Refining the Drawer Catch

After I made the prototype spring loaded drawer box I knew I had to refine the mechanism that locks the drawer.  The first one certainly worked, but it was large, a bit clunky and wouldn't fit well in the bottom of a smaller box.  I pondered a while, I wandered the internet, I went into the shop and worked.  

The tricky part about figuring out how to make these mechanisms work is that, while much has been done before, there is precious little information out there.  Most of the antique boxes which such mechanisms are in collections and no one will ever study them.  I'm all for protecting the past, museums and collections are something we should continue to do (and do more!).  But, maybe we don't need to seal all of our past behind glass, or a tasseled rope.  Of the few pictures I could find of these mechanisms most weren't terribly useful for explaining their fabrication.  So, that means it's time to do a bit of re-inventing.  Luckily, that's kinda fun.

I wanted to emulate a style of box where the spring catch is mounted into the floor of the box.  This means the catch must pivot, like a lever.  This way, as the drawer slides in it pushes the catch down until it engages.  Then a push at the back of the catch pushes it back down and releases the drawer.  Here's the thing, the catch can't just be one little piece of wood.  How do you secure the front?  If you screw it down, then it can't pivot like a lever.  I thought about all kinds of crazy solutions and then ultimately realized I was over thinking the solution.  One night, laying it bed, it was suddenly clear.

Put a hinge on the catch!  Its so simple!  Adding a hinge to the front of the catch lets me secure it to the box but not restrict the movement.  Out to the shop I headed ( well, the next morning, it was late at night and I was tired).  On the morning of my birthday, actually.  I made a quick prototype and everything worked great.  The hinge doesn't need much movement nor does it need any extreme accuracy.  A cut off nail makes a decent hinge pin.  The pic below should show the mechanism well.  At the back, underneath, is a small spring.

This Post Sucks

As I continue down this road of what seems like never ending shop changes and fixes, I seem to find more and more work to do.  An item of importance to almost anyone who works with wood is dust collection.  Now, I'm not someone who puts on a dust mask every time I start a machine, however I do want good dust collection in the shop.

For starters, if I'm collecting dust well I have less need for a respirator.  I still use them during some operations like when routing MDF (that super fine dust just goes everywhere!), working at the disc sander or any other place that's not so easy to collect dust.  My big machines are all tied to a collector with a garbage can pre-separator and I use a shop vac/dust deputy for my sander.

Here's the thing about dust collection in general for me ... I don't know a whole lot about it.  I just hope it all works kinda well.  There's a ton of info on CFM, runs, particulate size, hepa filtering, etc. which I find more confusing than helpful.  I picked up this Jet DC several years ago used and along with the pre-separator it's done OK.  I always lost a lot of airflow, though, and I thought it was using the pre-separator and just lived with it.  During the last round of re-arranging I finally decided to do some tests.  As you can see, the unit has a pair of 4" ports.  One of those goes to the pre-separator (which has another hose that hooks to jointer/planer/etc) and the other is connected to my table saw.  Dust from the table saw goes right into the bag - it's fine stuff and we use the large shavings in the can for the animals.

I started looking to see if only having one port active at a time made a difference.  Lo and behold, it did.  That meant I should take a trip to my local Woodcraft (I should probably just have a pay deduction sent there!) for some blast gates.  Those are the black rectangular bits between the hose the port.  They let you close off that airflow.  They work great.  The only downside is that you have to remember to open and close things.  I'm sure that will just become a part of my routine.  

Bigger systems may not need the blast gates from what I've managed to understand.  However, I keep a smaller, mobile, unit in my shop since mobility is so important.

This was one of those easy things I should have done years ago.  But I'm a woodworker not an HVAC designer.  I'm sure there are other such things that happen to all of us.  A particular machine that doesn't run as well as it could simply because we're not also machine techs.  It's a balance in a wood shop and it's easy to get overwhelmed by thinking we need to know and do it all.  Here's the thing, we don't.  Make friends with (or routinely hire) people with the other skills (especially electrical!).  I for one like to do woodworking - not machine repair or electrical wiring, etc.  It was different when I was just a hobbyist - I had plenty of time to learn other skills.  Now that I want to make money, well, some things just have to get done and get done right so i can go back to woodworking.  Honestly, I don't mind, I'd much rather put my time into designing a new puzzle lock. 

