New Mailbox Post

Recently I decided I was fed up with the mailbox post I bought from the Home Depot when we moved into this house in 2004. Not that there was anything wrong with it, but I wanted something just as rugged but with a bit more style.

The post we had was made out of 4x4 material, and I suppose it was pressure treated, but it weathered fast and it was always subject to twisting in the heavy winds we get here in North Texas. Violent twisting at times. My version was likewise constructed of 4x4 pressure treated lumber, with the addition of some 2x pressure treated stock for bracing.

Of course, as soon as I was done with my new mailbox post my neighbor saw it and asked me to build one for her as well. Since her house is almost directly across the street from mine I elected to change the design slightly just so they didn't look exactly alike. And in this post (and a couple to follow) I'll explain how I built them both.

Starting with an 8 foot section of pressure treated 4x4 inch lumber, I then cut off a 31" section for the crosspiece. This is a bit oversized from the final dimensions, and it also leaves the upright portion oversized.

I'm not too terribly concerned with minor defects in the wood I'm using because our neighborhood lends itself to a rustic look. Also, the interior of our home has a slightly rustic look to it, and will become more rustic as we begin redoing all the rooms, one-at-a-time.

Step two is to simply run both pieces through the table saw with the blade tilted at 45º to bevel the edges. I set the fence at 3 1/8" so the blade takes off a thin strip from each corner of the 4x4 material, which actually measures 3 1/2" on each side. I do this now instead of before step one because it's easier to handle the shorter pieces of wood in my small shop, but you could do this first if you have room. It really makes no difference.

The next step is to create the joinery for the crosspiece to mount on the upright. In this case I'm creating a half-lap joint by removing half of the material on each piece where they will meet the other piece. If I were building fine furniture I would use a different technique for this joint, but this will be sitting outside and, as I said earlier, rustic is fine.

So, my procedure is to simply define the shoulders of the joint, then make spaced cuts between the shoulders leaving about 1/8" to 3/16" between each cut. Afterward I can simply break the waste pieces out of the joint by hand and then clean it up with a sharp chisel.

This method saves a lot of time and results in a perfectly fine joint.

The original post I'm replacing with this new one had a similar joint, but the dados were more than an inch wider than the post, so the only strength in the joint came from two 1/4" lag screws. That's not the best configuration. I'm making sure the joint I'm cutting is just tight enough to stay put after sliding it together.

Following are the photos depicting this procedure. In my next entry I'll bevel the ends of each piece and join the pieces together.

Be sure to check out my Etsy shop, where I have lots of items available to accent your décor. And I have just listed (you guessed it) a Mailbox Post you can buy and put together yourself in a matter of minutes.

jn3 Hand Crafted Woodworks, Spring, 2010: The Video

Check out all of my handmade wooden art at Design Style Guide and Etsy.

Participating in the I Made It Blog Party today, Thursday, June 10, 2010.

Router Table: Part 7

A quick note up front: The bronchitis is completely gone. The slight rib pain lingers. I'll live.

The table, as reported earlier, is finished to the point where I can use it. Storage to come later, and I'll be able to use the router table to help mill up the parts for it.

I finished the fence as well. Here you can see it from the front. It is mounted to the table saw fence, and I'll be able to use it from either side of the bit by simply turning it around and mounting it to the opposite side of the table saw fence.

I built in the dust collection. There is a channel inside the fence, connecting the opening at the bit to a flexible hose which leads to the "Y" near the floor and then to the vacuum hose itself. I blocked off the other half of the channel inside the fence.

I shouldn't have any major static electricity issues with such a short run of PVC/flexible plastic tubing. If that assumption turns out to be wrong I can always add some grounded copper wire to the system to carry the charge away. For those who don't know, static charges in a dust collection system can be extremely dangerous; a spark generated inside the hose can ignite the wood dust and cause an explosion.

