Here is the completed drafting table ... awaiting something to do. The first order of business is to draw the mould plans for the boat. I have drawings of the mould base and will be building it in the next few days.
Monday, July 13, 2009
Sunday, July 12, 2009
A Rumination on Building Things
Building the drafting table or, for that matter, any of the benches in the shop is an interesting kind of improvisation. I say improvisation because it involves planning and a lot of spur-of-the-moment decision making. Before I build anything, I always make drawings - often dozens of them. This is really a process of thinking - working out the salient details of the design: what characteristics do I want the table to have?; how do I make it structurally sound?; what are the tricky parts of the design that deserve special attention?; etc. In the case of the drafting table, two things concerned me: how to make the drawing surface stiff and how do I hinge the table. Many hinge ideas were worked out until the simple decision to use door hinges was made. I think that is the reason for the drawings: something that seems complicated occupies the drawings for a long time until you come to a simple resolution.
During building, I use the final drawing, which is usually a simple 2D sketch with dimensions, in an "advisory capacity." That is, the drawing gets me started - for example, with a basic frame with dimensions - but I have already internalized the details of building and can make changes as I want them. Fortunately, with "glue and screw" construction, there are many moments when you are letting glue dry and have a moment to assess your progress. This is usually when the design gets altered, simplified, or, in some cases, expanded.
The drawings leave an enormous amount of detail out. This is because decisions like "how many screws should I use to attach this brace?" or "how am I going to join these 2x4's at right angles?" are left to when those questions must be answered. This is the improvisational step. In a sense, the sketch is a skeleton of the essential structure. In the drafting table, I used many different joining techniques: screwing braces on edge with glue (no way to clamp these), plates (where I could adequately clamp but had to attach to end-grain), and corner bracing (for example, where 2x4's join at right angles and screwing would be into end-grain). You generally have a choice of more than one joining technique and I tend to leave that choice until I am doing the building and the problem is in front of my face. In this project I used the router and routing table sparingly and so a ton of joining options were not even considered.
Another thing that happens is that I often omit things in the design. For example, the drafting table was going to have a bottom board and cross bracing using tensioned threaded rod. I was worried about the stiffness of the frame. When I got the basic frame built, I could test how stiff it was and, so far, I am happy with it. If I get dissatisfied, I will add the stiffener. This kind of design approach uses more thinking and drawing then building and if the design is modular then I can stop when I "feel" that I have what I want. During building, I also realized that when the drafting table was down I could use it as a table - in this function, the design is a little weak as the table-top is supported on the hinge-end and in the middle but not on the opposite end of the hinges. If I find myself using it a lot as a table and it feels unstable then I will add a rest for that side - this is the kind of thing you can do easily with this kind of approach to building.
I wish I had purchased a jointer and planer years ago. I have build over a dozen work-tables over the years and have always made due with raw lumber (with only one exception). This to me seemed like the "simplest" approach but I was mistaken - it is perhaps one of the more complicated for the simple reason that nothing is really straight or flat and you spend a lot of time trying to adapt to this reality. It is a design style in its own right. For example, I realized long ago that having "flexible legs" on a table allowed them to wiggle just enough to eliminate small differences in length and angle. If you used big legs - such as 4x4's, the tables can essentially settle themselves into a very sturdy position - particularly if they are holding something heavy.
One last comment is about aesthetics - the drafting table is in no way a piece of furniture: it is a tool. To make it into a piece of furniture would vastly complicate the job as one would want to make the joints nice, use fancy wood, etc. I think that we spend too much time on that aspect of design and indeed it is a kind of trap: you cannot easily leave details out of the drawn design and as such the opportunity for improvisation is lost or at least greatly reduced. I love beautiful furniture but to use that as an aesthetic ideal leads many of us to buy things that we want rather than build them for ourselves - this is a genuine loss. I certainly looked at the available drafting tables and if I were to apply "money value of time" economics, I might not easily justify building the thing myself but that misses the entire point - it was fun to do!
