Making A Leg Tapering Jig

The tapering jig I have used in the past stayed with the shop when I retired and since this is such a handy jig I need to make a new one. I am going to make some changes in the design this time around.

The "old" tapering jig

I want to use thicker plywood for the base this time. The old base started flexing after a few years of use. I think this is due to the base thickness but also due to the pressure applied by the hold down arm to the base. I will use a De Staco clamp attached to the fence for the hold down and will try to spread the pressure on the base over a wider area. I want to make it easy to adjust so I am also going to use T track and nuts for the fence adjustment.

Here is the drawing I have made to help put this jig together

I am making it long enough to hold a 36" piece and am making the fence adjustable to accommodate wide stock. The clamp will have to have different base heights to accommodate thicker pieces of stock. The current configuration should cover the most common sizes for me.

Thanks for taking a look. I'll get to work putting this together soon so check back and see how it's going.

Finishing Up A Table

This project started with a few nice pieces of ash. I had the material left over from a past project and had been looking at the pretty quarter sawn grain that could come from them. These pieces were about 4" X 6" X 36" long. By re sawing I could come up with quarter sawn material for the top and apron, and rift sawn material for the legs. I started designing a small table with drawers several years ago to be made from this ash. I finally started building this table a year or more ago. I made the top but was still making design decisions about the legs and placement of drawers. Other things came up and needed doing so I never got farther than blanking out the material for legs, apron and frame parts. Well, the time to finish that project has come.

The top has already been finished with 3 coats of Tried and True Varnish Oil followed by 3 coats of wax.

The other material has been stickered on the lumber rack rack waiting for me to get back to it.

Here is a basic drawing of the table.

I decided to make the legs with a double taper, a design I have used before and like. I will also have a drawer in each of the narrow ends of the table. Since the drawers will be full height the stretchers will  be concealed behind the drawer front. The joinery at the top of the leg is shown in plan view in the drawing below.

Well, I'll be getting started on this table soon, but I need to make a leg tapering jig first. More about that next time. Thanks for taking a look and leave a comment if you want to. I like to think people are reading this but it would be nice to have some verification!

A visit To The Mint Museum, Charlotte, North Carolina

Detail of Salmon carving, Mint Museum.

While in Charlotte, North Carolina, I had the opportunity to visit the Mint Museum at the downtown location. This museum houses a nice collection of American and Contemporary Art as well as a collection of Craft and Design pieces.

I found the craft collection to be very enjoyable as well as informative.

There were several turned bowls and vases, some segmented, displaying superb craftsmanship and detail.

I was pleasantly surprised to see some work by several furniture makers I had read about in the past. There was a piece by Gary Knox Bennett and a work by Silas Kopf. The interior of the museum was a bit dim so I didn't make a picture of the Bennett piece but was able to make a pic of the Kopf piece.

It took 2 shots to get the whole scene. Silas Kopf is a master of Marquetry. More of his work can be seen on his website Silas Kopf Woodworking. 

Besides the collection of contemporary work there was also a collection of historical pieces which I found fascinating and frustrating. A lot of what I wanted to see was interiors of cabinets and drawers etc. and the pieces were not displayed to provide that kind of view. Here are a few pieces they had on display.

 I did make one shot of the underside of a chest but was quickly told that I was too close to the work and had to back off. You can see some of the construction details though.

All in all I had an enjoyable few hours looking at the furniture and wooden objects. I recommend going to as many museums as you can, whether you are traveling or are at home, there are always opportunities to see others work and to be inspired and informed by the experience.