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DRP
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# Posted: 7 Jun 2025 07:47am - Edited by: DRP
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I got the blower cobbled together at the job and test ran it. Looks like it'll work so I ordered new bags and need to order a length of flex pipe to run to the planer. That's the first pic below.
The next 2 are of a pair of story sticks I was using to measure the length of ceiling joists. I needed accurate inside to inside measurements and was also working solo. A pair of sticks slid until they bump at each end, scribe a mark and head for the sawbench. If you're doing trim or very accurate work, scribe and mark with a knife. An old framer would use a race knife and roman numerals rather than a pencil to label the different members.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Race_knife
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MtnDon
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# Posted: 7 Jun 2025 11:56am
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Quoting: DRP I got the blower cobbled together
It's a Woodtek...used to be sold by Woodworkers Supply in Albuquerque. I worked there a while back in the late 80s. Sorta like Grizzly tools and machinery. They went out of business about 3 years after owner John Wirth passed.
The race knife is interesting. I never heard of them before. I could have used one instead of markers years ago.
I've used story sticks though. Folding rules are one of my favorite measuring tools. And knifes for cut lines.
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DRP
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# Posted: 8 Jun 2025 09:01am - Edited by: DRP
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I think my drill press is a WoodTek, it would be in the later part of that timeframe. I remember a glitch and ended up with one complete mortising attachment and parts for most of another... they must have just shipped another complete one.
On the race knife, I don't think I've seen knifed carpenters marks on anything newer than the late 1800's. I wonder when pencils became mass produced.
Cleaning up in the shop yesterday... or rather moving stuff around while looking for a lost tool, this page surfaced. It comes from the VT solar kiln construction guide which is online I believe. Anyway, that table is a good reference for how fast you can safely dry different species of hardwoods without turning the load into toothpicks. Highly refractory species like red oak can be slowpokes. I noticed they didn't even list white oak, red oak is far easier and faster than white. On the other side softwoods with their large tracheids can release moisture pretty fast. Southern pines being the easiest to dry, a high temp kiln can dry SYP from green to 19% in a day. That would destroy a load of hardwood but just kind of toasts the pine  .
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MtnDon
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# Posted: 8 Jun 2025 09:09am - Edited by: MtnDon
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Quoting: DRP I wonder when pencils became mass produced.
Late 1800s according to google.
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Aklogcabin
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# Posted: 8 Jun 2025 10:21am
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Trees, wood. Each piece unique. I was working as a heavy duty mechanic and getting tired of 6 long day weeks. So quit n started a custom woodworking shop. I was introduced into woodworking in high school shop. Ol sweed teacher that learned as an apprentice under craftsmen.
Wasn't easy but built up a customer base n reputation. Had a kitchen on the TV a few times. Tell my customers to try to think of something that they thought could never be built. Customize to their design. Then the furniture stores didn't sell what I offered. And never told anyone no. And worked a lot of hours for zero pay. But I learned. Did that for over 10 years and then life tossed out another door to walk through. I still fiddle around and doing custom trim for the new house.
I'd but wood 1000 bd ft at a time. Really needed to learn to read the wood and minuapulate it to last lifetimes. Carefully planning each cut out of each board for whatever I was making
Hey thanks for bringing back some great memories. And I can't hardly wait to get out into the bush looking for moose antlers and looking at every tree. There is a birch tree on our land. 2 guys can't reach around. Covered in burls. The whole tree. I figure it's full of curly birch. Just need to figure out how to freight it out. It needs to get used, it's old growth. I cut a white spruce that beetles killed in front of the cabin. Over 225 years old. Made a bevel cut slab and using it to mount the 58" non typical moose antlers that I called in and out son harvested. Huge bull I estimate 1400 pounds.
Any of you folks use your cabins for hunting ?
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DRP
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# Posted: 9 Jun 2025 07:18am
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I don't have enough gun for that, have mercy.
That's cool on the custom shop. Share some stories. I worked in a few cabinet and furniture shops but kept gravitating back outside towards the rough end. I do like to use wood from the site to make trim and paneling in houses when we can. On this one it is local, the red oak was from my neighborhood.
... there was an old 1840's log cabin (race knife marks on the gable and roof timbers, Civil War sword stashed in a chink joint between logs). The roof had leaked and the top plate log was rotten. I asked my client, 7th generation owner, what she would like for me to do. "Well, I reckon you need to go up canoe holler and grab another like they did back then". (The original inhabitants of the land had gone up there for dugout stock, her ancestors had felled the cabin logs in the same cove, nice trees back in there.) I did as directed, and fought that building inspector for 20 years till he was promoted
It sounds like you need a chainsaw mill for the occasional tree up there. There is a big burl on a tree in the woods here. I've looked, knocked on it. I don't know enough to tell if it is a gem or just a bunch of included bark without opening it up.
