Pen/Pencil Holder from Scrap Wood

Like many woodworkers I know, I find it difficult to throw away scrap wood, specially if they're exotic hardwood. Typically they're small pieces; so one should make small projects out of them. Here, the species is marble wood.

I cut thin slices so I can clad more of them over a common hardwood - oak in this case. Also, oak is a lot easier to drill into than marble wood.

Drilling into end grain (below) of oak is easier than had it been into marble wood.

Each block is a pencil holder. Purely for aesthetic reasons I cut them to different lengths and glued them to a configuration that, while solely subjective, would be just as pleasing (or not boring, anyway).

2-Step Ladder (Attic)

 I needed to do this quick one-day project for a ladder in between two levels of ceiling at the attic. The average homeowner rarely venture to the attic but for a few times a year. The latest storm caused a leak between the chimney and roof that I knew needed several trips there so I decided to make this permanent step ladder between two levels of the attic. The techniques here will apply for other 2 or 3 step ladders that need to be put in permanently. This one here had a little wrinkle in that the support base is not a flat surface. The two ends of the ladder must be located into the rafters and vertical studs at precise locations and angle. The angle cuts for the top and bottom of the ladder must be determined and there is an easy way without having to determine the precise angles with a protractor or sophisticated calculation.

Imagine a right triangle that is formed by the ladder (inclined hypotenuse) and the 90-degree legs: the long vertical and the short horizontal. Measure the vertical as the distance along the stud from top to the rafter below.  Measure from the edge of the stud to the nearest rafter. In this case they were 30 X 16 inches (shown below in green chalk). Draw the triangle on a wide enough board to show actual-size layout.  With a bevel gauge you can draw the actual angle of the cuts without even determining precisely the number of degrees.  The cuts can be made on the table saw or with a hand saw.  I used 2 X 4 stock lumber.

Use the bevel gauge to layout pencil lines along the two legs to determine the exact inclination of the steps.  Pocket hole joinery will make quick work of fastening the steps to the two ladder legs. Note: The width of the ladder is determined by the distance between the studs (in this case, 15-1/2 inches apart from the inside).

I used a strip of 3/4 inch plywood to reinforce the steps from below each one. Glue and pocket hole screws secure the reinforced "rib".  See photo below:

Note from the next photo. Dado or channel cut into the legs to secure the position of the steps would have been a sensible option but this was a quick project. Besides there is an effective alternative that does not require much setup. I cut 1/2 plywood boards with the exact angle as the position of the steps. Screws and glue made these flat boards effective support for the steps.

I created a "toe" at the bottom of each leg to secure the location to the rafter.  Again this could have been done with an angle cut into the legs but a quicker and just as effective alternative is to cut a piece of the 2 X 4 material, apply glue and screw to secure them as shown.

For additional support between the legs and the steps I drilled holes as shown bwlow to accommodate 3-inch bolts.  Actually, if you do not have the pocket hole jig (though I recommend it highly) the bolts will be excellent; use perhaps two or three of them per step location.

Another Kitchen Mallet

There is something about woodworking projects - probably true with most of what we do, but not with mass produced products - is that the moment we finish one, we immediately see a better one or a different way of doing it.  Obviously, one can always find a better mouse trap.

Below: gluing up three strips of marble wood.

Flattening the joints on a belt sander

 Creating the channel to both sides of each half of the mallet head to receive the cheek of the handle. A 3/4 inch stacked dado make an easy one pass-cut. Gluing them together afterwards allow for a 3/4 by 3/4 square mortise.

 Cross cutting the excess parts

The handle is a laminate of Oak, cherry and zebra wood.

 A tenon cutting jig allows for a safe cut of the tenon for the wedges.

 A poly-carbonate cutting board was used for each face of the mallet head

The Router Table

The router table is likely number three in line of importance and utility in a workshop next to No.1 - Table Saw and No.2 - Work Bench.  However, there had been occasions where it is number 1.  That happens when there is just no other way, or no safer or easy way, an operation or a particular cut can be made without it. There are now many router tables and accessories in the market to suit almost everyone's taste or willingness to pay.  There will be more in the future as new technology develops.  There had been many in the past that did not quite make it as a sustainable brand in a very competitive environment.

But I lament one particular system that did not make it commercially despite its initial and dramatic success.  And it is still, in my opinion, the best there is.  It was ahead of its time when the company was founded in the early 90's.  I bought the top model of its positioning system (fence and clincher) and its router lift assembly in late 90's.  It still works with not a single repair or even a call to tech support.  That is how reliable it is and how clearly the instructions were put together (in glossy prints and color in some) in binders.

It was a business failure for reasons that perhaps MBA schools should make into a case study. But its technology was far and above its competition then.  However, it lives on because I think a prominent tool maker has adopted its system (hopefully, the founder made a little bit of money, if he sold the patent) 

The San Antonio, TX manufacturer had about three models then.  I purchased this one, then constructed the cabinet from a plan provided by the manufacturer. 

It is a positioning system where the extruded aluminum fence is connected to a movable rail system that slidess forward or backwards relative to the position of the router attached underneath the table. The wheel rotates one click at a time, which moves the fence at 1/1000 inch increments.

The black flap (below) labeled "Clincher" in yellow has three functions: Down - locked position; Halfway Up - activates the wheel to rotate; Completely Up - allows the rail to slide freely, deactivates the wheel from rotating.

The router housing holds (clamp) various router models - very heavily constructed for vibration free operation. There are three threaded steel rods for a balanced upward and downward motion of the router base assembly, actuated by a crank that runs the fluted rod (near one of the threaded rods shown)

A sliding platform is a nice accessory to support work pieces either flat to the table surface or perpendicular to it. Also shown are the various router bits designed for dovetail and finger joints.

It came with an excellent dust collection capacity (shop vac and hoses not included)

Here are just  a few examples of the operations done on the router table.  This particular system will accurately find the center of a board, flat or on edge, without measuring or marking.  It will also make cuts at accurate regular intervals without marking.

If you find a used one on the internet, it is worth a look.  I saw one a while back but it sold quickly.