Hey All -

I kinda got my ass in the buttermilk yesterday. I am building a small
cradle out of plainsawn red oak. It's a simple shaker design and I was
planning on butt joining it with screws and glue, and then plug the
screwholes with face grain black walnut. Piece of cake, right? Anyway,
after I got it all cut and did the test fit, the cradle looked clunky with
the end grain and thickness of the sides (3/4) Rose had a look, and agreed,
and I decided to cut a rabbet on the ends to set the sides in about half way
or so. Ha - Ha.... Textbook no-brainer... and it turned out that NO BRAIN
is exactly what I had. I had already cut the pilot holes for the screws,
and after I was done, I saw the off-cuts held what had been the previously
counterbored seat for the screws. I was lucky I found enough dowels...
Jeez... It turned a simple, small task into an afternoon of trouble.

I got it all glued up and plugged last night and will sand it, again, and
start finishing it today. Pics to follow... Ah well...


John Moorhead

"John Moorhead" wrote in message
:
: I kinda got my ass in the buttermilk yesterday.

I won't be having buttermilk at your place in the near future!
Dowels have saved my butt on several occasions. I often wonder "why didn't I
use them in the first place?".

-Brian

On Tue, 21 Dec 2004 16:23:15 GMT, "John Moorhead"
wrote:

I saw the off-cuts held what had been the previously
counterbored seat for the screws.

It's the spirit of Mother Anne Lee telling you that The Shaker Way
would have been to use treenails to hold it (aka dowels), not a metal
fastener.

I'm not sure what the Millennial Laws would have to say about
contrasting timbers for a plug either. Smacks dangerously of Worldly
Vanities....

--
Smert' spamionam

Hello, Dear Brother in Christ:

Correct you are! I was wondering if anyone was going to call me on the
walnut plugs and screws... Mother Lee won out though, didn't she... Not a
screw to be found in the cradle....

Thanks for the laugh!

Brothah (and Mutha) John


"Andy Dingley" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 21 Dec 2004 16:23:15 GMT, "John Moorhead"
wrote:

I saw the off-cuts held what had been the previously
counterbored seat for the screws.

It's the spirit of Mother Anne Lee telling you that The Shaker Way
would have been to use treenails to hold it (aka dowels), not a metal
fastener.

I'm not sure what the Millennial Laws would have to say about
contrasting timbers for a plug either. Smacks dangerously of Worldly
Vanities....

--
Smert' spamionam

On Tue, 21 Dec 2004 23:29:13 GMT, "John Moorhead"
wrote:

Hello, Dear Brother in Christ:

At weekends you can call me Tabitha

In article , Cherokee-LTD
wrote:

Dowels have saved my butt on several occasions.

Can anyone tell me what kind of handsaw (Lee Valley or otherwise) is
best for cutting off the little bits of dowel standing proud of the
surface? I want to be able to make the dowel end flush WITHOUT damaging
the surface or being forced to sand forever to make it flush.

Gerry

G.E.R.R.Y. wrote:
In article , Cherokee-LTD
wrote:

Dowels have saved my butt on several occasions.

Can anyone tell me what kind of handsaw (Lee Valley or otherwise) is
best for cutting off the little bits of dowel standing proud of the
surface? I want to be able to make the dowel end flush WITHOUT damaging
the surface or being forced to sand forever to make it flush.

A reversible offset dovetail saw is what I would recommend. They are
designed for flush cutting as there is only tooth set on the topside of
the saw blade.

A google search will reveal sites with photos of these, so you know what
to look for.

--
DC Linux RU #1000111011000111001

It's not the software that's free; it's you.

Flexible saw with NO SET to the saw teeth.

I know Lee Valley has such a beast as well as many of the Japanese
style saws are also appropriate

No matter what saw you use, you will still need to sand it down till
totally flush with the work piece

John

On Tue, 21 Dec 2004 22:49:29 -0500, "G.E.R.R.Y."
wrote:

In article , Cherokee-LTD
wrote:

Dowels have saved my butt on several occasions.

Can anyone tell me what kind of handsaw (Lee Valley or otherwise) is
best for cutting off the little bits of dowel standing proud of the
surface? I want to be able to make the dowel end flush WITHOUT damaging
the surface or being forced to sand forever to make it flush.

Gerry

On Tue, 21 Dec 2004 22:49:29 -0500, "G.E.R.R.Y."
wrote:

Can anyone tell me what kind of handsaw (Lee Valley or otherwise) is
best for cutting off the little bits of dowel standing proud of the
surface?

Low angle block plane with a tiny mouth, IMHO (and Lee Valley's is
the best around).

There are magic dowel trimming saws around. These are sometimes flat
and have a one-sided back, but generally they're flexible instead. LV
make one, there are Japanese versions too. An expensive tool for such
a rare task, IMHO.

Don't use a standard Japanese saw for this. They might be flexible
enough to lay flush, but they also have enough set to the teeth that
you'll scratch the surface.

On Wed, 22 Dec 2004 13:16:26 +0000, Andy Dingley
wrote:

On Tue, 21 Dec 2004 22:49:29 -0500, "G.E.R.R.Y."
wrote:

Can anyone tell me what kind of handsaw (Lee Valley or otherwise) is
best for cutting off the little bits of dowel standing proud of the
surface?

Low angle block plane with a tiny mouth, IMHO (and Lee Valley's is
the best around).

There are magic dowel trimming saws around. These are sometimes flat
and have a one-sided back, but generally they're flexible instead. LV
make one, there are Japanese versions too. An expensive tool for such
a rare task, IMHO.

Don't use a standard Japanese saw for this. They might be flexible
enough to lay flush, but they also have enough set to the teeth that
you'll scratch the surface.

I use my handy-dandy $10 veneer saw from HF... fairly short, no set
and fairly ridged...

Please remove splinters before emailing

On Wed, 22 Dec 2004 15:38:40 GMT, mac davis
wrote:

I use my handy-dandy $10 veneer saw from HF... fairly short, no set
and fairly ridged...

My veneer saw is finely tuned for working veneer. Knife edge (in
section) teeth mean that it's a fragile little flower, and I'm not
going to start hacking through dowels with it. _Another_ veneer saw
might be just the job, but I'm not risking the good one.

Besides which, many of my dowels are made from awkward materials like
bamboo, bog oak, african blackwood and the like. They're pretty tough
going !

On Tue, 21 Dec 2004 22:49:29 -0500, "G.E.R.R.Y."
calmly ranted:

In article , Cherokee-LTD
wrote:

Dowels have saved my butt on several occasions.

Can anyone tell me what kind of handsaw (Lee Valley or otherwise) is
best for cutting off the little bits of dowel standing proud of the
surface? I want to be able to make the dowel end flush WITHOUT damaging
the surface or being forced to sand forever to make it flush.

I have a Lee Valley flush trim saw. Saw the dowels with that and
then take 2 or 3 passes with a very finely-set low-angle block
plane and you're ready for finishing.


--
Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.
---- --Unknown