wooden it be nice

Made a trip to A&M Wood Specialty last week. Wow.

I had gone there looking for white oak to replace the seat slats of a park bench left behind by the previous home owners. The bench is mostly heavy metal castings (iron?) but the seats themselves are still wood. It deserves to be saved; maybe next year I'll have it media-blasted and properly painted.

When he was free (it's a busy place), I spoke to Jerry - who talked me into a couple of slabs of Iroko instead. The wood came out of their thickness planer looking very nice indeed; almost too nice to sit on. According to what I've read, it won't require a protective finish when used outdoors. In addition, apparently, Iroko trees are inhabited by malevolent spirits who can drive people mad and cause them to die suddenly. Not the sort of thing that comes up in a typical "suitable applications for wood" conversation, though.

These will have to be ripped to width, cut to finished length and have the edges eased all 'round. I found a 10" Freud ripping blade on sale for $36 to replace the abused finishing blade that came with my used DeWALT contractor's saw. Come to think of it, the saw itself has been slightly abused; nothing irreparable however.

I'll pick up some stainless fasteners for the job. Yeah, they are a bit more expensive, but this stuff will be sitting outside for the rest of its life.

everything old

Yesterday, I was able to make time to visit the workshop of one of the local hobby machinists. He has been obtaining and rebuilding old machine tools for some time now and has done a really great job of it. His shop is possibly the best I've seen in terms of layout and utility. Nothing fancy, but the tools are well lit and there is enough equipment to tackle just about anything you can think of without having the tools jammed on top of one another.

One of the most gratifying things about this workshop is that none of the tools are new. They are objects that some people would have simply sent to the scrap pile - not because they weren't good enough to do a job, but merely because they were old. The owner has taken the time to restore, repair & rebuild a number of vintage pieces (one dating from the 20's) into useful machines that perform real work.

The thoughtful effort and planning that has to go into even one such project is not insignificant. Most people are simply not willing to undertake a task of this magnitude just for their hobby. A great number of people no longer possess the practical knowledge or manual skills to undertake it even if they had the time. Ways of learning the skills to do so are disappearing (people & institutions) and there seems to be little perceived value in the skilled trades. Too much hard work and, after all, why make or build when you can simply buy?

The satisfaction obtained through the offspring of the combined forces of hand and mind cannot be overestimated. The owner is duly proud of his results, and his work is certainly inspiring to myself and others. I look forward to visiting him again.

just plane tired

It has been a long time between posts (again), I'm afraid. Not that things haven't been happening; simply too much going on to allow a decent pause for reflection. However, I just took a bit of a break. So why am I tired?

Learning stuff.

Cramming more info into my brain can quickly wear me out, but I still find it enjoyable. This weekend I was fortunate to be able to attend a seminar at Lee Valley Tools (King St. location) with instructor Steve Der-Garabedian from Black Walnut Studio and fellow student Trevor Marshall. We were building wooden-bodied hand planes in the James Krenov style.

Trevor took a quick pic of me during the class (pic at right). I'm noting the manufacturer of an adjusting hammer that Steve had on display. It's from Glen-Drake Toolworks. Steve is in the background at the right.

Steve was the instructor who taught Trevor and me how to make a traditional 12" bow saw earlier this year; another positive experience. Steve is a personable and patient teacher with a great attitude towards working with wood. I'm already looking forward to the next chance to learn from him.

This style of plane is constructed of two sides, a rear block, a front block, a cross-pin and a wedge all made from the same chunk of wood. The blank is sawn, jointed, thicknessed and re-assembled in its original orientation to preserve the contiguous look of the material's grain after being carefully glued up. There are other plane-making methods that involve keeping the solid shape intact throughout the work but I believe they are less forgiving of the newcomer.

The entire project was fairly operations intensive. We ended up using the table saw, jointer, thickness planer, and bandsaw to form the block of dense Jatoba wood into the necessary shapes to create the final assembly. Yes, all of these dimensioning steps could be done using only hand tools (but certainly not in the time available) however at our current skill level we probably would have generated much more waste and delays due to inevitable errors. Tweaking the machine-made cuts was done with block planes, chisels and cabinet scrapers. While the slope where the blade would bed against could probably range anywhere from 41 to 49°, it was critical to get the relationship between the side of the plane and this bedding face as close to 90° as possible, otherwise the blade would be skewed in the mouth opening.