Here is the sacrificial face mounted to the fence. It splits in front to allow access to the bit (I may be over-explaining this for some of you, but others are unfamiliar with the tools of the trade and how they operate). I'll mill up another face with no split and just run a bit up into it to make the opening. I'll have use for both. Also, I think I want to build a much longer version of the split fence to use for jointing the edges of my stock. I don't have a jointer in my shop. If I get one it will need to be a bench-top model because I just don't have room for anything bigger.

Here you can see how the face is attached to the fence. T-bolts run through the fence into the slotted holes in the face. I can slide the face left and right, positioning it where I need it, then tighten down the knobs to secure it in place. If I need one side to be proud of the other (that means one face will protrude farther forward than the other, useful if I'm taking material off of the entire edge of my stock), all I have to do is add some shims behind it and tighten the knobs down, capturing the shims between the face and the fence.

Router Table: Part 6 (Really)

I had bronchitis. I know I have written about it already, but it needs to be repeated: I had bronchitis so bad I nearly passed out in the shower! And that was AFTER I had gone to the doctor and was already taking antibiotics. My wife was also sick at that time, and she had taken some medicine which made her a little loopy. My son was home, however, and he and his friend, Dylan, from Kansas, drove me to the doctor's office.

The second round of antibiotics was much stronger than the first, and it made an immediate difference. I felt much better by the next morning. But I started coughing a lot. A whole lot. So much so, and so violently, that I tore some muscle tissue in my rib cage. And then I dislocated a rib. It still hurts.

The upshot of all of this is that my router table project was seriously delayed. In fact, just this afternoon I finally got it to the point where I could stand it up. It is now mostly leveled, and I only have to trim it out, add a fence with dust collection built in, and some shelves on the front side, and I have to secure the table to my table saw so it doesn't try to walk away during use.

I have already been asked why I didn't replace the right extension wing of my table saw with the router table. I felt I was better off having as much stability as possible for large projects. Anyway, if I had replaced the wing I would have built all the way to the ends of the rails, so what's the difference, other than having the router mounted a bit further to the left?

You can't see it, but that's a Porter Cable 890 Series router mounted under a Rockler router plate.

Dust collection is built into the table with PVC parts. There's a "Y" attached to allow collection from the fence using the same shop vac.

Tomorrow I have to finish painting a cardinal to be placed on my grandmother's grave in a couple of weeks. While the paint is drying I'll continue working on this router table.

Cleaned Up the Woodshop

Alrighty!!! I have pretty much put everything in it's place in the woodshop. And for the first time in months my bench is clear of all clutter and ready for me to start a brand-spankin'-new project.

That new project will be a big five pointed star for my son's school. 6 feet tall. Plywood. And I should have already started it but I need a couple of bits of information first, so I'll begin building it later this week. I still don't really know what it will be used for, but they need it, he wants me to build it, and that's enough for me.

And then I'll build my router table! I've been waiting for this for about a year! I just can't wait to get moving on it.

You can see in these photos how the new assembly table is the same height as the bench. It's also the same height as the table saw. This allows me to use both the bench and the assembly table as out-feed support for long pieces or sheet goods. In many cases I'll still need a roller stand or two between the table saw and the tables, but the added support the tables can provide is a nearly priceless addition to my shop.

I've had a great time putting all these pieces in place, and I'm going to enjoy the building process on the router table as well. After that, it's time to put all this equipment to good use. My Design Style Guide teammates are probably thinking I have given up building new candle holders and wine rests. In reality I'm just gearing up to add some major twists to my designs.

Workshop Upgrades

I have added a set of cubby-holes to store my screws, nuts, bolts, earplugs, etc. And I added some dowels to hold small clamps and a strip along the bottom to hold spring clamps.

This, along with the shelves under the new assembly table, clears up vast amounts of space for storage. I've been cramped into this building for close to two years, but I always knew I could make more room by building the new table. Ironic, really, since the assembly table is the largest single item in my shop.

As shown before, the arm that holds the vacuum hose for my drill press has been moved. And I upgraded it with two new handles to make adjusting it easier. I thought about putting on the side of the press opposite the work light, but when I had it that way before I had obstacles on both sides of my work piece. This way I can simply place the flexible tube around the light so I can see clearly, and the right side of my work piece is open. Problem solved! And the arm can lift out of the way if needed.

