Essentials Oils Carrying Case part 13

Buenas dias my friends from Costa Rica.

Well here we are at the end of a most wonderful journey, at least for me it was. We have come to the last post of the Essentials Oils Carrying Case. I don't know if it is bad to end on the 13th lesson. Personally I don't believe in good or bad luck, but just the providence of God. So let's jump into the finishing stages and then I will make some concluding remarks.

So as we came to the end of the last post I was ready to perform a Henry the VII by cutting of the top of the case. I was a bit nervous to do this because I wanted it to come out straight and with out any problems. I first placed some blue painters tape around the entire box and then marked out where the cut would be.

I then clamped a straight edge to help guide my saw.

Then I took my 16" Badaxe "Jack Saw", which has the hybrid cut. I got that one because I can't afford a slew of saws in my kit. With the hybrid you can rip and cross cut fairly well. I have to say the Badaxe saws are incredible. I honestly didn't know what it was like to cut with a good saw until I got a Badaxe. I also have a Lie-Nielsen dovetail saw which is a good one, but I still like the Badaxe much more.  Anyway I took slow steady cuts starting at one corner slowly working my way to the other corner.

Once I cut completely through one side I then turned the box and did the same to the next side only cutting until I broke through. As you can see it turned out quite well. I did have some chip out even with the tape on but it only occurred on the side closest to my hand or the handle of the saw.

Once I got the top cut off I smoothed out the surface that was cut and did some final finishing. I had originally though to pad on some shellac and then tone down the gloss to a satin sheen, but once I saw how the gloss finish looked I decided to keep it because my wife likes that type of high gloss finish.

I did run into one problem that I had no idea would happen. I had set the case on my finishing table under a cloth to protect the bottom. Off to the side I had a jar of alcohol with a brush in it. I knocked over the jar but since there wasn't much alcohol in it I didn't think much off it and it really wasn't near the box or had splashed on it. Unknowingly to me the alcohol had spilled on the cloth which absorbed it all and part of it reached a corner of the box. When I went to lift the box up to apply another coat of finish it was stuck to the cloth. I pulled it off and saw that all the finished had been removed from one corner of the bottom of the box. I had no idea alcohol could do that but when you think of it it makes sense since alcohol is used in mixing the shellac and such. So I just sanding it down and reapplied it with out any problems. Lesson learned.

I think you can see in the one picture the drawing for the post to the music stand I will be making for my church.

So after the repair I was ready to install all the hardware. I followed Tom Fidgen's hardware installation for his "Good Doctor's Medicine Chest" since I was using similar hardware. One thing I have to say the Brusso hinges are incredible. They are so well made and well worth the price. At first I balked at paying so much for a hinge when you can get them at your local hardware store for so much cheaper but after seeing and using them I am sold. I have to admit the main cost for this project was in the hardware but it is well worth it to buy good products. So the hinges went in really well and the top actually lined up well with the case.

Next was the small lock for the lid. This was probably over kill but I really enjoyed installing this one. I didn't realize how small it was until I had it in my hand. It looks bigger in Tom's book and maybe that is due to him having smaller hands than me. Anyway I didn't have any blow out of the side walls when drilling and chopping out the hole, praise the Lord. and the catch that attached to lid actually lined up. I think you can see I am excited about my progress in my abilities.

So here is the finished product with the handle installed. I also installed to bullet catches at the bottom of each drawer to prevent them from sliding open when my wife is carrying the case around. Overall I think it turned out well and I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed this journey building this case with only hand tools. I hope you all enjoyed this journey as well.

