My Journey in Writing, Ranting, and Woodworking

It is too bad that I used the chess example yesterday, as it really works better today.  Oh well, such is life.  The final piece of the ikebana needed the slightest area routed out from the bottom of the piece.  The problem, and there is always a problem, is that the piece is smaller than the first two.

The opening in the template was perfect for the first two, but too big for the third piece.  The jig was designed so that it would be able to take other templates, but I didn’t really want to make another one, just to make a slightly smaller cut.  The answer came to me fairly quickly, which is unusual and not nearly as dramatic, but that is how it happened.

The router bit which made the cuts in the first two pieces was a 3/4 inch bit, so all I had to do was change to a smaller bit and it would cut a smaller square.  I chose my 1/4 inch Freud and while it took a bit longer to router out the area, it was much easier than making a new template.

The piece is a little bit thicker than I would like, so I am going to swap the blades on Jeff and resaw off a portion of the third piece.  This will give me a better look and make the villagers very happy.  There will likely be dancing and mirth.

After this cut I have very little left to do.  The ikebana will be sanded to 320, then a coat of tung oil will be applied to each piece, before glue up.  I am not sure if I should apply the ‘General Finishes High Performance Water Based Top Coat…Gloss’ to the pieces individually or after I glue the whole thing up.  My initial inclination is to do it one piece at a time.

The reason I chose the ‘Top Coat’, is that it was recommended as good for table tops, to protect the wood.  The kenzan holds the water to keep the flowers looking swimmingly, and I am making the assumption that occasionally water will get spilled on the outside of the vase.  I intend to use caulk inside to keep the moisture out of the interior cavity.  That being said, it seems reasonable to coat the inside too, just in case.

It is amazing to me how much I have learned this year.  I felt a little sense of pride when I read the ‘water based top coat’ portion of the can, and the little voice in my head said in a manly voice, “remember water based will cause the grain to be raised…”.  All the hours and hours reading lots of articles about woodworking projects which I am not working on, have paid off in developing the beginning of a mental data base of woodworking knowledge.

Woodworking is cool.  Learning new tricks is fun.  Knowing that I am continuing to progress…priceless.