Business Cards, Name tags(?), & Dovetails

     At our meeting last Wednesday, we had quite a good attendance with several new faces.  As is customary, we went around the room and introduced ourselves with a 15 second bio to make our new folks feel invited and jar the memory of some of the "old" folks who can't remember names!  The remark was made, somewhat tongue in cheek, that we should use name tags.  Mixed response to that but ........... another suggestion was offered that we could all make our own name tags out of wood to wear at the meetings.  What do you think?  Maybe an informal competition as to who makes the most unique, talented, craftsmanship like, silly, serious, whatever!  Give it some thought.
     The next order of business had to do with the generous donation of time and resources made by Steve Mongrain to provide the club with business cards.  We can use these to invite other woodworkers to the group, I doubt that many in the Las Vegas valley really know who we are but we are growing.  Hopefully everyone of you picked up a few to put in your wallet and keep with you to pass out.  I forgot!, I'm sure Jamie has them so if you're like me you'll have to get them from her.  If any of us in the group need business cards, flyers, announcements, etc. here is a LINK to Steve's business website.  If you want to contact him directly his email is steve@vvbf.com
     Next up was the demonstration on making half blind dovetails and I appreciate the interest everyone showed as I did this for you.  It's one of those woodworking process that either goes well or else can go terribly wrong!  Come to think of it, most every step involved with woodworking could end in disaster couldn't it?  Who hasn't cut a board on the wrong side of the line or split it as you drive in a screw, that's what makes it so intriguing, the challenge of it all.  Probably isn't hard to tell that I love the handwork aspect of woodworking, quiet and relatively dust free.  My nature is to pit myself against an obstacle and then figure out how to overcome it.  The method I used is not the only way to go about it, just what works for me.  Thanks to Allison for her fine photography, here is a photo essay of the process:

Using a dovetail marker (1:6) and marking knife to lay out the tails

Making the initial cuts for the tails

Paring the shoulder to the scribed line

Transferring the tails to the drawer front (pin board) 

Initial cuts with the backsaw for the socket the tail will fit into

Using a piece of a hand scraper to sever the fibers inside of the socket

Chopping out the sockets, leaving the pins

Removing socket waste

Much trial and error to get the fit -- patience required

Ahhhh -- Success!

Close up of completed joint, no glue yet

Surf & Turf: no way -- How about: Chisel & Tooth?

That's What We're Talking About !!

      If you received the Meet-Up announcement from Jamie she mentioned that John (that's me) would be a guest instructor at WoodItIs! and teaching a class next month.  The focus of the class will be making a wall cabinet utilizing dovetail joinery.  The example of the cabinet that will be built in that class can be seen in the showroom at Jamie's so be sure to check it out.  I think there are 2-3 spots still available for the class.  Since I'm the co-writer of this blog let me tell you what I plan to demonstrate at our next meeting which is in two days, Wednesday the 17th.
     The dovetail joint has a certain mystique about it among woodworkers.  Heck, even Fine Woodworking uses it as part of their logo and has since the magazine was first published in the early 70's.  There are other joints that can be used but the mystique continues and many of us get intrigued with making this particular joint.  It's the ideal joint for a drawer front and if you have a desk or entry hall table with a single drawer that project would be a good one to work with this joint.  If I have a bunch of drawers to make for dressers or cabinets I'll be the first to whip out my old Craftsman router and dovetail jig, cut up some Baltic Birch plywood and go to town.  At the meeting I'll show you the techniques and methods I use that usually give me some degree of success.
     If you were at last month's meeting you may recall that the subject of having business cards promoting the club came up again.  Cost, of course, is always an issue but one of our members happens to have a printing business!  His name is Steve Mongrain and Jamie tells me he has them ready.  I believe he'll be bringing them to the meeting so be sure to come to the meeting and be the first to see them:

                             See you Wednesday!
   

   

Sector Sticks or What; Me Measure??

At last Wednesdays meeting Rich Daugherty gave an informative and interesting talk on the use of sector sticks.  These are the latest in his quest to eliminate measurement from his work!  Sector sticks are a seventeenth century (perhaps even earlier) tool that allows you to evenly and quickly divide spaces and proportionately increase or decrease the size of an object.  If you think about this (and I did), these could be used without any formal system of measurement, all you need is a base size. Rich gave everyone who wanted it a copy of the article from Popular Woodworking, June 2011.

