Song sparrows

I thought I heard a Song sparrow last Friday but it was just a fleeting few notes of a song and I couldn't be sure.  However, yesterday there was no doubt.  I heard and saw a few of them in a brushy swampy area on my walk to work.

Little birds beware

I heard the first merlin of the year last night.  

Some good looking legs

I was able to get some quality time in the shop this weekend and got quite a bit done on the bench legs.  They all got cut and planed of Friday night and I was happy to see they were all still nice and square Saturday morning.  There were no internal stresses expressed due to the milling process.  That was a good indication that the wood was nice and dry and I was OK to continue working on it.  I himed and hawed for awhile trying to decide what size to make the mortise and tennons.  The plans I'm looking at both have bolts inserted to draw the joint together and don't call for a very deep mortise.  I just didn't feel comfortable with that so I went deeper with the mortise to a full inch.  I'll probably still use the draw bolt too.  I got all the mortises bored out as well as the bridle joint on the tops of the legs.  I was able to get two of the legs totally cleaned up before I had to switch to working on the cradle.  I used a 1/2 inch forsner bit to bore out  the mortises and then cleaned them up with a chisel.  One little trick I was happy to finally use was a chisel guide.  That is just a nice square piece of hard wood, hickory in my case, that you clamp to the work piece to help keep your chisel perfectly vertical.  It helps keep your mortises nice and square and smooth walled.  

The simple chisel guide 

Two finished, two rough

The first "birds" part

It sounds like early spring birding is upon us, even though it's supposed to still be winter...  I've been hearing purple finches singing away for weeks now.  They really have a nice voice.  It just seems so bubbly and cheery.  I also started hearing robins earlier this week. They aren't singing from the roof peaks yet , just giving partial songs from nondescript branches and stuff.  I'm curious how many of them are the residents that spent the winter here surviving off mountain ash and other berries and how many are new migrants.  It has been even more insanely warm to the south so it wouldn't surprise me if they are already on the migration trail.  I've also seen and heard a few black birds, redwings for sure.  And the blue jays are acting a little goofy.  Making some real neat calls that only they can do.  Once they make any noises other than their characteristic harsh 2 note call we can assume that blue jay love is in the air.  

The Work Bench is underway

I picked up some douglas fir yesterday and got started on the base and leg assembly.  The legs are milled down to around 3 inches square now.  I was going to go to around 2.5 inches but I might just leave them at 3.  Why bother spending a half hour at the planer if I don't have to.  I'm just using a couple of different plans as guidelines here so I can wing it on the dimensions.  Besides, when it comes to a work bench, bigger is better.  I don't want this thing to even wiggle when I'm hoggin' off shavings with my big old scrub plane.  The long board along the side in the second picture is for the rails and stretchers.  I'll be getting that one cut up today with some pictures soon.  

Some Hand Plane Carnage

After a weekend of playing in the snow and starting a new job I finally got back into the shop this weekend.  I got a few more pieces roughed out and ready for the spindle sander.  I went and picked up what should be the last piece of lumber for the project.  Its for the legs which should be the last piece that I have to rough out.  I found a different source for lumber recently and it's about half the price I was paying before.  Along with that nice price it also takes quite a bit more work to get it to finished quality, a few twists and warps and such.  Since this piece for the legs is too big for my 6" jointer I had to get after it with my hand planes.  I started with the 27 1/2 woodie that I recently got fully refurbished.  Then I used the #5 Bailey and finished up with a #6 jointer. I think it should be flat enough on one side to get it through the power planer.  

I scored a used bench vice!!!

I've been very diligently saving up for my vice hardware and I was rewarded recently for my patience.  When I was getting some lumber for the cradle I spotted a used Columbia bench vice on the floor in this fellas shop.  He's going to sell it to me for about 50 buck less that the one I was planing on getting from Lee Valley. It's not quick release but I'll survive.  I can order the tail vice hardware anytime now and get moving on things.  I also have to get the wood for the base one of these days too.