Getting Better by Making Multiples

I recall hearing somewhere (can't remember where) that a good way to get better at woodworking was to make two of an item, instead of just one.  When I was a hobbyist, I only had to concern myself with making a project once.  Now that i'm getting into professional work, learning how to make multiples becomes so much more important.  What's different when you make several of an item and what do you learn?  Well, many things change, some tangible and others less so.  Plus, I figure if making two of an item is good, then 4 or 6 of something must be great, right?

For starters, and this is probably the biggest change, you have to start thinking as much about the process as you do the piece.  Making multiples with any sort of speed means you have to get efficient.  So, you must get better at both planning and execution.  The plan will tell you how much stock you need, what cuts you need and drive the order of operations.  I don't want to go into milling and sizing first, that's pretty well known.  You will learn that during milling you must think about finishing, though.  Do you pre-sand or finish certain parts to ease the process?  How will you move about the shop to complete activities?  Where will you put parts that are in mid-stage?  All these activities are suddenly important.  This may sound strange, but when you aren't actively thinking about how to stage things in your shop (because it's second nature, or written down!) you are then putting more thought into technique and skill!

When you make several of something, you can more easily see where errors are finding their way into the process.  Perhaps your very slightly out of square table saw sled is no problem for one piece because you easily straighten the edge with a plane. When you have to straighten 20 edges fixing the sled is now important.  Perhaps you start standardizing your countersink bits to common screw sizes so you can't accidentally drill too deep.  Using 4 or 5 different measuring devices - yep that can cause errors.  I'm sure you can find more errors to correct, we all have plenty.

You find that jigs reach a new level of importance when making multiples.  Jigs let you work quickly, accurately and safely.  Plus, they can let you do things perhaps impossible any other way.  Always making a 22 1/2 deg cut and don't want to change the miter gauge - jig.  Hinge mortising - jig.  Sloping grooves with a router - jig.  Getting the perfect pour - ok, maybe not that one.  If you need to do something more than once with repeatable accuracy a jig is a good idea.

Finally, when you are using your woodworking skills, you are using them a lot and all at once.  When you make multiples you get the benefits of repetition.  Dovetail 5 boxes and I'm sure you'll be better on #5 than on #1.  Setting up that box joint jig is second nature after you've done it 25 times and made 100 boxes.  Regularly sharpening your chisels gets easy when you incorporate fast touchups into your process.  Once you're current set of skills is old hat, guess what, now you can learn more.

This is by no means an exhaustive list, but I hope gives you good incentive to go and try doing some multiples, if you haven't already.  Know of more benefits I didn't list, feel free to comment.  I'd love to hear what others do and what they've learned.

Keeping Busy

Sometimes I feel like I'm not getting anywhere.  I think this is because I am often working on several things at once.  Whether I'm building one of the many items for Cryptic Woodworks, doing my day job, emptying a refrigerator (that just died) or working on the farm, it's hard to keep track of all the individual items any of us do on any given day.  The thing is, we really are busy people, aren't we.

I took a look at my completed pieces ( yes, still up for sale over on Etsy ) and I was surprised that I had finished so many.  This doesn't even include the set of 4 tea boxes I've already sold (or gifted).  Nor does this account for the many, many hours spent on the wood shop itself.

Stepping back and looking at your accomplishments is also a good way to keep moving forward.  I sometimes feel stuck, wondering if I'm moving forward and that hurts my creativity and my drive to do more.  By taking a moment to look back I (and you, if you do it) will see that you have been very busy and accomplishing a lot.  That can be the boost to help you keep going.

Especially when designing new pieces, you need to keep up your own excitement level.  If I want the owner of a box to feel excited when they figure out how to open it, I needed to have that same level when designing it.  This look back helps me remember how I felt when coming up with ideas and how neat it was when I saw the first Linkage Hinge Box actually work.

So, take a minute, look back, reflect on how many great things you've done so far, then head on into the future.  

