Vacation is Over...Back to Work

It's been nearly two weeks since I posted here and I've been missing the work and the writing.  In addition to what seems like a never ending series of snow storms and shoveling, I've also had the poor fortune to alternate sickness with my wife.  So with all the household duties (and did I mention shoveling?) as well as the very low temperatures in the basement, my shop time has been reduced to practically zero.  Even this past weekend (a four day weekend for me) I only really felt well enough to spend a few hours in the shop on Monday.  Still not totally well, and gearing up for a bathroom renovation, I opted to continue the workshop overhaul instead of working on my wife's bedside table project.  As I had mentioned before, my shop space had become a catch-all storage area for the detritus of a past life.  I had concentrated initially on the areas around my two benches (one for tin and one for wood) so that I could at least humor myself with some small projects while I performed the herculean cleaning task.  But as the spring gets closer, I have to find a space for a new hand tool friendly work bench.  And with the bathroom looming, I actually need to get some (or all) of the power tools accessible and ready for work.  That said, I managed to clear another corner of the basement and re-purpose some items for a more inviting work space.

My new miter saw station.

 My miter saw used to live on an old rolling microwave cart along one of the long walls adjacent to my workbench.  It was really not as much of a pain as that might sound.  The saw itself is far from a precision instrument, and so, I really rarely used it in the shop except to break down long boards. Since then, I've bought a rip panel saw, and actually prefer to perform this operation by hand.  The saw generally is used at the site of a project on a pair of garbage, store bought saw horses (too tall to saw on, too short for a comfortable working height) and a piece of plywood.  The saw's new home though, is a re-purposed cabinet that I had built for a friend years ago, but had never finished as a move had made it obsolete.  In the coming days, I'll finish it up so that it can safely house all of the accessories for the miter saw, my table saw, and maybe even my circular saw. Maybe an hours worth of work, if that.  I cleaned out a small niche near the stairs for the cabinet, making more room in the center of the shop.  My son has claimed the cart for a desk, so I'll have to pull the wheels off and give it a thorough cleaning.

With the new location for the miter saw and the microwave cart gone, I had more room along the wall adjacent to my bench and decided to space things out there.  I began to move a  set of drawers my grandfather had built to hold his tool chest (now a coffee table in my mother's house) and that now holds mine.  Of course things were going too well, so one thing had to go wrong. I would guess that the chest of drawers is at least 40 years old.  And the ocean air here in Rhode Island hasn't done it any favors.  Long story short, the lower rail tenons pulled out of their mortises.  It'll be a quick fix tonight, and it was the only mishap of the afternoon.

My tool chest and the damaged chest of drawers.

A close up of the damage I inflicted.

The cleaning and organizing is an ongoing task and I have neglected to post photos, or mention some of the steps I've taken in the new year.  One of the biggest annoyances I've faced is that my tin patterns have never really had a dedicated space.  At this point, I am probably approaching 75 or more patterns which have been living wherever I could find a nail to hang them.  Many had fallen and become separated from their mates.  I am now about two thirds of the way to reassembling the pieces and providing proper storage.

Tin and copper ware patterns neatly sorted and hanging ready for work.  A shop made form sits below the peg rail.

Another few hours of sorting pattern pieces and I may someday have a table saw again.  Clearly, I'm in no hurry to have it back.

When I invited my lovely wife down to see my progress, she rather quickly fled upstairs.  But little did I know, my work had inspired her to lend me a helping hand.  When she returned, she had all the supplies required to eliminate at least five years worth of spider webs, and in some cases, their deceased occupants.  The effort may not have been completely altruistic, but it was greatly appreciated.

Little by little, the shop is really coming along.  The sense of dread I used to feel about going down there is slowly giving way to sense of joy to be there.  Even if it's only for a few minutes to look around, brainstorm, or just spend some time.  The next few nights will be for some small work, gearing up for what I hope will be the productive weekend I've been searching for.

Hope springs eternal, I just pray for no snow.

Blowing off a little steam...and some older woodworking

I will make a valiant attempt to keep the material on this blog directly related to craftsmanship and history as I promised in my welcome post about a month ago (please refer here if you would like: http://thenewportmechanick.blogspot.com/2015/01/welcome.html).  But late last week, our household received some news that truly incensed me.  For those of you who would like to skip my diatribe, please skip to the first photo.

I have mentioned in previous posts that my wonderful wife suffered an injury last November and has been recovering.  I really never mentioned the severity of the injury.  Well, long story short, she was unfortunate enough to sever an artery, a nerve, and several tendons in her right (dominant) forearm.  The night of the incident, she was rushed to two separate hospitals that managed to mishandle the case.  Not until the following week, when she saw a specialist suggested by our insurance carrier, did the true severity of the injury come to light.  He was appalled, that neither hospital had seen fit to operate that very night.  Fast forward through surgery and still ongoing therapy to last week.  Although she still has extremely limited use of her dominant hand, the State of Rhode Island has seen fit to deny her Temporary Disability claim, stating that she has limited use of her hand and could perform other duties.  I was slightly angered when I read this.  But after I looked at the website, I was incensed.  The site clearly states that to be eligible for benefits:

To be medically eligible for TDI benefits, a Qualified Healthcare Provider (QHP) or medical practitioner must certify that you are functionally unable to perform your customary and regular work duties [emphasis added by me]. Your QHP will tell us the length of time he/she expects you to be unable to work. 