Ensuring all of the shaping tasks were done accurately and getting all the bits back together in the correct alignment was a bit nerve wracking. Once it's glued up, any gross errors will likely mean having to start over from the beginning - while small mistakes could be recovered from with copious assistance from our instructor.

A thick, heavy blade and cap iron made by Ron Hock was set in place to permit final treatment (under working stresses) of the sole on fine sandpaper & a very very (very) flat surface (granite plate, float glass, or cast-iron jointer bed). BTW, Ron also sells plans for various Krenov planes at his website.

The most fiddly step was properly setting the mouth opening where the blade would eventually pass through. You have to plan for at least one pass over the jointer and a few passes over the fine sandpaper once the gluing is done and the clamps are released. If you under (or over) estimate the finished size of this opening, you can shorten the working life of the plane or leave yourself a lot of extra work to make it operational. In the end, some careful work with a safe-edged file, a precision square, and a lot of squinting produced the properly proportioned mouth for the blade.

Steve always emphasises that we should proceed slowly & carefully and ask questions at any time we were uncertain how to move ahead. This measured pace of progress is a refreshing change for me. This pastime definitely has a lot to teach people about patience and perseverance.

This course was intended to make a 'smoothing' plane, which takes the last fine shavings off of a workpiece to bring it to a final, almost polished finish. This level of workmanship is a lot to ask of newcomers, but I think we actually succeeded. I was able to take fine passes over a block of maple and remove just the thinnest wisps of material. Very gratifying!

I still have more work to do to refine the shape of the plane body. Steve recommends working with it for a while to see how it feels in use; i.e. which corners dig into your palm or finger, etc. Saws, rasps, spokeshaves, and sandpaper will no doubt be applied to the body to render it a more pleasing form. I couldn't resist bandsawing off the alignment pins at the extreme ends of the glued-up block and performing a bit of preliminary rounding on the stationary sander before I left the class, though...

Alas, I took no pics of the actual event - I was too busy being absorbed by the work :-) but I did take a couple of pics a few minutes ago. Here is what the plane looks like today....

Note the fine, lacy shavings taken from the maple block.

Wooden bodied planes are adjusted by hitting the body of the plane with a hammer. Hard in the centre of the back face to draw the blade upwards (reduce depth of cut) and gently at the top edge of the blade itself to push it down (increase depth of cut). To adjust the blade left and right, an even more gentle tap with the hammer on the respective side of the blade. After each adjustment, the wedge is tapped down to ensure the blade doesn't get pushed back up into the body during a cut. A bit of paraffin wax can be lightly rubbed on the sole to smooth the action.

I'll have to get used to the idea that this plane will alter with time, temperature, and humidity. It may work fine today but not next week as it 'moves' due to changes in the environment and its own wear pattern. Lots to learn, lots to remember, and lots to practise.

chop chop

Only small progress to speak of, but progress nonetheless. It still amazes me how quickly we can be overwhelmed by seemingly inconsequential daily occurrences.

How do they do it? Volume! It is "the death of a thousand cuts". Each incident, taken singly, has an infinitesimal impact. Piled high upon your shoulders, the sum total can seem an impossible burden.

Conventional wisdom states that consuming an elephant should be done "one bite at a time". Pace yourself. Take a break now and then. Don't let the towering mass get you down. Patience & Perseverance, etc.

I'm off for another morsel...

survey says:

"More shade".

It gets hot here in the summer. In order to minimise exposure to the sun while running trains in the garden, I've settled on the 'more shade' versus 'less wet' option for the location of the track. Time will tell if this decision is a good one; I may need to invest in some Wellingtons.

I'll use a couple of garden hoses to establish the (very simple) arrangment of track. I'd like to minimise the impact on mowing and trimming the grass-like substances that cover the ground, so I'll have to leave room for the passage of a garden tractor at the periphery.

In terms of route, it will be a simple oval with a siding offering a spot for guests to 'steam-up'. 32mm gauge, single track. Still looking for an inexpensive method of raising the track off the ground; galvanised steel fence posts are the current front-runner for the job.

Going to visit another garden railroader who is using raised track this week. I vaguely recall his solution being practical and effective. More investigation is warranted, but I can (at least) lay out the route with wooden stakes and see how it looks.

hazy crazy lazy...

...days of Summer. At least the first two terms are accurate. Lazy, I'm not so sure of.

Too many activities to jam into the space between a wet Spring and a cool Autumn. Despite longer daylight hours, the highly desirable hobby pursuits - trains, machining, woodworking - seem to get pushed off to the side far too easily.

