woodworking project

larry merlau

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Delton, Michigan
ok this is NOT my idea!!!! it was mentioned to me by a good friend..we have had spinny swaps and flat work swaps and combo swaps and just plain gadget swaps.. and in my experince it has been fun and rewarding to see our froum work together in a positive way.. we dont need competion to survive we need team work.. and a group effort towards a final result..

so here is what i am relaying to you folks and give me your thoughts on this idea that isnt mine..

have a project , be it a wall cabinet like glenn is making or some other project that requires some skills that you or i may not have the best handle on but threw the forums member that do can help us threw it.. for example jays organ build,, that has been one very fun and a definite learning experience for those who made one and those of us who didnt to see what all goes into one.. lets say for example the project was a end table, with a drawer, maybe we want to try and do some beading like rob did on his vanity or some detail like glenn did in the leg detail or many other things that can go into this table.. no real fast deadline but something that when we are done we can learn from and either keep it or maybe donate to a charity to auction off for the sake of the charity.. but we can learn from each other like jay and his crownies taught us to make a organ.. i am not trying to cut out the spinny guys so maybe a spinny project as well if they were wanting to have one.. but maybe the spinny guys want to try a flat work job,, so lets discuss this idea and see if we cant get the forum back to wood working and not the hustle bustle of worldly things like videos and game boys.. this forum was set up as a wood working forum and in my opinion we need to get some more of that in it.. when you see a wood working project only get a handful of replys it tends to deter the person from contributing next time.. i am guilty of not showing projects just as other are but i am trying to get this back on track.. this is just my opinion so do as you will with it:) but i feel we can learn from each other in a group project.. so tell me and the rest of the forum your thoughts:D:thumb:
 
I like the idea :thumb:
We have recently had a similar discussion over in mod-land.

I have just delivered my grandsons bed and need to update the thread. My next two projects are to build the simple foldaway work bench shown in this months issue of wood. Then I thought I'd build Norm Abrams router table and document my progress in a thread.

I just cancelled my carpel tunnel surgery for Sept 12th because the recovery process would keep me out of the shop for 2 months :rofl::rofl:
I'd rather deal with my hands falling asleep than go 8 weeks without making something;)

If you want to take the lead on this idea Larry I'll help and support in any way you want me to. Count me in :thumb:
 
i will help in any way that i can bob but i wont take the lead, this is not my idea!!! i am just transferring it to the forum for reveiw and discussion. i dont take credit for something i havent done..
 
As I currently am a mod, I have an idea of what you are presenting Larry. To clarify, are you then suggesting an idea for a build. Example, the cabinet you discussed. Then given rough sketches/ideas, each member builds this cabinet in their own shop with their own twists for their own personal likes, but as a group we are possibly encountering the same problems or similar problems and as a team can better solve them. Thus we should all finish near the same time and they/the finished cabinets can be compared. Is this what you were saying?
 
i think he's talking about a group project, where we all make a part of it. then donate it to a raffle/charity or some such. you can't drop such a thing and walk away larry, you is da leader on this one. so charismatic, so photogenic, and dogs an cats like you too....:D:thumb:
 
jonathan yes, you have it understood correctly, and dan i will not.. this is a members idea and for what ever reasons they had not pursued it further so i am letting the forum mull it over because i felt it was warranted.. as for the charity bit goes, dan i was just thinking that if the makers didnt want thiers they could donate it and help out a charity in some way i dont care what they do with them. like one can only have so many bowls or chairs or tables:)
 
I think its a great idea. The only issue i can see is finding something with enough complexity to challenge the majority that participate. so i think it would need to be something where people decide if they in to build a challenging piece that ends up being chosen and do it for the learning and participation then one can use that group to determine what it is.


I will add that one of the things i have been looking at and enjoy in flat land is making tools.

One tool in particular that i would like to have a go at making is a moulding plane. Hence my posting the article on beech.

In a few moments i am taking a ride to my local lumber guy he has a sale on and i plan on getting some beech.


But you only need to take a look at something like that guy Derek in Australias site to be inspired to make some from of flatworker tool.

Trouble is thats flatwork so i cannot see the spinny guys being up for a specific flatwork tool.