So reflecting on all that has transpired through this project. It was a little over a year ago that I started my journey of unplugging my shop and building with only hand tools. If you see my photo at the top side of the blog you will see me sitting next to my oldest son Jonathan. It was because of his request that I started with hand tools only. He had requested tools for his birthday so he could work with his dad. That put a desire in me to build him a simple workbench. It was the workbench that I started using hand tools to build because I had sold my electric planer to keep the noise down in my shop. You will have to read my introductory posts to understand why that was a problem. But is was that bench that I realized I was able to use hand planes and produce a decent product. Since than I have grown in my acquisition of hand tools and have searched the web furiously for help learning how to build with only hand tools. Again I want to thank Tom Fidgen for his passion to build with only hand tools. He has been a great help and a good friend, though we have not yet met face to face. This project had taught me a lot about dimensioning lumber, resawing the lumber and using hand planes. A couple things I have come away with are that above all make sure your tools are sharp. I have a list of tools I would love to buy but they are on hold until I get my sharpening station set up. I am going to try the new diamond stones since many are raving about them. Along with that make sure you have decent tools. You could get by with bargain brands but you will struggle with them. That doesn't mean you have to break the bank to get a good starter set. Search the web, watch youtube. There are no end to those who wish to help others get started in the craft. Along with that keep working. Don't wait until you have all the tools, start with what you have and then build up your collection. Then one final thing I would like to add, and it has to do with attitude. I have always been a content woodworker, being content with my results no matter if they looked good or not. I would eventually; say "oh well, it is good enough for government work." which meant if it didn't look that good no big deal. With this project I notice at times I was tempted to go that route but tried to stay away from it. Watching guys like Tom who produce incredible works of art is really inspiring, but when you get to the shop all fired up to do the same and the results are quite different it can be debilitating to one's desire and motivation. It is then that one must make the decision and determination to keep going, "Sigue Adelante" is what the Costaricans say. Push on to improve you ability and don't be content with just getting a project finish. Did this case turn out perfect, no. But it is something I have never been able to produce before, especially by hand. I thank the Lord for the ability to do such things and pray and hope that there are many more projects to come with better and better results, and hopefully better tools in my chest also.

Well, my friends as I said before, I hope you enjoyed the journey through building this project. I know I have. So keep up the good work, don't grow weary in well doing, and as always God bless.

Mark Hynek

Essentials Oils Carrying Case part 12

Buenas días from Coast Rica my friends,

Well here we are back in the shop and back on line. My last post gave you all the details for my absence this past month but now I am back so let's jump right into it. So in the last post about the carrying case I had the carcass glued up and the front panel glued on. I mentioned how when I glued up the front panel I hadn't notice that I was off a little at the top which left a gap. So here is the gap and also my fix of the problem. It didn't turn out too bad.

Once that was done it was on to preparing for finish and then finishing it, I used shellac with this project and have really enjoyed learning about shellac, mixing it, and applying it. As I mentioned in a previous post a guy on youtube who has a channel called the English polisher has really helped me in the area of finishing. And I think I am getting better at it as I go. 

So there is the case with a few base coats on. I think the grain really popped out with the shellac. I also like the visible dovetail joints. Next up will be to cut the top off finish anything else up and then install the hardware.

Well I hope you enjoyed the post. I know I have really enjoyed this project.

Well mu friends, take care and as always God bless.

Mark Hynek

Back Online

Buenas dias from Costa Rica my friends

Well I am back online after roughly a month of frustration over my computer. In a previous post I believe I mention how my laptop was destroy from a falling object in my shop. Well since then I had been using an old notebook that started acting really crazy to where I couldn't use it for more than 5 minutes. After that it started to act really weird and so I had to wait for my new laptop to arrive. Well praise the Lord I have it and am now back on line. But this computer won't be visiting the shop anytime soon. Even with hand tools I seem to create quite a bit of dust to where any electronic items really suffer.

So to give you an update on what has been happening since my last post which was on the 15th of March. Well that following week I went with a friend from church to purchase some wood for the next few projects. He has his own shop and is a professional furniture maker here in C.R, so he knows where to buy wood. I purchased 6 planks of Guanacaste wood about 24" wide, 7' to 8' long, and 4/4 thick. I also bought two planks of the same wood 15" wide, 11' long, and 8/4 thick.