This isn't to say that overall gains are not being made. Things are getting done; far more of the 'must-do' versus several fewer of the 'nice-to-haves'; and these all build towards the grail-like end goal we have each set for ourselves.

The process of making things 'a little better tomorrow than they are today' continues unabated. It is important to look at achievement and progress in terms of trends, otherwise even a small setback or delay will take on a weight disproportionate to its long term impact.

Once a few items that are beyond personal control settle themselves, and a couple of self-serving tasks are brought to a conclusion, there will be more leisure and less lament.

stories & treasures

Tools are funny things; especially old tools. Looking at, and handling, an old tool tells you a story. Every mark on each tool is part of the (mis)adventure of the tool's - and its owner's - life. Last year I came into possession of some tools from a deceased relative. At the time, they were appreciated as being kept in the family and carefully set aside as 'maybe I can use these one day' items. This year, the wood bug bit hard and I went digging into my past; I am now very glad that I did.

First out of the box was my grandfather's Bailey #4 (casting date 1910). The tote needs to be fixed, but it is otherwise in good condition. I remember him using it to plane down the edge of a sticking door. I can also recall his oilstone with a gouge down the centre that he could never quite get rid of; but he managed to sharpen tools with it anyway. This should make a nice scrub plane, and I can be reminded of him every time I use it.

Next up was a #5 Bailey in great condition. Now I have a pair! These will each get differently ground irons for different jobs. The #5 is long enough to true up the edge of a fairly long board, but it also serves admirably in flattening boards across their width.

Another great find was a Stanley 9-1/2 block plane with adjustable mouth. It needs a little squaring up of the moving part but is otherwise serviceable. I should be able to correct this once I get the machine tools going in the shop.

Six medium sized turning tools; skew, v, parting, and gouges. I don't (yet) own a wood lathe, but I suppose a treadle or spring-pole lathe project would be a fun undertaking :-) .

A large Yankee screwdriver. The twist-lock for the extensible shaft needs to be repaired but otherwise it seems to work just fine. The most common bit (back in the day) was for slot head screws and I simply dislike using this type for all but decorative applications. But, thanks to some retro-futurist, hex-bit adapters are now available to allow the use of any modern, 1/4" shank bit. Hurrah!

A Stanley #151 adjustable spokeshave. I've already cleaned up the sole on this and had a go at one of the many pine scraps. The iron is still sharp and takes a nice, controllable cut thanks to the thoughtfully shaped handle castings.

A Stanley #80 scraper with the 'sweetheart' logo. This has a crusty, rusty sole but is otherwise solid. And I couldn't help but notice that the edge of the blade is still very, very sharp. Very.

** Lee Valley sells replacement blades and irons for many vintage cutting tools **

An 8" throw, Stanley "Victor" #965 drill brace with the 'sweetheart' logo. A little oiling of the moving parts and it now turns just as well as the day it came from the factory.

7 auger bits in a terrible state. It's doubtful that I can save more than 2 of them. Sad, really.

A pair of 10", German made tin snips. I haven't tried cutting anything with these yet, but the 'ess' curves of the forged handles are visually appealing in a way that modern stuff mostly isn't.

A brass-and-wood sliding T-bevel. This needs a good clean-up and testing for straightness of the stock and blade. Nicely made and has a smaller form-factor than my own T-bevel.

All of the tools are nicked, scratched, scuffed, and otherwise show signs of use, wear, and care. Some of them have been around for 100 years, now. Still useful, still appreciated, still capable of doing good work. I'm going to clean them up, resharpen the cutting edges, and replace any broken or damaged components as best I can. Then they will be employed in my own projects and on various tasks for my friends, writing yet more chapters in their long stories. Maybe they'll be around for another 100 years...

slowly I turned...

step by step, inch by inch...

Nope. neither the Stooges nor Abbott & Costello are doing their respective Niagara Falls bit within my blog. However, Millers Falls once again appears in the story. I picked up one of their fine router planes at that same antique market, along with a mint condition Eclipse saw set. On the way back I noted a 60's vintage Rockwell-Beaver 4" jointer sitting roadside with appropriate signage and, after a short chat with the seller, loaded this find into the back of the vehicle to also take up residence in the (already) crowded house. Solid castings, sharp blades, and a small footprint. What am I thinking of using it for? Making wooden planes, of course...

