A Badge of Honour...

This “Stanley” badge was listed on eBay as a Stanley Rule & Level Company factory visitor’s pass from around 1920. I didn’t believe a word of it, but thankfully, neither did anyone else, so I was able to purchase it for a couple of bucks. Even if it isn’t as stated, it still looks cool. This is the first of 10 or 12 little woodworking associated items that I’m adding throughout my new tool cabinet to increase the interest factor.

To hold the badge in place I drilled two small holes down from the top which accept brass nails which pass in front of the pin that normally passes through the wearer’s clothes. I chose this particular plane to display the badge as it is over a half century newer than all my other Stanley planes, and because it was purchased by my old man around 1946 or ‘47, when he went into the trade.

I made the mount using a backsaw, cabinet maker's rasp, a rat's tail rasp, a ¼" and ½" chisel and mallet. I also used a mess of 100 grit sandpaper. Finish sanding and urethaning to follow.

Peace,

Mitchell

Some Things Are Just Worth The Wait...

It has taken me a little over two years, but I finally made it...

I still have to install all the supports for the saws and make the little trays that will fit under them to hold hacksaw and coping saw blades. I still have a few more planes to install in the centre section, along with making the four small trays that will fill the slots below them. The trays will hold some odd-ball small stuff and those little bits and bobs that never seem to find a home. The chisel panels have to be replaced on the right panel as I screwed up the dimensions on the two that are temporarily installed. The two panels are hinged on their right side so they open away from the centre section. I want to change them for three hinged panels which will still be wide enough to hold the chisels, but with three panels they will hold a lot more chisels.

I bought the hinges at Princess Auto. They are steel hinges that should be welded to metal cabinets but I drilled them to take screws. I bought them because they are extremely heavy hinges; which I wanted, and they were cheap; which doesn't hurt. I think I paid $8 for each 60" hinge. The hinge on the left is kept in its original state, other than the 27 holes per flap. The one on the right, though, had a section of one flap cut out to accommodate the chisel panels. When the cabinet is closed the barrel of the hinge runs the entire height of the cabinet. It is just when the panels are open that you see the missing metal. I am going to see about having these hinges powder coated flat black, but if it turns out to be too expensive, I'll just spray them. The hinges that support the chisel panels are much lighter continuous hinges that came already painted black.

I'm going to work one section at a time to finish them off and I will post the progress of each as I go along.

Peace,

Mitchell

I Haven't Disappeared Yet...

I haven't disappeared yet, but because I have turned my wife's living room into a finishing room, I think she's looking for someone to make that happen.

This is where I'm at today. I have a couple of coats of clear coat on everything now, and I'm just going back to each surface and cleaning up any imperfections that I see before laying down another 4 or 5 coats...

The two narrow pieces on the far left are garbage. They are hinged
sections to store my chisels in and fill the cutout section of the
narrow panel. I didn't like how they turned out, but I also
decided to go with three panels instead of two.
They will have to wait until spring, though.

This image was taken before this piece was clear coated...

The cabinet and the two hinged panels are 9 ¾" deep. The centre
12" high by 12" wide section is a display area and will be the
only area of the cabinet that will have lighting. The two shelves
on either side are and 7 ½" high and are there to store my
wood molding planes. There is a shelf across the bottom
of each panel as well for that same purpose.

This is probably the biggest pain in the arse project I have ever done and I will never do another veneer piece of this size again. The main panel is 54" high by 38" wide. It took me three attempts to get the veneer on the damned thing because I didn't make a veneer press like I should have and sections the veneer's soft grain just wouldn't lie flat. I'd get the veneer on it and veneer hammer it, then I covered it with plastic and then I clamped a same sized piece of ply down using cauls. I'd leave it for 24 hours and when I stripped the ply and plastic off, the panel's surface would be covered with bubbled veneer. I tried everything to get them to stick, but no luck, so I had to steam it off, sand the face and start again. Grrrrr.

Peace,

Mitchell