I was really please with what I got. The 4/4 planks were really dry. With this wood I will be working on 4 new projects once I finish the essentials oils carrying case. The first project I will be tackling or actually finishing, since I started it last year, is a sink top and shower floor insert for a fellow missionary. The sink top I had finished last year but the floor insert I hadn't gotten to yet. After that another family from our church has asked me to replace their old kitchen cabinets with new ones. Then after that I will be building two music stands for the church and finally I will be building the traditional English shaving horse. 

Christmas also came again with my wife's friend coming down for a visit. She arrived on the 7th and brought now only my new computer but a number of things for the shop as well as the hardware for the essentials oils carrying case. I got a couple of card scrapers and some strips of brass to use on the music stand project. I picked up a DMT diamond stone, the extra extra fine, which is 8000 grist. I have a 1000/4000 combination water stone but would eventually like to replace them all with diamond stones. I have noticed quite a few people switching to diamond stones and liking them. I will let you all know how they work out once I get to using them. 

Well, after that first week then I went on vacation the next week with my wife. It was her birthday so I took her to an all inclusive beach resort here in C.R. The kids stayed home with their homeschool teacher so it was just the two of us. Wow! what a wonderful trip that was. It had been 2 years since my wife and I were able to get away alone like that. Very relaxing to where if it wasn't for my kids, I wouldn't have come back. Then last week I finished up work on the essential oils carrying case to where I only needed the hardware to finish it. I also started the shower floor insert. Posts will be coming soon on those projects. So this week my wife's friend is here and so tomorrow we are heading to the beach for a day. I know it is a tough life here but someone has to do it. 

Well, my friends take care, make some shavings, keep up the good work, and as always God bless.

Mark Hynek

Essential Oils Carrying Case part 11

Buenas noches from Costa Rica my friends

Well it is Sunday night March 15th. Had a wonderful day worshiping God this morning. Than an unbelievable nap in the afternoon. I always remember my father saying "naps are fun." As a kid I didn't understand that but now as I grow older I certainly do. Now I seem to have reversed roles with me saying that naps are fun and my children saying "no way, we want to play."

Well here we are back at it again with the carrying case. So now the carcass was just about ready to glue up but I wanted to give the inside a wash coat of shellac. I like to put 3 wash coats on. I put two on with out sanding in between and than sand at #400 grit between the 2nd and 3rd. Once that is I use a white scrub pad with some wax. I learned about the scrub pads from Charles Brock when I bought his kit on how to build a Maloof inspired rocker. It comes with a DVD, book, and full size patterns. I really enjoyed making and using his plans. I would highly recommend it if your interested. I just didn't have the money to take an actual class from him. Anyway, in his DVD he burnishes the wood with different grits of scrub pad. One is red, the other grey, and then white. It really makes a nice surface on the wood for finish. I don't know if it is needed to do this step but I like to do it. You can also see my new assembly and finishing table I built. Where once there was a table saw now there is just a table. I built it out of 1/2" plywood,nothing special but it serves its intended purpose.

 So after the insides of the parts were all ready it was onto the actual glue up. I did a dry run through and was glad I did so because the actual glue up went pretty easy with out any problems. I also said a prayer to God which I know helped a lot. I was using hide glue and was curious how it would do with such an open time. I had to glue up the tails and pins for one corner then glue up part of the back panel. Then another side with the back panel,and then the final side with two ends of tails and pins with one side of the back panel. Then when that was done the drawer runners and the bottom of the upper section. Once that was all glued up then I could put on the claps. It took some time getting there but the glue seemed to be able to handle the amount of time it took to get to the clamps. I didn't time myself,which I wished I would have but in the end it turned out. The clamping went well and I put some cauls on it and it actually came out square. That was always my problem once I got the clamps on that the box wouldn't be square. So you can see in these pictures how that went.

And here is how it turned out.

Then it was onto smoothing out the joints. As you can see my leg vise was pushed to the max but it worked well.

Next up was the front panel which I cut out but didn't re-saw down to 1/2". I left it at 3/4" to have a little more meat for the lock to go in. I am looking forward to installing the lock but at the same time a little nervous. So here you can see the front panel fitted and then glued up.