During building, I use the final drawing, which is usually a simple 2D sketch with dimensions, in an "advisory capacity." That is, the drawing gets me started - for example, with a basic frame with dimensions - but I have already internalized the details of building and can make changes as I want them. Fortunately, with "glue and screw" construction, there are many moments when you are letting glue dry and have a moment to assess your progress. This is usually when the design gets altered, simplified, or, in some cases, expanded.
The drawings leave an enormous amount of detail out. This is because decisions like "how many screws should I use to attach this brace?" or "how am I going to join these 2x4's at right angles?" are left to when those questions must be answered. This is the improvisational step. In a sense, the sketch is a skeleton of the essential structure. In the drafting table, I used many different joining techniques: screwing braces on edge with glue (no way to clamp these), plates (where I could adequately clamp but had to attach to end-grain), and corner bracing (for example, where 2x4's join at right angles and screwing would be into end-grain). You generally have a choice of more than one joining technique and I tend to leave that choice until I am doing the building and the problem is in front of my face. In this project I used the router and routing table sparingly and so a ton of joining options were not even considered.
Another thing that happens is that I often omit things in the design. For example, the drafting table was going to have a bottom board and cross bracing using tensioned threaded rod. I was worried about the stiffness of the frame. When I got the basic frame built, I could test how stiff it was and, so far, I am happy with it. If I get dissatisfied, I will add the stiffener. This kind of design approach uses more thinking and drawing then building and if the design is modular then I can stop when I "feel" that I have what I want. During building, I also realized that when the drafting table was down I could use it as a table - in this function, the design is a little weak as the table-top is supported on the hinge-end and in the middle but not on the opposite end of the hinges. If I find myself using it a lot as a table and it feels unstable then I will add a rest for that side - this is the kind of thing you can do easily with this kind of approach to building.
I wish I had purchased a jointer and planer years ago. I have build over a dozen work-tables over the years and have always made due with raw lumber (with only one exception). This to me seemed like the "simplest" approach but I was mistaken - it is perhaps one of the more complicated for the simple reason that nothing is really straight or flat and you spend a lot of time trying to adapt to this reality. It is a design style in its own right. For example, I realized long ago that having "flexible legs" on a table allowed them to wiggle just enough to eliminate small differences in length and angle. If you used big legs - such as 4x4's, the tables can essentially settle themselves into a very sturdy position - particularly if they are holding something heavy.
One last comment is about aesthetics - the drafting table is in no way a piece of furniture: it is a tool. To make it into a piece of furniture would vastly complicate the job as one would want to make the joints nice, use fancy wood, etc. I think that we spend too much time on that aspect of design and indeed it is a kind of trap: you cannot easily leave details out of the drawn design and as such the opportunity for improvisation is lost or at least greatly reduced. I love beautiful furniture but to use that as an aesthetic ideal leads many of us to buy things that we want rather than build them for ourselves - this is a genuine loss. I certainly looked at the available drafting tables and if I were to apply "money value of time" economics, I might not easily justify building the thing myself but that misses the entire point - it was fun to do!
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Diddling with The Drafting Machine
I got a new long horizontal bar for my drafting machine. It is the full length of the drafting table (6 feet). In the picture I am diddling around because the old horizontal bar is of a different vintage and so some of the things don't fit without modification. The end caps needed to be trimmed a little; the little bits of wood are an adaptation needed to attach the end caps. I have also had to fill the back of the machine clamps with epoxy so that they will fit, hopefully, in the "t-slot" design of the more modern vintage. You can also see the classic green surface used on drafting machines. I will be affixing it to the drafting table using double sided tape ... a somewhat tricky job as the tape is very sticky and you want the surface to be perfectly smooth. I'm letting the green stuff settle a bit more and will likely attach it to the table tomorrow.
Finishing the Drafting Table
Here is the drafting table sanded and with a Urethane finish. Almost ready for the drafting machine to be installed! You can also see the finished riser bar - it has a channel routed in it that the knob tightens against, holding the table at your desired elevation. There is a riser bar on both sides and when they are both tightened, the table is quite sturdy. I also installed a pencil rail made of cedar.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Building the Drafting Table
I'm nearly done with a drafting table. I will use it to draw full-sized plans of the first boat. This has been a rather complicated job and I've gotten to use a surprising number of tools: planer, jointer, plate joiner, Japanese pull-saw, hand planes of various kinds, chisels, drill, drill press, etc.
