Sep 132012
 
Morton's Shop: Joint the Edges
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I like to use my Lie-Nielsen #7 to clean up the edges of boards I’m about to edge-join.  This makes the edges square, clean and also allows me to make a sprung joint.  That’s a joint where the boards touch at the ends, but are slightly apart in the center – making a nice tight […]

Sep 122012
 
A Router Jig and A Little Extra Focus
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I’m working on a Les Paul style electric guitar build. Many guitars have tops that are somewhat flat, but in contrast, most Les Paul guitars have curves and angles that make them fairly sexy. One of these angles is on the front portion of the top, and I cut it with a router and special home-made jig. This approximately 5 degree angle […]

Sep 112012
 
Morton's Shop: Flatten the Top
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The two top boards are almost 2″ wide, which is much bigger than my machinery.  So, I pulled out a few hand tools and got to work.  I used an old #6 Stanley hand plane with a very camabered blade, a new Lie-Nielsen #7 and even a belt sander. I”d mostly use the Stanley #6 across the […]

Sep 072012
 
Take a look at the September 2012 Wood News Online!
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The September issue of Wood News Online is available now! With summer winding down, we are all getting back into our shops a bit more – take a look at this month’s Wood News for a little woodworking inspiration. And speaking of, we’ve got some inspired woodworking by Rod Scott in our Show Us Your Stuff column, […]

Sep 062012
 
Morton's Shop: Underside Support
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The rest of the underside support needs cutting out, drilling holes and finishing. I applied a black finish on these support pieces prior to attaching them to the top.  I put on one coat of TransTint black diluted in water and then one coat of shellac mixed with Mars Black Pigment. Morton is a furniture designer […]

Sep 042012
 
Morton's Shop: Shape the Support
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The two walnut boards for the top have very wavy grain and quite a few knots, making it unstable (in terms of wood movement).  To counteract this, I”m adding a fairly large support structure underneath. I use a french curve to find a pleasing shape and cut out the first one that will then be […]

Aug 312012
 
The Plane Facts: The Lie-Nielsen Convex Sole Block Plane
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This month I’m writing about one of Lie-Nielsen’s smallest planes, the Convex Sole Block Plane. Don’t discount the size though, as it can be as handy as any other plane in the lineup. The Convex Sole Block Plane is similar to other planes, in that it has a ductile cast iron body, an A-2 steel iron and a […]