I did have a problem with this part though. Once I took the clamps off I did a rough sanding to smooth the joints all out (I know, sanding instead of smoothing with a plane, well I am just not there yet with my tools and their sharpness. Hopefully that will start to change soon enough, April 7th). It was then that I noticed a gap between the top of the box and the top of the front panel. It was on the right side only going about 3 to 4 inched in and was a good 1/16 wide on one end. I thought that is way to big to call Dr. Fill  in for help so I thought about inserting a thin piece of wood. I cut the wood and went to clear out the gap with a knife what I heard a pop and saw the whole top joint come loose. The sides and the bottom were firm but the top joint between the front panel and the top failed. I don't know if I didn't get enough glue in or not. One thing I realized I did was to first clamp the side and I think I didn't notice that the top joint wasn't completely together when I did it so there was a gap before I clamped the top portion and the glue wasn't enough to hold it shut. So I called on my good old friend Señor Yellow glue and squeezed in quite a bit and put some clamps on. We shall see tomorrow how it worked.

Once that was done I went to work on finishing the drawers. I sanded them smooth to #150 and then put a wash coat of shellac on all sides and the front. Once that was done I did a form of French polish on the front but toned down the shine to a satin finish.

One guy I really enjoy watching on YouTube is, and to be honest I don't know his name, the English Polisher. He has such a great no nonsense approach to finishing and I have learned quite a bit from him. If you have the change check him out.

Well that is it regarding the carrying case. Next up final sanding and then I think I will wash coat the whole care before cutting the top lid off. Once that is done then cleaning up the top lid joints and the inside, then it is on to final finishing and then installation of the hardware.

So on to another topic, my coffee roaster is up and running. I had mentioned that I was waiting for a rotisserie motor for my gas grill to arrive so I could try out my homemade coffee roaster. Well here it is.

  The cage is built from two metal pencil holders I purchase at Office Depot here in C.R. I put some aluminum fins inside to help keep the beans moving to expose all side to  the heat. I built the fins from a turkey roasting pan my wife had. It is one of those throw away one shot pans, which she had many lying around. I cut some aluminum out and folded it to a thickness I was happy with and then made a sort of L bracket. I then riveted them in the pencil holders. To secure the two cages together on one end I used a small nut and screw and on the other end a longer screw to keep the cages from twisting apart. But I needed a clasp to keep the whole thing shut. One day in our church they were replacing the oscillating fans and I asked if I could have one of the older ones that they didn't want anymore. The clasp used to hold the fan covers together worked perfect. I simply drilled out the rivet and re-riveted it onto one of the cages. Then I poked a center whole in the bottom of each cage for the rotisserie rod to go through. So I loaded  the cages up with some green coffee beans and sealed it up and put it to work. It works really great, although it is slower than the hot air popcorn popper. I think I had the heat up to high because the roast come out a little inconsistent with some beans being darker than others. I think that was also due to the speed of the motor, which is naturally slower for a rotisserie. One thing I ran into that later I realize I didn't need to do was the cooling part of the roasting process. With the popcorn popper I have a strainer I pour the roasted beans into and swirl it around to let them cool off. So when the roasting process was done I was trying to get the beans out to put in the strainer but boy did I have a time with that. The rotisserie rod was so hot that I couldn't hold it even while wearing my welding gloves. So it made it a bit difficult trying to get the beans out. Then today a "duh" moment came to me, why didn't I just turn off the heat and let the rotisserie motor keep going. With the lid open the heat dissipates really quick. Just so you know I did roast the beans with the lid closed and listened for the first and second crack. So next time I will do that. I have to admit I am quite pleased with the results and look forward to roasting some more beans soon enough. My coffee plants are starting to bloom and I can see I am going to have quite a harvest come November.

Well my friends, I hope you enjoyed the post, I know I certainly did.

Take care and as always God bless
Mark

Do you have a story to tell?