Assembly Table Progress, part one

I'm building an assembly table against the back wall of my shop. The building is VERY overcrowded at the moment. I'm stepping around stuff and moving things every day so I can reach the walls and floor and build this table. It's not much fun doing things this way, and the photos are difficult as well, but this is what I have, and it will be fine in the end.

This unit will consist of the table top (natch), a bottom shelf on both ends and the two sections beside the ends, and a middle shelf in the two sections beside the ends. The center two sections will eventually hold some drawers. The bottom shelf will hold an air compressor on one end, with no middle shelf over it to allow easy access. And I'm building the other end of the table the same way in case I have need of easy access to some other tool I haven't considered yet. And I have no idea whatsoever if any of that description was clear. There will be more photos, though, so that should take care of it.

Right now I have most of the framework built. I would have been further along, but the weather has been so cold lately it's been very difficult to work. It was 8º F here in North Texas a few nights ago. It's hard to pick up a drill driver or use a hammer when you can't feel your fingers, and my heater just doesn't have enough power to overcome that sort of arctic blast.

There will be more photos later, and I will update you at that point.

BeachyRustica: Design Style Guide Artist Interview

Okay, wood fans. I'm making a commitment to blog more in the coming months. Right now, however, you can read an interview I conducted over at our new Design Style Guide Community blog. Check it out. You'll get to read about the beautiful drawer pulls you see here. The artist is really an... well, an artist.

I'm a Featured Blogger!

If you cruise over to Home Office Furniture and look in the upper left hand corner you'll see a little box that says "Featured Blog." And jn3 Hand Crafted Woodworks is the featured blog at this time.

I'm very happy that someone besides the people I can recognize on sight is reading my blog. And now that I'll have a little more time to devote to it I plan to update it soon with brand new swashbuckling tales of furniture design and construction.

Thanks, Home Furniture Depot, for featuring my blog! I really do appreciate it.

DSG North Texas

On Saturday, April 18, 2009, three of the charter members of the DSG North Texas group met for the first time at La Madeleine on South Cooper in Arlington, Texas. And there was much rejoicing.

Present at this meeting were Ellen Kreager of Thunder Moon Designs, Liz Ballard of Lizardo Art, me, Liz's boyfriend, Ben, and my wife, Debra. Soup and sandwiches were eaten, tea consumed, and we talked for 90 minutes or so about DSG, Texas, our North Texas group, how to go about promoting each other's work, craft shows, interior designers, etc.

La Madeleine was a surprisingly good place to meet, even if they didn't have a private room. When I was still a member of Etsy Texas Crafters we met at a different La Madeleine, in Fort Worth, and we had a room to ourselves. That works better, but this was fine. On a Saturday afternoon there are lots of people stopping in from the Parks Mall, but they don't stay very long, and nobody bothered us while we were talking.

What will come out of this meeting and a couple of discussions in our online networking group is a plan of attack, a flexible idea of how to sell our own work while promoting the work of the other members of DSG North Texas. And one of the most likely ideas to come out of this will be attending en masses the various craft shows in the area. This will require reserving booth space next to -- or at least near -- each other, talking to customers about how something from another member shop will go well with whatever they are looking at in our own shops, and having fun with the customers while taking the whole concept seriously. I know this works because I've seen it very successfully demonstrated at comic book conventions and science fiction conventions.

I have really good feelings about this group. A few more members will help us spread the marketing message out to enough customers for the idea to take hold, and I have some candidates in mind, but this can work even with the three members who attended this meeting. We're all intelligent, we all want to increase our sales, we all produce high quality consumables, we all have hair on the tops of our heads...

Okay, not really sure where I was going with that, but I do know we can succeed, that this will work for us. I left this meeting with a big smile on my face. I can't wait to tell Kristina Law, our Design Style Guide Big Cheese in Charge, all about it!