Calculating with Sector Stick

In a nutshell, here's the premise as to how they work.  They can be made any size needed and are hinged at one end.  You use them in conjunction with a pair of calipers. Measuring from the back of your hinge knuckle, you divide them into 13 equal parts. In the picture above he set the sticks at the end of the board on a number (lets say six) and demonstrated how you would find half of the length.  Since half of six is three you would set your caliper the distance between the numbers three on the sticks.  This is half of the total distance so you would simply set one leg of the caliper at the edge of the board, then lay out a point with the the other leg and there's your center.

A Studious Moment

Other tools that Rich brought in to share included these:

Set up Blocks (in pouch), Calipers, and Mortise Gauge

Mortise Chisel used to set Mortise Gauge

Trammel Point

One of Rich's many Woodworking books

The nice thing about woodworking is that you can individualize it and take it in any direction you would like.  If you went to the AWFS show this week you saw the amazing advances of computers and computer controlled equipment and how they've changed woodworking.  If you're more enthusiastic about programming but enjoy wood too Rockler, and several others, have what you could consider a tabletop CNC set up that's fairly affordable.  My own preference is to combine machinery with lots of hand work to produce my work.  Others are more interested in custom cabinetry and built-ins.  That's what so nice about the Sin City Woodworkers, we have a diverse group of people and by sharing with one and other we all learn something new.

Saying that -- who'd like to step up and share their woodworking preferences with the group next month?

Almost Forgot to Remember :-{

Hope this doesn't come too late for all of you to join us Wednesday for the monthly meeting.  It's also the first official show day for the AWFS at the Convention Center. I hope to go in the afternoon to walk part of the floor and have two classes on Thursday so won't be much time then.  It would be nice if some of you that go on Wednesday would come to the meeting to share highlights and "must sees" with the rest of us.


Our next meeting is scheduled for July 20 at 7:00 PM, and will feature Richard Daugherty, who has been raving about sector sticks ever since reading Jim Tolpin's Sector Stick article that Popular Woodworking published a few issues back. 

Rich says it's the best article he's read in years, and is going to bring a sample and show us how two sticks and one hinge will eliminate math and layout errors in our work. Rich is also in the process of making a 'Joseph Moxon' twin screw vise, and might have something to share about his progress. Rich's affable teaching style makes him one of most popular speakers, and this meeting is sure to be an informative one. 

Sliding Dovetails with Dennis Patchett

For our monthly Sin City Woodworkers meeting last Wednesday, June 15, we met at the shop of Dennis Patchett.  We had about 25 members at this meeting and I think I can speak for all of them when I say that Dennis presentation of cutting the sliding dovetail and work in his shop is excellent.

This is what a sliding dovetail looks like 

     Most people are familiar with the use of a dovetail on drawers and it is also used in casework, especially when using solid wood.  Where the sliding version comes in is to fasten shelves or dividers within the case.  The strength comes from the shape of the "tail"; it won't pull out of the side like a simple dado joint will.

     One of Dennis's traits is that he takes the easiest route to accomplish what he makes -- and that's said as a compliment.  The woodworking forums, magazines, and books would want you to believe that this type of work can't be done well unless you open your wallet to buy whatever whizbang gadget they're trying to sell!  Most would say you need a router table and fence to achieve this joint but what Dennis does is screw a fence that has been pre-bored to accept a screw, directly on his table over the hole where his router comes up.  In this picture you see him setting that up.  As a teacher I can only appreciate the attention that Allison is paying to him!

Setting the fence to cut the male half of the joint

Sorry about this break, let's call it a commercial message to show some other things that he shared with us Wednesday evening.  Just can't get the pictures to move where I want them to :-(

Using a large rasp to shape the beginnings of a foot for a chair.
Interesting note is that he got this from a  farrier who was going to toss it out!

