Friday 30 March 2012

Warm at last...

...but for how long?


Nice that the last week has brought in some warm weather, but it might not last long as a cold snap maybe on its way in.


I hope it won't be as cold as it was last month. Cold weather does cause problems in woodwork. As does hot weather. Why? Glue.


There is a working range of temperature for glue. Outside the range and it won't cure correctly, and cause a weak join.


The lower limit for the glue I use is about 8c.  Now, I don't work in a workshop that is that cold, as we have a big industrial heater. But the area where the veneer press is unheated, and during the last cold snap, it was hovering around 8c. No good for veneering then.


Now the project I am working on is a cabinet that has 12 drawers, and will be used for storing jewellery. I was starting the project when the cold snap hit. And yes, the first thing I needed to to was veneering. Damn. I didn't want to risk it as not only does the air temperature needs to be above 8c, but everything involved in the process (materials, glue, veneer press) must also be above this limit.


I started the project and then had to put it on hold till the cold weather passed!


So rather than twiddle my thumbs, I decided to make a few boxes, as all the work for them could be done in the nice warm heated area of the workshop.


Here are some pictures of the three boxes I made. They are similar to ones I have made and sold in the past. These have different handles and little feet.










These boxes are actually for sale on a website called 'Seek & Adore'. Here are my pages on the site where you can see other items I have on sale.



Friday 2 March 2012

Repeat....repeat....repeat....again

So all that batch work I was talking about in my last post (which was a while back)...


...here is the 'Airfix kit of parts' I first made.  It took a while as there were 416 individual pieces.




Looking at the picture, it is not clear if I was making a Lancaster or a Spitfire. Neither. The answer is trays with little sub divisions....like this finished one.




I was actually making a batch of 30! 




So making a big batch like that does show that some tasks are quicker, for example when wood is machined in bulk. But some tasks take just as long, for example when a tray is glued up (there is a slight speed gain, as after making about five trays, the best order and method is found).


So there you go.


Time and motion studies.


Yawn.