Steve's workshop - Painting the outside walls

[Steve Maskery]

Actually the next job will be to kick myself up the bottom. I've made a cake this evening, and just gone to see if it was done. The oven is empty and the cake tin is still sitting on the worktop, waiting to be put in the oven...


Edit: I've just noticed that this is the 2000th reply in this thread...

 

[Chrispy]

Fruit cake?

 

[Steve Maskery]

Rhubarb and ginger, a 90 minute job.

 

[n0legs]

Fruit cake?

That's a bit mean.
I know he's odd, but he's harmless :lol:

 

[Eric The Viking]

Fruit cake?

That's a bit mean.
I know he's odd, but he's harmless :lol:

Mostly harmless. I'm not eating raw cake mix for anyone *

E.

*OK - might lick the spoon I suppose.

 

[Steve Maskery]

Having completed the mortices, the next job is to cut the corresponding tenons.

The rails are a bit big to be held in place just by a little toggle clamp, so I used a couple of trigger clamps to be on the secure side.

The tenons need to be longer than my saw can manage, so there is a bit of hand work to do.

The jig automatically takes into account the thickness of the kerf of the blade. The result is a perfect tenon that doesn't need any fettling. This is the centre rail, leaving a 12mm setback for the T&G cladding. There is 0.15mm difference in setback on each side

For the twin tenons there are four cuts that need to be made in exactly the right place. The first is made with the jig closed

The spacer fits my mortice exactly, so too will the first tenon

Remember that spacer I used when cutting the twin mortices? Well I use the same spacer to move the top carriage over by exactly the same amount, in order to cut the second tenon

Again the tenons need to be lengthened, so the waste between the them is bandsawn out and cleaned out with a chisel, but the end result is this:

Now is that good or is that good?

Five joints down, seven to go.

 

[Baldhead]

They don't call you Mr Jig cos your a good dancer! Well done Steve.

Stew

 

[Steve Maskery]

Thank you. Though I do have a confession to make. I set the workpiece up back to front. The result was that I cut into the jig itself and caught the blade with a steel lock nut which keeps one of the nylon runners in place. I've chipped a few teeth. I'm particularly annoyed as it was a brand new blade, I've only ripped a few dozen metres with it. Entirely preventable and stupid.

 

[monkeybiter]

Out of practise?

 

[Steve Maskery]

Out of practise?

Definitely. Some days I feel like a beginner again.

S

 

[n0legs]

Out of practise?

Definitely. Some days I feel like a beginner again.

S

We all have those days my friend

Looking good =D>

 

[Baldhead]

Some of us have nothing but bad days!

Stew

 

[Steve Maskery]

Today I have assembled both doors, on my own, and it has been the most physical work I have done for ages, I've had sweat dripping off my nose. I hope you aren't eating your tea. Really hard work. The problen is that while all the joints went together snugly when dry, once they get a bit wet with glue the fibres swell enough to make it tight. Very tight. Especially where I have double twin tenons, that's a lot of surface area (which is the whole point of the joint, of course) to grab.

But I am getting a bit ahead of myself.

The first job was to make a wedgeboard. Using the same wedge that I used for the mortices as a guide, I cut a triangular notch in a piece of scrap. Note that I am not sliding the workpiece up the wedge, just using the wedge as a spacer to keep the board at the right angle whilst I push them both forward.

Then, after thicknessing a board to the right size and cross-cutting it to make short, wide pieces, I can cut wedges which are exactly the same angle as the flares of the mortice. I flip the workpiece between each cut to keep the grain straight.

This was the point when it started to get difficult. I'm really glad I was using Cascamite and not PVA. It took me ages, and with all my strength, to get these doors assembled. But eventually I managed.

The doors are both nice and planar

and there is less than 2mm difference in the diagonals. I can live with that.

 

[monkeybiter]

Are your wedges between the tenons and the mortice walls, tightening the joint? Or are they in a notch in the tenon, spreading the tenon in the mortice?

I only ask because it looks like the former, but I've only ever heard of the latter [shows what I know!].

 

[Steve Maskery]

They are the former, MB.
You can do either. For Ray's doors I did the latter. Don't ask me for a Why?, because I don't have a Because.
The result is pretty much the same for either. Because the edge of the tenon is face-grain, and modern glues are stronger than the wood they bond, the tenon becomes fan-shaped in both cases.
If this door ever comes apart, I shall give up woodwork and take up knitting.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I did read somewhere (but I can't remember where) that the wedges should always be down the outside of the tenon, as otherwise you risk either breaking the side off the tenon (which weakens it) or running a split into the rail. I had always assumed them to be best in a cut.

 

[Steve Maskery]

Running them into a slit is fine, but it is good practice to drill a stop hole to prevent that from happening.
S

 

[Steve Maskery]

Although the existing doors were a temporary fix, I did use the proper hinges. These are high quality ball-bearing butts. I transferred their positions from the frame to the doors. A spacer underneath the rod gives me the clearance I need (the spacer fell out for this photo, but you can see that it is there), then cut out the hinge recesses with router and chisel.

Then it was a case of cutting some cladding and giving each piece a coat of paint, especially the groove and tongue.

So now they are ready for hanging, which is happening on Sunday, all being well. I've roped in Ray, Pete Maddex and Lurker, so we should have enough muscle. I've been lugging these around on my own and they are heavy, but two people holding and two people screwing should be a doddle... Usual inducements will be on offer.

I need to get some panel pins from Screwfix before then. They do some sheradised ones which we used on Ray's, and they were very good. I've already bought some bolts so we should be good to go.

 

[lurker]

Press ganged is the word you are looking for

 

[AES]

Yeah lurker, but you do get the chance to inspect his natty little pink sweatband close up :roll:

AES