Buenas días from Costa Rica my friends

Well it is another sunny day here in C.R. but the clouds have been increasing over the last few day and it isn't dew to the change in seasons. Volcán Turrialba, which is one of many volcanoes in C.R. has been erupting the last few days spewing large amounts of ash into the air. On the 12th of March the airport had to shut down because of low visibility. As my family and I drove through San Jose we saw clouds in the sky but it really didn't look different. What we are experiencing are soar throats from breathing the fine ash in the air. Fortunately this volcano is not near any populated area and is well east of San Jose.

On another note this last week has been a whirlwind of activities that didn't have anything to do with the project I am currently working on. Monday I went with my wife, the pastor's wife, and his daughter to San Jose to shop for curtain fabric for the church. On the way back our car overheated, which it had been doing quite often lately. Fortunately I had a number of empty plastic soda bottles filled with water and was able to limp back to Gracia. So Tuesday we spent the day with the pastors daughter, whose husband is a mechanic, trying to get the car fixed. I guess the radiator had a leak in it. So Wednesday we were with out a car and so my wife and I decided to leave the kids home with the young lady staying with us to help with homeschooling and go to church on our own. We have a Wednesday night prayer service. We only live 6 miles away from our church but it takes us about 15 to 20 minutes to drive there. Since we didn't have a car we took the bus. It took over an hour to get there and almost 2 hours to get back home. Most Costaricans ride the bus because it is so much cheaper than taxis and to own a car can be rather expensive here, gas is about $5 a gallon. So Thursday comes and still no car, but we had an appointment to go to immigration to renew our youngest son's passport, he was born here in C.R. so he has dual citizenship. That trip normally takes about 3 hours total, going, doing what you need to do and  returning, by car, but since we had to go by bus it took almost 8 hours. I was truly exhausted by the end of that day. So Friday comes and the car is fixed. The pastor's son-in-law only charges us $200 for the fix and labor, but that intern put a quash on my purchasing a shoulder plane. Oh, well everything has its priorities and believe me I would rather have a reliable car than carrying a nice new shoulder plane on a bus. I can truly say that I am so thankful to God for providing a car for us. Having four young kids creates quite a scene when traveling by bus. So that was my week in a nutshell.

On another topic or story as this post is so titled, I had an interesting event happen last week that really brought a smile to my heart. Life is always changing and never stays the same. Look at your own life especially regarding the friends you have had and currently have. When we were kids the friends we grew up with we thought we would spend a lifetime together. By the time we reached high school many had moved on. Today that is even more so. How many families still live in the same town they grew up in? The world has become much smaller in one way, but in another it has become bigger as distances between parents and children expand. Once we graduated high school and went to college we found new friends that once again we thought we would spend a life time together. After graduation each one went on their separate ways to pursue their career's and the friend became new again. Marriage and starting a family changes the scope of one's life to a whole new set of friends and acquaintances. Careers that cause one to move create changes in one's life quite often. I being a missionary have now lived in 10 different houses over the course of my 15 years of marriage. Throughout your entire life as you look back at the changes that have occurred and the friends that have passed through your life it is always quite enjoyable to reminisce over special times and memories. I truly love growing older and has life begins to slow down I find my thoughts drifting to times past, events in my life interacting with other friends, smiling at what a wonderful time we had together and wondering what they are up to now. I also look forward to making new friends and memories which is what this story that I want to share is all about. Last year we started working with a different church in the town of Grecia. We had spent six years helping a church here in Sarchi, but came to a point where we realized it was time to move on. This new church has a pastor that is 73 and he needs a lot of help with the ministry. It has been a real joy getting to know the people and open our house to them. We love to have people over for homemade pizza. We all gather in the kitchen to make it and have a wonderful time talking with each other. We had the pastor's entire family over a couple of weeks ago and the men we checking out my shop. They also saw the cabinets I built for our kitchen as well. The pastor's son Rolando and his wife Sonia asked me if I could replace their cabinets that had been destroyed from water damage, they were built with MDF. So I measured them and calculated the cost of the material for them. I told them I don't charge for my labor because this is a hobby and I want to use my talents to be a blessing to others. In the course of the conversation Rolando asked me if I had a table saw. I told him I had sold it and just cut the wood with a hand saw. I don't know if he understood me that I chose to sell my saw and go unplugged in my shop or not, but the other day I had to go to his house to re-measure the cabinets. It was a Sunday evening so they wanted us to stay for dinner. They had been gone in the afternoon to a car expo and when we arrive they hadn't returned yet. Their oldest son was home so we went in and I finished measuring the cabinets. Once they got back we had a wonderful evening together. As we were leaving Rolando gave me the money for the material and said they had another surprise  for me. We went to his car and when he opened the hatch back there was a new contractors table saw.

