Today I had a decent amount of shop time for a guy with two kids and an infant – a whopping four hours! I was able to put it to good use, and I made some progress on the Lego Table. So here are a couple pics:
First, here is the dovetailed frame with the center support piece. Those tenons will be double-wedged, and trimmed flush of course.
And then, after cutting the 1/2″ plywood to fit, here’s an idea of how it will look:
It’s no chisel box, but I guess it’ll do. :^)
3 comments
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January 6, 2009 at 4:43 pm
Jeff
You are a real inspiration and far more innovative than most. I am just getting started in woodworking and there is so much discouragement out there for beginners because there is so much pressure to have a pristine and $$$ workbench with a tail vise, a billion tools, and almost unapproachable tuning and setup procedures and supplies. I love how you improvise clamps, work areas and sometimes tools. You don’t allow material limitations to interfere with your goal. I want to get down to making stuff and have agonized over the minimum setup that I need to produce dovetails and tenons on small projects. I still need a sharpening system and clamps but I don’t really need as much as I once thought.
Thanks!
January 14, 2009 at 12:07 pm
Dan
Eric,
The table is looking great! And I agree with Jeff – your journey is very inspirational.
In regards to Jeff’s comment,
FWIW, I cut my first dovetails using a cheap, Japanese style flush cut saw, a chisel from Walmart, and an awful, plastic marking gauge. I think the total layout in cash was well under $20. I still have the piece, and you know, it’s not bad. Sure, my proportions have improved, and yes, I can do it a lot faster now, but so what? That work got me moving on the journey. I probably fall into the “billion tools” group you mentioned, but I’d never tell someone they “needed” all that to get started. As far as sharpening, I’m sold on the Scary Sharp system of glass and abrasive paper. Cheap, fast, and amazing results! I did buy some water stones at one point because I thought that they must be even better – wrong! Just a whole lot more expensive. Anyway, don’t get discouraged, and don’t agonize over the details, just get started!
February 18, 2009 at 8:16 am
creativecustomfurniture
Yes. I second that. A lot of people that use simple tools make better stuff because they take the time to do it right. At least that’s how I feel.