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Aklogcabin
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# Posted: 9 Jun 2025 11:59am - Edited by: Aklogcabin
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Woodworking story. I mentioned the kitchen. Young couple was building a huge lodge type building. Huge post n bean frame. 4 stories. 7 bed with bath.
They wanted to use only local wood from Alaska. Kitchen, center cutting island 6'x7'x2-1/4" thick hard maple. With drop in sink. They had 2 little girls so I made 4 leg stools matching turned legs.. I had a jeweler make brass labels with their names on them. They tucked into the corners of the island and were there so kids could help mom in the kitchen.
The stove/oven was commercial big. With broken stone around it to the 10' cieling. I turned 6' spindles matching the stool legs and desk legs. And split it to go on each side of the stone. The lower cabinets I used birch. I used the dark heart wood for center panels and book matched cut them. Used burl heart wood. With lighter sap wood for the frames. Upper cabinets make to reach the cieling has frosted glass in birch frames. Refrigerator skinned in birch
Dining room table. Birch. 4x8 with 3, 2 foot extensions to stretch 14'. Turned legs matching the kitchen.
Stair treads. 4"×12"×4' long white pine. Enough for 3 sets so like 45 to 50 . A lot. And I installed them to glue lams for risers.
Dumbwaiter doors. 4 sets of fire resistant material. A buddy gave me some concrete inside fire doors from a hospital he helped demo still with the cert tags. I skinned them with birch.
I built the 7 bathroom vanities from birch including solid birch tops. The customer when to South America and bought hand crafted n painted clay pottery sinks in installed. Absolutely beautiful. They wanted me to do the bedroom sets also but not enough time for me. I'm a 1 man show.
They bought some end tables that I produced. I used my smaller scraps to make stuff to market. Lamps I turned.
I use 3 coats minimum polyurethane for everything. Every hidden corner is still hand sanded smooth no sliders. Every job.
Notable mention. An oller lady was in a wheelchair and wanted a custom kitchen in her new home. Fro knotty pine. And somewhat jokingly says she wants a knot in every board. I've got a bunch of eastern knotty pine. I always had the wood in my shop stabilize to the shops relative humidity before I used it so usually had several thousand feet of red oak. Knotty pine, walnut n such. And a bunch of different exotics.
Anyhows back to the pine kitchen. Got me thinking wood n lost myself there. I made the counters 30 " tall instead of 36" . Same hight as basins and kitchen tables. Be more easy for her. The sink cabinet was cut inward so she could reach the sink easier and I mounted the faucet in the front. I did all the counter tops so I designed them so I could install a 1" brass rail under the edge so she could pull herself around the kitchen easier. She was such a sweet lady, I still miss her.
Knotty pine. Lady wanted 8 pre hung doors more that 2" thick. I had some 2-1/2" rough cut knotty pine. I always bought rough cut to save money and have enough stock to plane to 3/4". So make them 2-1/4" thick and she wanted iron hinges. And all the base board trim doors had hand made plinth blocks in the corners. Really some nice looking doors.
Executive desks. Well they always want more for less. Keep calling adding more work n not wanting to pay. But 6 thousand dollar desks don't come often although I've done a few.
Did a bookcase. They wanted it in a hallway but visible from the living room. So I built the face 17 degrees stant to favor the living room so they could see it. 12' tall 11' long. With ladder on brass rod. She collected pottery so I designed it with a bunch of lighted display boxes with spindle rails. I don't built bookcase with parallel shelves. I will make every shelf on a different plane. Makes it original. Also make some louvered closet doors from red oak. 4' wide 12' tall. And a serpent house from plexiglass all with no square out corners. Customer stuff.
It was hard starting but something I wanted to do in my life so I did. Quit a very well paying job to barely making ends meet. But I believe that a became of the best, I could be. Using old school techniques I learned In high school. I was offered the opportunity to learn about wood and hooked forever. And got to live my dreams.
Then I got to build a log cabin in the bush. Another story
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Aklogcabin
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# Posted: 9 Jun 2025 12:09pm
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Yeah though it looked like the grizzly vacuum I had. Ran the suction tubes under the floor with gate hatch for each tool. And a remote control for the vacuum a necessity. Worked great.
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