sam Wilson — Sat, 05 Sep 2020 03:30:00 GMT

Fremantle
2020 September 5 (Saturday), 11:30AM
· sharpening · Men's Shed · woodworking ·

I went up to the Men's Shed this morning, to finally re-grind a plane blade. Over the last couple of years I've been sharpening it solely by hand on the whetstones, and this had brought it out of square by about 1.5 mm. The lateral adjustment of the plane handles that, but it's at its limit and anyway it looks bad having it so wonky. The Shed has a nice sharpening grinder with a water bath and a reasonable tool rest and jig. It's got a little bit of play in it, but not enough to worry about so long as the jig is kept pressed firm in one way or the other while in use. I got it square and good, and will now finish it off on the stones.

Freo street arts' festival

Sam Wilson — Sun, 21 Apr 2019 05:50:00 GMT

Fremantle
2019 April 21 (Sunday), 1:50PM
· Fremantle · South Terrace · festivals · woodworking ·

It's another wonderful sunny-but-cool Easter in Fremantle, and the street arts' festival is in full swing. This morning we saw Yosuke Ikeda's terrific mime show Rhythm,^[1] and the tail end of a terrifying acrobatic act climbing 10 metres up a tower of chairs. I could barely watch. Certainly didn't watch the sword-swallower on the way back through South Terrace (other than to see a young chap through the crowd who collapsed on the ground in a feint).

Home now, and the sun is past the meridian, putting my workshop doors into the shade and meaning I can go and finish varnishing them. I started the other day, but was rained off.

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