Missing from the 'ideal equipment' list is a vertical bandsaw, a set of auger bits for the brace, various types of chisels (mortise & paring, at least), plus a solid workbench to undertake the projects upon. Otherwise I believe I am well & truly outfitted with tools, if not quite the energy or time to use them.

Making space for all this is key. Progress on that front has been made, and continues to grind slowly onward to the goal of empty cubic feet. Look for 'For Sale' notices covering a variety of tools, books, models. and so forth in the near future.

salvage central

After work yesterday I was wandering a local hamlet's antique market after sampling the wares at their quaint little bakery (excellent date squares, if you must know). Lo and behold a there was a Stanley/Bailey #5 fore plane with "Made in Canada" in the top of the casting. In another overflowing room, a pristine Millers Falls ratcheting brace was revealed in a pile of lesser quality fare. Everything was 20% off the marked price, so I grabbed these two items forthwith.

The base of the plane has been slightly (and foolishly) abused, but should be easily repaired with a little careful work. It's equipped with a square-ground iron which I will regrind and sharpen to an 8" radius. The brace only needed some small streaks of ancient, pale green paint cleaned off the handle; both chuck and ratchet teeth are in really fantastic condition.

I went to the roadhouse...

and I got myself a...
chocolate milkshake and a Philly steak & cheese. Yeah, I know it isn't the same as the song - but I won't get sued by the RIAA, either.

If you're ever in Calgary, and even just a little hungry, eat here:

day 2, part 1

The second day in Calgary dawned bright and clear. The clarity & cleanliness of the air out there is surely something worth experiencing.

My host (Dean) and I tore off on another visit, this time to Geoff Southwood's place to see his in-progress HO Boston & Maine layout. Geoff is very nicely integrating his layout into his beautiful home as he goes along; no forests of unfinished benchwork cluttering up the place endlessly for him. I can appreciate his desire not to be surrounded by visual chaos for ages, even at the expense of not being able to run op sessions by getting all the track down first.

The layout will be two levels, and will feature RDC's and many other recognisable staples of the B&M.

Keeping it real - a simple plan but an attainable goal.

Some modeller's licence in the harbour interior. Water still to be poured.

What is New England without antique shops?

Fine dining on the waterfront.

The harbour grow-out. The fascia treatment is very clean.

Two legs of the wye.

An overall shot of the primary portion of the layout,
with bookshelves neatly included in the design.

beady little I

An attempt at a length of moulded edge using the Stanley 55. A short, warped piece of pine proved to be the first victim. 1/4" bead along the bottom edge and 3/8" bead along the top edge (to different depths) leaving a shadowy step in the middle.

Immediately, I can see the need for a proper length & height planing bench with better stops & clamps (sorry, trusty old Workmate). However - since I have still not sharpened or cleaned anything, nor deployed the slitting cutters ahead of the irons, I am mightily pleased. A tiny bit of tearout was quickly dealt with using the impressive Lee Valley spokeshave.

I can easily imagine a bedside table with a similar edge on its top...

ploughing ahead

I now have (most of) a Stanley #55 universal plane. Thanks to favourable planetary alignments I was able to obtain this plane for my own use and am looking forward to tackling various projects.

I said "most of" as the plane is not quite complete. There are more than enough components to perform various rabbet, dado, and beading functions - which should see me well along the learning curve. Careful browsing of eBay and various antique tool vendors should eventually garner the rest of the parts, opening up even more capabilities. It did come complete with 17 brand new cutters from Record Tools in England, so I won't be scrabbling around looking for irons just to get started.

This particular tool is, by many accounts, a notoriously difficult piece of equipment to coax into its best behaviour. However, within 1/2 hour of receipt and only cursory inspection of the instructions, I was ploughing a precise 1/4" groove along the edge of pine board to a fixed depth. I won't say it was effortless, but it certainly wasn't the torturous journey some people would have you believe. That said, I can already see that setting up multiple cutters in succession to create a complicated bit of casing or crown will be a matter of patience & perseverance.

I am not surprised that a tool in excess of 100 years old (if I read the markings on this example correctly) remains able to continue its work in the manner it began. Not much can be expected in the way of longevity for most offerings in the trade today. I am extremely pleased to be able to accompany this tool into its second century of useful output (and it will likely outlast me). A little cleaning and sharpening is all that is required to allow me to undertake some further experiments. My expectations are high.

a bit of British

A short break from Supertrain. I was going to stay home this weekend, but decided to take in the 2012 Great British Train Show in the neighbouring city. I'm glad I did. As usual, there were many examples of fine modelling, and the chance to outfit and entire OO layout with locomotives and rolling stock from the vendor tables. I once more resisted the latter.