I din't know what to say I was completely speechless. On one had there was no way I was going to say to him that I didn't want it because I don't use table saws anymore, the smile on their faces knowing they were able to help out a missionary was incredible. On the other hand it was a small Black and Decker contractors saw that really wouldn't handle sheet goods of plywood for the carcass of the cabinets, but I still wasn't going to say that to them. Out of their love for me they wanted to help me out and went and purchase a saw that cost roughly $300 here in C.R. So I took it home set it up and found a spot for it in my shop. It has a small footprint compared to the saw I once had. I will probably use it for quick rough cuts just like I am using my bandsaw for. One thing is for sure I will cherish that saw until I die. Every time I look at it it reminds me of Rolando and Sonia. And so there my friends is another story now stored away in my memories to reflect back on and enjoy. Who knows if Rolando and Sonia will still be in our lives in another ten years but I will always have the saw and the memories.

Cherish every moment my friend because life is but a vapor and is gone before you know it.

Take care my friends and as always God bless
Mark

Essentials Oils Carrying Case part 10

Buenas días from Costa Rica my friends.

Enjoying another glorious day here in paradise, but I have to admit it has been rather hot here these last days. But I will still take this over below zero weather knee deep in snow anytime. Well these last few days have been a whirlwind a ministry activities to where I had forgotten exactly what progress I had made on the case in comparison to what I had posted. So in part 9 I dovetail the carcass which went well, but I have been having a lot a breaks along the groove for the back panel. near the pins.

So the next step was to make the drawer runners, the bottom of the upper section, and cut the grooves in the sides and back for each. Here you can see I got the drawer runner parts cut to width and re-sawed to 1/2". One thing I noticed on re-sawing is that my saw seems to handle well widths up to about 4 to 5 inches. Anything more and I tend to get a noticeable bow when cutting. I do like my frame saw though and will keep it for use on less wider material. Once the pieces were cut then I moved on to the sides and back to scribe and cut out the groove for the runners and bottom part of the upper section. What I did was assemble the carcass, put the bottom drawer to use as a reference to draw a line on the sides and back showing where the bottom of the runners should go. I then scribe a straight line on it using a straight edge and my marking knife.

I then put my router plane with the 1/2" cutter up against the line and used the cutters width to mark the top portion of the groove. And once again scribed a line in the wood. I really like my Stanely 71 1/2. I got it on ebay really cheap because it didn't have a cutter. I then bought a 1/2" cutter from Leevalley and it seems to work fine. I really love the writing on the router.

So I just started to slowly route out the material. As I got lower reaching the bottom of my scribe line I would just use a 1" chisel with only hand pressure and re-cut the scribe lines making it easier to remove the material.

 So here is the finished grooves for the drawer runners. I really enjoy using the router plane, it is so peaceful.

On the side drawer runners I half lapped them on top of the front and back ones to give it some support.

 Once I finished the groove for the runner I went on to cut the groove for the bottom piece of the upper section following the same procedure. I forgot to mention that the side were stopped dados 1/2" back for the runners and 3/4" back for the upper section. I did 3/4" for the upper to give me more material for the lock I am going to install. I wanted more material because this will be the first time for me to try to install one of these locks.

Well my friends I hope you enjoyed this post. We are nearing the end of this project. Next up the front panel. Then prepare for glue up. I was able to purchase the hardware today so it will be here in the 7th of April. Once this project is finished I will move on to two more that have recently be requested of me to build. One is some kitchen cabinets for another church member and the other is a music stand for the guitar players in our church.

Take care my friends and as always God bless
Mark Hynek