Tool Box – and Other Projects

Making Plugs…. Some of this is counterintuitive but follow the process and this ensures the end grain is always at the end of the plug…
Cut the Iroka along the grain…
Chop it into sections and glue up (epoxy)
And then turn to size … in this case 55 45 & 35mm diameter and the plugs used on the Rose of Devon ‘s backbone
Church rail from rare local elm. Dave the Forge made the fastenings and L’David started the shaping whilst chatting in the workshop.

Oars

I added marks so they can also be used for depth gauge…heaven forbid!
Now this was fun! I haven’t sown in my life, so measuring, back glueing and double stitching the buffalo hide took some research and practice but it works a treat to settle the oar in the rollocks.
Getting the sister oar to match the first one involved redoing the sanding and shaping on both together to get a look of symmetry. The handles are hand shaped developing the round by reducing a square side of 4 to 8 to 16 and finally 32 sides prior to planing over to round off. These are too big for the lathe.
I really enjoyed making the second oar, building a ridge in the spine of the paddle with that little Bollow plane is the perfect evening job to accompany a glass of Cote de Rhône!
Scarfing in the oar ends to protect the paddle – to be honest I gave these a thick coat of epoxy and paint (green and red) to beaten them up.
This is one of a pair to be built for “Piety”. They are 8’6” long and made from Larch with mahogany insets in the blade.
To hollow out the blade I made a “Bollow” Plane – I needed two attempts – from beech and an old 1930s blade ground and curved. A beautiful little tool that nestles in the palm and shapes well.
More to follow on this project as the tip needs an end scarf piece and the end a handle with leather etc. A simply great thing to do!

Bench Vice

Started with a bit of off cut oak from the keel of Piety and asked “Dave the Forge” next door to make up the metal elements. The purpose of this vice is to be able to do jointing work at chest height with a very powerful grip. It can be semi portable, but also I have fixed it up with a floor and bench fastening. The design comes from Wooden Boat magazine 2004 and is an outstanding bit of kit.
The shorter face is the moveable face and once they are cut to shape they can be mated and machined together. I cut the “through” holes using the outer face as a template.
You can see the lower ratchet…now this is important and allows the vice to open up some 6” whilst still clamping vertically and gripping evenly.
And there it is-as tough as old boots!

Tree Nails

A friend and neighbour, Don White who we buried recently down at the Church was a MasterTurner and famous for it. He gave me a couple of days at his lathe last year and we did up my old Myford Lathe together after that. It’s great to learn a little from a man who made his living from the lathe. The lathe was given to me by Peter Booth who inherited it from his father — so its 70 years old or so. (NB not Peter)

I was looking at “planking” a boat using tree nails as fasteners so that seemed a good excuse to use up some off cut Oak and turn a few nails.

It was a good excuse to also use the Morticer – (ex Funeral Director’s) and put some holes in it ..
And there we go ready for the “Platelayers Hut“ wall for the gardening tools..
The “PlateLayers” Hut

Tool Box

This tool box is made from Ash from our hedgerows and local oak. It is built using traditional design and joints. The beauty about this tool box is that it can be made to measure and I have fitted it out specifically for my better wood working tools.

The casket is ash with an oak handle profiled to hand and fitted with a 8mm stud hidden and tapped into the ends.

The front is cut out to form an opening to store saws etc. It is lined with 10mm oak.
I am adding to this all the time!
Finished now and the box is a central part of the workshop — the chisels I kept in the wrap to protect them and make room for drills and small router cutters etc..
Developed further the shelf system and added an old signal indicator!