For your eligibility to begin the first day you were disabled you must have an in-office examination by a licensed Qualified Healthcare Provider (QHP) that week, the week before or the week after, your disability began. A contact with the QHP via a telephone call is not acceptable by TDI law as a timely examination by a licensed QHP. 

Additionally, you may be asked to make an appointment with an impartial medical examiner if we believe an exam is necessary. Your benefits will be stopped if you do not make or keep the appointment with the impartial medical examiner.

Functionally unable to perform customary duties...not other duties.  Now, that being said, I am not a fan of big government or government regulation in our daily lives.  But equally, both my wife and I have been forced to pay into this system our entire working lives.  It would certainly be nice to see that the government bureaucracy and programs that we are mandated to pay for are available to us as well.  If government programs will not be available to the masses, they should kindly leave our hard-earned income in our pockets.   Coupled with the stories of abuse of the system, it makes me at least, wonder how many other legitimate claims are being denied while our representation worries only about reelection and the balance of political power at the state and federal level.  I vote in every election, but this will certainly bring a new level of importance to the exercise of that right, privilege, and responsibility.  We as a people must force our representatives to serve their constituents before their parties.  And moreover, I can guarantee that I will make my concerns known to my representatives by e-mail, letter, and phone if need be.

I appreciate that not all people feel the same as I.  That is the beauty of our country.  We are all entitled to our opinions.  We may not agree with the opinions of others, but it is imperative that we respect the rights of others to their opinions.  And I hope that instead of arguing among ourselves, that we can have an honest discourse about ideas.  As long as we allow ourselves to be divided, we will continue to perpetuate a political system that is not in anyone's best interest.

Thank you for weathering my screed, and I sincerely hope that my position has not offended any of my readers.

Beginning a set of green carving tools.

So, discretion being the better part of valor, I determined that I would not let my anger and disappointment keep me from the shop this past weekend.  But I also didn't want to risk the progress I have made on the bedside table and barn lanterns I have been working on through lack of focus. Instead, I finally buckled down and began the mundane tasks that most of us put off until the very final moment.  I began cleaning, organizing, rehabbing, and just generally bringing the shop back to the level it had been at years ago before my hiatus.  I took the opportunity to sharpen an Ebay hewing hatchet and carving knife.

Stanley #4, and I've been caught: two Stanley 45 blades I failed to put away properly.

I also disassembled a 1930's Stanley #4 that I have had for months in preparation for restoring it to working order.  I have a few cheap newer planes that I use, but there's just something about vintage tools for me.  We will see.

I also continued the process of eliminating a decade or more of accumulated detritus from the basement.  It will be a slow process, but I want to make room for a new workbench in the spring, once I have finished a bathroom remodel and a new living room ceiling. 

Also, I've been lacking in real work, so I'd like to share an older project.  I've been collecting hand tools for some time now, and this past spring I realized that my damp basement was creating more upkeep than necessary.  I began researching tool chests.  Being mainly interested in historical work, I turned to the ubiquitous Lost Art Press and +Christopher Schwarz, a site I'm sure most of us have been following for many years.  A floor chest was out of the question a I just didn't have the real estate to devote.  I also believed it would be some time before I would require that much space (I laughed to myself as I typed that misguided thought).  So the Dutch chest seemed to fit the bill.

Laying out the angle for the side pieces.

Sides cut and dovetailed. And my table saw filling its new role:assembly bench.

The dados cut with a chisel and finished with a router plane.

The assembly begins with the dovetailed bottom and sides.

Clamping the shelf into the dados.  I added nails later for insurance.

Front in place.  Beginning the tongue and groove back.

Just as advertised, plenty of space for the bench planes.

Gluing up the top.

Finished, in the white.

Almost ready to go to work, after a few coats of my favorite Federal Blue milk paint.

I was able to go this far in one weekend in May while my wife and children were away visiting family.  About a month later, I got back to work and finished the interior.

My chest, as it appeared this morning.  The tool rack was finished in June.

Please excuse me for sharing a project that has probably already received its fair share of publicity with other blogs around the virtual wood shop.

In other news, I have also ordered a pair of carcass saws from +Lee Valley Tools, and they should be waiting for me at home tonight.  That's another reason I've been procrastinating on the bedside table.  I know they will be a joy to use in finishing the project, especially compared to the $10 home center back saw that I've been ashamedly keeping out of photos here on the blog.

As always, thank you for visiting and I hope to see you again soon.