One thing that I didn't expect to see was the following:

Lineside Lorries, 4mm scale cardstock vehicles. Yes, cardstock. They were on display at Brian Fayle's micro layout "Underneath the Arches". These 'plans kits' are from the 1940's. You got a set of plans, cut out all of the pieces in various thicknesses of cardstock, gave each piece a coat of shellac, and laminated them together with 'Seccotine' fish glue. The wheels are the only commercial parts; they are whitemetal castings. The glass is celluloid film, sandwiched between layers of card. The models that Brian had on the table were the better part of 70 years old. Impressive longevity...

hitting the wall

I came across a well weathered wall while I was on holiday. Stood back about 20 feet and took a shot. This should represent looking at an O scale wall from about 4". Notice what isn't in the picture.

You guessed it; no nail holes. You can make out the odd nail head, and easily see indications of where the studs are. Lots of flaked paint down at the bottom, and lots of chalky (or dusty, the rain doesn't hit it up there) looking paint at the top. This illustrates the importance of modelling something by looking at real world references rather than based on impressions, memories, or word-of-mouth approaches. Find the actually item you want to model, or take a picture of it in good lighting conditions, and try to emulate what is really there. 

meeting of the (like) minds

There I was, many thousands of miles from home, in the middle of an unfamiliar (but enjoyable) train show. A complete stranger walked up to me and, by way of introduction, spoke the words of a running gag that we enjoy on the Model Rail Radio podcast. This gentleman had heard I was going to be at Supertrain and had wondered how he would recognise me. Lucky for him I was wearing a red-sleeved baseball jersey with a huge MRR logo on the front.

It was a real treat for me to meet Andy Thomas, an N scale modeller from out west, who listens to the podcast. Andy is busy with a layout project which he is documenting on his own blog site  http://nscalefortstjohnsub.wordpress.com/
I hope that Andy can find the time to call in to the show and bring everyone up to speed on his layout plans; they look interesting and I'm sure he has some knowedge to share.

day 1, part 1

The primary reason to visit Gary Graham's place was to see the progress on his On2/On3/Proto48 layout. His track design and scenery crew are empowered to make changes deemed necessary to ensure smooth running and appropriate landscape appearance. The track plan is not written in stone, and has undergone many changes. Gary has stopped trying to paint the fascia as the frequent plasterwork by the crew stains the fresh coat almost as soon as he turns his back on it. The arrangement (for the moment) is point-to-loop, with On3 on the high-line and On2 on the lower alignment. I would really enjoy coming back and seeing this layout when it is nearer to completion.

day 1, part 1.5

The first visit on the evening of day one took us to Gary Graham's place. Bill Kerr and Gary have been building an entry for the newest feature of Supertrain, the diorama display. My host Dean and I got a good look at the diorama before the show itself. The track is handlaid for 2' gauge in O scale. The railcar is a model of a Maine prototype. Foliage is from Selkirk Scenery fall colours range.

Gee, those cows look familiar... Why, they are S Scale cows! All the way from Trevor's surplus stock yard in Ontario to the wilds of Calgary to populate an O scale diorama! 

can it

Well known British Columbia modeller Tom Beaton likes to build dioramas in unusual containers. Here are two examples that he had on display with the South Bank Short Line group at Supertrain. The first one is in a section of Sonotube normally used as a concrete form for posts. The second is in an old milk can that was partially rusted away. Nice conversation pieces for the living room...

A close-up of the Sonotube diorama.

Closer to the milk can...

And closer still...

day 1, part 2

I arrived in Calgary for Supertrain 2012 on the Wednesday afternoon before the show. I figured that day one would be used up getting sorted out and settled in. Local Calgarian Bill Kerr, owner of Selkirk Scenery and a talented modeller, had other ideas. Bill wanted to show my gracious host (Dean) and me some sights before the show. Our second visit of the night was to see Herbert Stroh's impressive 2-rail O scale Canadian Pacific layout. Herb's presentation and quality of work is excellent, as you can see from these snapshots...

Along the edge of town.

All the track is handlaid on wood ties.

A magnificent 6' trestle.

Down by the roundhouse.

Ready for a day on the lake.

Looking up at the mine buildings.

Herb scratchbuilt this Consolidation in 1971