An unexpectedly sunny day. Our old dog is no longer able to walk, which has meant that I'm deprived of my workshop companion. Today though I decided to give him a bit of an outing:
His dominant mode these days is apprehensive."Where am I going? Is this the.....last walk?"
Relax - it's just a wheelbarrow trip to the workshop, where you can lie by the fire and I can trip over you.
Today was quite straightforward, perhaps even a little dull. I did take a moment to organize a workshop quiz. Which of the three woodworking tools pictured below is indispensable?
The cabinet scraper? The Norris smoothing plane? The iPod? (Answer to be revealed in the next issue.)
Otherwise I prepared & assembled two end frames, stained and lacquered half a dozen oak samples* with aniline water stain in different concentrations, and had a visit from an island machinist who might be able to make the large wood-threading tap that is needed to create the 2.5" diameter screw assembly for the French Standing Press.
Anyway, the Norris plane got some use today planing up the framing for the table, seen here after gluing:
* I was wrong about the oak. It is in fact red oak, although it's very nice red oak.