His Carving Station

     Okay, back to the original story.  Here is a close up of the dovetail bit as it comes up from the bottom of the bench.  Something Dennis stressed was to have accurate measuring tools, he also mentioned how he makes a bunch (couple hundred) of shims from a 1x12, these taper down to nothing so are just great for setting a fence over a slight amount.  He made the joint pictured at the top of this blog out of MDF but when he makes it for a piece of furniture he always has extra material on hand to check his set ups.

Close up of Setting the Fence, notice his shims in the foreground

The remainder of the meeting had Dennis answering lots of questions about his work and techniques.  He is truly passionate about his work and it shows when he's talking about it.  He spends a great amount of time at the craft and gets pretty amazing results.  Like most woodworkers, he's quick to point out some errors in his projects but I think many of us strive to achieve the level of woodworking that he has.  During his demonstration he was asked how to do something and his answer was "there isn't any secret to these things, you just go out and do it" -- he's taken his own advice and succeeded!

The remaining meeting time was spent looking and admiring the work in his shop.  My guess is that his obvious passion for woodworking may have ignited a new spark among the members that were at this meeting.

Beautiful example of completed chest

Notice the bottom leaf? It extends over raised panel!

This linen cabinet is for his wife, hard to tell but the doors and side panels are carved linen fold.
All the remains is the finish and a granite top.

Believe it or not -- TOOTHPICKS!
They actually work and were carved with pins sharpened into chisels.

This is the brand of finish he plans to use on the linen cabinet

Corner Cabinet under construction
Notice the carved shell and the radiused door.

Very Impressive!

Sliding Dovetails -- June 15th.

     Our meeting for the month of June is next Wednesday at 7:00 pm.  DO NOT I repeat -- DO NOT go to Jamie's  shop.  Dennis has offered his shop for the meeting plus he's going to show us how to make sliding dovetails with routers.  This joint is a great one to learn and a router is a quicker way to make it than working the joint by hand.
     The address for his shop is 4141 Oquendo, Suite #3.  You can Google it but here's the directions.  If you're approaching it off of Russell Road it's between Arville and Valley View.  Turn south on Wynn Road, go a short distance and it runs into Oquendo.  Turn west (right) and it's a very short section of road until Oquendo curves to the left.
     If you're approaching from Valley View you'd turn west off of Valley View onto Oquendo. Oquendo is just south of Russel Road and will curve left after a few blocks, that's where his shop is located.  There is plenty of parking on the north side of the street at a warehouse.  The shop is on the south side of Oquendo where turns left.  You'll see two big pine trees and #3 is under the first one.
     If you'd like to have a place to sit be sure to bring a chair.  Dues for the year will be collected at this meeting.  They are $20.00.  Hope to see you there.

     Last Wednesdays meeting turned out to be one of information and conversation.  Our guest speaker was Linda Stockton from Louis & Company, here's a link to their website .  I guess I showed my ignorance because I always thought that they were just a small, local company -- boy, was I wrong!  Jamie told me that she's been dealing with them locally for over 8 years and when she was back east the company she dealt with for 20 years or so was called Baer Supply but it is one and the same.  According to her, it's a huge company.  It seems that dealing with them will be much quicker than an internet order most of us probably make when we need items that we can't find here in Las Vegas.
     Linda brought many catalogs and samples of a line of abrasives they carry.  Louis & Company is also a distributor of SawStop, a brand anyone in woodworking is familiar with.

Vince talking with Linda (trying to get more freebies)

Looks as if she has their attention

     A topic that came up at the meeting was regarding Meet Up.  Many of you are familiar with it but some of you weren't.  It does seem to be a good way to let newcomers to our area find out about Sin City Woodworkers.  If you're not aware of Meet Up here is their website , it would be worth your while (and a couple of keystrokes) to register and check it out.  Besides this blog, it's another way to be informed of our meetings.  There seems to be hundreds of groups in the area with probably any kind of thing you'd be interested in -- check it out!
     Last of all, just a reminder that dues will be collected at the next meeting.  They're $20.00 for the year.  Also, that meeting will be at Dennis's shop which is on Oquendo.  I'll send out the address and directions as it gets closer.  I know there have been new members that may not be aware of this but if you do a presentation or demonstration at the meeting your dues for that year are waived.