New Project Teaser (but Spoiler Free)

Between the schedule of my day job, work on the farm and house plus trying to finish some existing Cryptic Woodworks projects my time for now endeavors has been a bit scarce.  Scarce doesn't mean non-existent though and I've managed to get a bit of time in on something new.

This is something I've wanted figure out how to do for over a year now.  The trial and error of doing something brand new led to a bunch of burn-able scraps.  However, I did get to where I wanted to go.  The photo should server to give little information other than I did make something, it's out of wood, I have some clamps and playing cards did something.

This has been a cool project and includes a technique I intend to use a lot.  Since Cryptic Woodworks is about often new (or more likely forgotten) techniques a lot of my time is spent on figuring out how to do something.  Then, hopefully, I can continually re-use and refine those techniques.

Don't worry, there wont be a long wait to see what I'm doing.  I also intend to do some videos again about this project and how it was made and works.

Making Boxes Appear

Over the last few days after letting the final coat of finish dry and cure I was finally able to assemble the linkage hinge boxes.  As a woodworker, this is when I start sweating (and not just because it was near 90 F with high humidity).  Everything is finished, you have little room to make any adjustments and it all has to fit.  Fortunately on these, they did all fit.  Well, nearly.

I did drill out the holes on the linkage hinge arms a bit larger to ensure they would move easily.  That was a simple job, though.  Currently the arms are held in with only their screws.  To completely finish them I'll remove each screw and put a few drops of glue down in the hole and then re-install the screw.  This will keep them from ever working free.  As you continually open and close a lid like this, there is a chance the screws could work their way out.

The boxes came out great.  When I take better pictures to post them here and on Etsy the wonderful grain should be more evident.  I also plan to make a few sets of dividers as an optional pieces.  These dividers will fit a standard tea bag, turning these into linkage hinge tea boxes.

Overall construction here was pretty straightforward.   The boxes are primarily walnut, joined with miters and keys (the horizontal bits at the corners - for strength) and the top/bottom are birch plywood.  The linkage arms are walnut and the screws/washers are brass.  I finished with Danish Oil and wipe on poly.

Coming up next?  I'm working on spring loaded drawers and catches.  it's been fun.

Never Ending Shop Changes

Working in a 1 car garage that's been turned into a wood shop is often not easy.  Space continues to exist as a commodity item.  Several years I purchased a Jet cabinet saw with the nice long 50" rails.  It was pretty nice.  I could put a whole sheet of plywood on that.  I had this big table that was also a nice assembly area.

But ...  There's always a but isn't there.  It's one thing to have a saw you can put a whole sheet of plywood on.  It's another thing to actually have the room to lift the sheet onto the saw and make a full cut.  I'd run into the problem of not having enough in feed or out feed room.  And then there came the need for more space.  

I had to keep the saw arranged lengthwise in the garage.  That meant my out feed couldn't be out through the garage door.  If I tried to turn the saw crosswise the rails were so long it was hard to walk by - and still have machines along the walls.

So, I purchased the 30" rail kit (not much, about $170 USD) and swapped out the long rails.  Why not just cut the rails?  Well, if I do end up moving in the future to a larger shop I will probably put the long rails back on.  With the short rails I can easily turn the saw width wise in the garage with plenty of room to get around.  Plus, since I'm doing smaller work these days the long rails never were necessary - I just don't cut anything that big anymore.

So, I have more floor space, it's easier to walk around, I can still do all my normal work and I don't need the extra legs to hold up the table (and lose valuable storage!).  I guess sometimes downsizing is a win (well, except for when it happens to you - and it did happen to me).

Of course now I need to get some new dust collector hose because what I had doesn't reach the saw now that I moved it.  It never ends.

Amidst all the shop changes I also somehow managed to finish the puzzle boxes and the linkage hinge boxes.  More posts about those are upcoming, along with new work.  Now that I have some more space I'm eager to put it to work. 

Putting the Hinge Mortise Jig to Work

Building a hinge mortise jig was a great idea.  I'm not that great at getting the layout, cutting and alignment done just perfect so that when you put in all the screws the top lines up with the body.  Plus, it's fiddly work that can take a long time to do even one box.  With a jig, though, wow, layout is fast, every cut is straight and even and alignment is spot on.