It is quite a large table: 6 feet by 40 inches. I ordered a new horizontal rail for my drafting machine that is 6 feet long so I should be able to use most of the space. I have purchased a roll (150') of 36" Vellum for use with the table.
The drafting table uses hinges to allow you to tilt the table to any elevation. Tomorrow, I will route channels in an "elevation board" that will allow the elevation to be adjusted using a knob and lifting the table.
It is quite a large table: 6 feet by 40 inches. I ordered a new horizontal rail for my drafting machine that is 6 feet long so I should be able to use most of the space. I have purchased a roll (150') of 36" Vellum for use with the table.
The drafting table uses hinges to allow you to tilt the table to any elevation. Tomorrow, I will route channels in an "elevation board" that will allow the elevation to be adjusted using a knob and lifting the table.
The picture on the left shows the front of the table upright. It has been puttied to fill the screw holes and will be sanded and covered with a green surface that is traditional with drafting tables. The picture on the right shows the back of the table - the bracing makes is really quite stiff. One nice feature of this design is that you can have the table sit flat.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Getting Ready for Boatbuilding
In the next month or so I will be building at least one boat with my son Theo and his cousin Stellan. In preparation, I've done a lot of research, bought some equipment, and readied my shop.
The first boat we are going to build is tiny - 6 feet long. I found the plans in a recent issue of WoodenBoat magazine.
I purchased three pieces of equipment for this project: a wet grinder for sharpening tools, a planer for planing and sizing rough wood, and a jointer for making things square.
The wet grinder (made by Jet) is a wonderful tool. I have never been very good at getting chisels or planes sharp and boy does it make a huge difference. The wet grinder is a slow-speed grinder so you do not have to worry about overheating a tool (and, as such, destroying its hardness). It also has a lot of jigs that make it easy to establish proper angles on tools, etc. I can how shave my arm with my chisels and planer blades (this is the traditional ritual for establishing sharpness).
The planer and jointer are getting set up and I will test them out tomorrow. The first projects that will employ them are a drafting table and the construction frame for the first boat.
The drafting table will make it possible for me to loft the various plans I need in full scale to make the boat. I have a nice old-school drafting machine and the table will have a capacity of six feet by about three feet - plenty for the scale of boats I am interested in building.
The construction frame is essentially a "mold" that defines essential locations of the boat you are building. You build small boats upside-down on a mold and then flip them. The mold needs to be sturdy and level so the jointer will be the most useful tool as it is capable of making flat surfaces that are also square.
More to come as things progress.
The first boat we are going to build is tiny - 6 feet long. I found the plans in a recent issue of WoodenBoat magazine.
I purchased three pieces of equipment for this project: a wet grinder for sharpening tools, a planer for planing and sizing rough wood, and a jointer for making things square.
The wet grinder (made by Jet) is a wonderful tool. I have never been very good at getting chisels or planes sharp and boy does it make a huge difference. The wet grinder is a slow-speed grinder so you do not have to worry about overheating a tool (and, as such, destroying its hardness). It also has a lot of jigs that make it easy to establish proper angles on tools, etc. I can how shave my arm with my chisels and planer blades (this is the traditional ritual for establishing sharpness).
The planer and jointer are getting set up and I will test them out tomorrow. The first projects that will employ them are a drafting table and the construction frame for the first boat.
The drafting table will make it possible for me to loft the various plans I need in full scale to make the boat. I have a nice old-school drafting machine and the table will have a capacity of six feet by about three feet - plenty for the scale of boats I am interested in building.
The construction frame is essentially a "mold" that defines essential locations of the boat you are building. You build small boats upside-down on a mold and then flip them. The mold needs to be sturdy and level so the jointer will be the most useful tool as it is capable of making flat surfaces that are also square.
More to come as things progress.
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