Restored Stanley No. 4 Smooth Plane

This hand plane belonged to my father and when he passed away in 1990 I inherited it.  I can remember this tool sitting on my father's workbench 50 years ago.  I thought it would be a great idea to strip it down and restore it.  It's a Stanley No. 4 Smooth Plane from about the mid thirties based on the patent number and trademarks.  The plane iron was horribly dull so a lot of time was spent sharpening.  There were no cracks or pitting in the casting and the black lacquer japanning is in great shape.  Some elbow grease, steel wool and paste wax easily cleaned up metal surfaces leaving a nice patina.  The rosewood handles have no defects and with a little furniture finish restorer look brand new.  I've used the plane since the restoration and it works great.  People may say I'm nuts, but there is nothing like the feel of a hand plane and creating a thin feathery curled shaving.  It's all about  the Zen of woodworking.

Oak School House Clock

This is an oak school house clock that I finished this winter.  Actually, I started the clock about four years ago and it's been sitting on my bench collecting dust.  The wood material is red oak. I enjoy working with this material because it is a domestic hardwood that machines well and finishes nicely.  The clock parts and plans were ordered on the internet.  The finish is a Watco Danish Oil stain and a couple of coats of tung oil.

The only challenge I had was making the octagon clock face.  I've never put together an octagon frame before so this was a learning experience.  The eight pieces needed to be cut the same exact length with ends cut to precisely 22 1/2 degrees.  I joined the ends with biscuit joints and glue.  In order to clamp it together I bought a Bessey band clamp that worked great and will be useful for future projects.

All in all I felt the clock turned out great and I look forward to building other clocks.

Shop Where I Work

I'm not working on a project at the moment so I thought I would post a few pictures of my garage/shop that I work out of.

This is the shop being used as the garage.

This is the garage being used as a shop.

This actually works very well for me.  All the machines are on roller stands with secure locks and can be tucked neatly against the wall.  Everything fits in the garage/shop like a puzzle.  It must be from my time in the Navy on board ship that taught me to work and store things in small spaces.  I've built two entertainment centers, a computer desk, mantles, and dozens of smaller projects in this shop.  It's some what of a hassle to set up and put away, but heck I've got time... I'm retired! 

Vera Bradley Purse Tree

The purse tree is finished.  Attaching the brass hooks was the final step.  As you can see the tree is set up in our bedroom with all the Vera Bradley purses displayed.  I discovered that the pictures can be enlarged by clicking on them.

Time to start thinking about the next project... stay tuned.

Shelf Insert For Bill's Desk

I'm going to be applying the final coat of tung oil today to the "tree" and tomorrow I will be installing the brass hooks for hanging the purses.

I built this shelf set up for my father in law's computer desk a couple of weeks ago.  Because he now has an Apple iMac and no longer needs to use the cabinet for the computer CPU, he thought it could be used for storage.  Good idea!  I simply built a box from half inch birch ply with adjustable shelves.  No need to match the stain because the door is normally closed, so I finished it with a clear satin finish.  It simply slides in the opening and is held in place with a screw.  If the desk is ever to be used with a computer CPU, the shelf can be removed easily.  I'm charging him lunch at Rosa Linda's Mexican Restaurant....  Bill is good for it.