It's just a few steps to set up, then everything is easy

• Scribe a line on the top of bottom marking one end of each hinge.  Yep, just one is all you need.  I like to set the top on some blocks in it's open position and mark both at once
• Use the jig to set the width of the hinge - easily done by putting the hinge in the opening and adjusting the side sliders
• Set the depth of the hinge - done by putting the hinge on the reference mark on the slider (you can see the scratched lines on the aluminum bar) and adjusting that stop.
• Set the height of the hinge - I use a scrap piece of the same wood as the jig, set that on the router along with the hinge leaf and adjust the bit till it's a hair proud
• Put the fully adjusted jig on the workpiece, align the edge with your reference marks (made early), clamp it down and rout away (It's a good idea to rout in slightly on the right hand side, then back out and rout from the left in a clockwise direction.  This helps avoid tearout on the right when you exit the cut.
• If all your hinges are the same, plus reposition and keep routing.  They will all be the exact same and nice and square.

I did all 4 puzzles boxes in about 2 hours.  While that might still seem long, I would have been lucky to finish one box per evening if working by hand plus I would have fought alignment issues along the way.

Now, what's next?

Getting Ready for Hinges

Since I've had such a tough time fitting hinges I thought that finishing the puzzles boxes was the perfect opportunity to build a hinge jig.  Also, since I'll have to cut 16 hinge mortises a jig will make this much faster.  As I continue to learn what it takes to go pro one thing that keeps coming back is making standard operations faster and less error prone.  Sure, fitting one or two hinges by hand isn't that big of a deal, but if I have an hour to finish 4 boxes well I better the process easier.

I found a plan from Woodsmith (http://www.woodsmithshop.com/download/409/hinge-mortising-jig.pdf) that looked decent and set about making it.  I'm using 1/2" MDF for the body of the hinge, a chunk of red oak for the fence and some aluminum bar stock.  I'm most of the way done at this point - I just need to put some threaded inserts into the fence to hold the adjuster knobs and then cut a square piece of plexiglass as an auxiliary base for my router.  The build was rather quick and easy.  I used my router table to make all the grooves.

Another fun part of building jigs like this is getting to work in other materials.  This one called for aluminum bar stock for the two guides.  You can find this at most home stores.  However, it doesn't come to size nor does it have the holes drilled.  I've heard that most woodworking tools cut aluminum well, but I hadn't tried it before.  So, I gave it a go cutting the bars to length on the band saw and it went through the aluminum easily.  I might not want to do this with my best blade, though.  I'm sure aluminum is dulling a blade faster - might be good to keep an old blade around for such tasks.  A drill press makes short work of drilling the holes.  It went fast and I didn't even need to add any oil (like you would for harder steel or other metals).  A countersink finished off the holes.

I'm hoping to shoot some video of using the jig after I get it finished.  

Fitting Locks

I've finally arrived at the final fitting of the locks for the puzzle boxes.  This is a finicky process.  I need to make sure the lock runs smoothly in the hole both with and without the drawer in place.  That means a bunch of trials and some sanding.  One the locks are sanded, I can check the fit of the dials.  The need to fit the lock barrel snuggly (but not too snuggly or I'll get a bad glue bond) as well as have a tiny gap away from the box once put in place.  It's a bit of a dance to get it all fit correctly and operating well.

Once everything is good, I can glue the dials onto the locks.  This is not the point at which to make mistakes.  The dials have to be set correctly (the one you see isn't right, so don't think you can cheat!).  If not, well, then, all those nice clues won't mean much.  So I check and double check the positions.  Once those are good, glue the dial onto the lock shaft and put a screw in the top to both hold it while the glue dries and add a really nice accent.  Brass on walnut always looks great.

You can see on these I updated all the symbols.  A good thing about the prototype and a bunch of user trials was seeing that the old symbols were too similar and it was easy to confuse them.  When designing puzzles, I want the puzzle to confuse the user, not a bad combination of symbols.  This time I picked two symbol sets that were very different from each other and which were easy to differentiate even when upside down.  Another change was to make all the symbols around the dials pointing up - as opposed to away from center.  It's another little design choice that helps make a better final item.

After the locks are done I can finally hinge the tops.