Another idea that i have kicking around is to build a unit like Darren built for his wife. I am sure all our wives have ribbon and paper etc for the present wrapping gift giving things that get used to dolly up a present.

But i dont think its a particularly challenging project for 90% here.

Perhaps we should discuss what should be part of it that would be challenging.

To me Mike Henderson gave us something to think about with his veneering tutorial and the other thing i have up my sleeve is carving.

If you look at most old fine European furniture it all has carving in it in some way shape or form. There is a barrier i would like to break down. I am living with a son that did a carved shell handles tray at school and i cant allow that for too much longer. ;)

Do we get excited about us all doing a draw with hand cut dovetails??? I dunno.

I am thinking of also just buying a bunch of finish of different kinds and taking some basic woods like oak maple walnut etc and cutting a few pieces of each and finishing them all with the various finishes just to break out the mold on the finishing. We have some experienced people to help in this department. Beats the wipe on poly wipe on poly wipe on poly or blo blo blo etc

Then the is laminating or bending. Make a cupboard small one with a bent front door and bent rail and stile to match on the ends.

That would be a good challenge. Curved raised panel. :eek:

Ok thats a few of my marbles in teh ring. Hey i have not lost em yet.:D:thumb:
 
Not looking to veer off course, but instead of a "plan" for a specific piece, how about a "function" with parameters? Something like;

"Joe has a need for a container to be used to store and display his collection. He assumes he needs between X and X cubic inches of storage capacity, needs to have it open for easy display of the contents, and is able to secure the contents for travel to and from his collector shows. Unfortunately for Joe his budget is limited and can only afford to pay for about x bf of lumber. You offer your labor for free if he pays for the wood."

There is a lot of latitude in there to meet a need. You can turn, veneer, use fancy joinery, carving, etc. It might be interesting to see how many ways we come up with to meet Joe's needs. Of course, we all get to think of our own "what's inside the box". Note that I did not say what Joe collects.:D

Sorry Larry, I know this moves away from the initial plan to have many working on the same work problems and substitutes "need" and design problems in its place.
 
I am tweaking this a bit seeing as it is out in the open.

Proposing a Group Build area. It would be a separate sub-forum, with separate sub-topics. Each topic would deal with that build.

Here is how it would work. 2 or 3 times a year, we would vote on what is to be built next.

Once a project is chosen, a design would be submitted, by a member, hopefully or picked from an off the shelf magazine. The design would have basic sizes and wood type, for the original designer. This project is designed for that builder and their area. The other builders of the group build, have the right to change anything about it they wish, except function. If it was a wall cabinet, it would remain a wall cabinet. Now one wall cab might hold shop tools and the other might hold trinkets, but wall cabs they both are.

I also think it would be good to have one project at a time. Would ease some of the questions and trying to keep up with the project stuff.

As far as newbies vs intermediate vs advanced. All projects could fit into any of these classes when done with the openness of the guidelines. Just because a bookshelf has sliding dovetails holding the shelves in place, doesn't mean the next member has to do it that way. Kreg screws will hold a shelf just as well.

Timeline, simply put there is none. Yes it would be nice if everybody could do it in a week. We all know that just doesn't happen. Life happens, and it sometimes gets in the way. The sub-forum would never be locked or the sub-topics would never either. Years down the road someone may want to build something that was build as part of the build.

So there you have it. Toss out the ideas.
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This is what we had picked out to start out with. http://www.shopnotes.com/issues/090/extras/roll-around-work-cart/
People could modify to fit their needs and space. The basic shop cart would remain a cart. If I built it to hold my lathe and Brent built it for his computer controlled Weber grill, it was all OK. If I used dovetails for the drawers and Larry used Kreg screws, once again, all OK.

Lets say I decided to do an inlay of something on the top. I don't know how. Well I post the question and Jay helps me out. He may not even be building the cart, but he could help out with problems.

The possibilities are endless for this idea. We could do beds, chest of drawers, night stands. You name it, it could be done.
 
Ok my 2 cents worth.....I think it will be hard to find a project that suits many members needs. What I mean is....maybe you have an interest in building a coffee table...someone else has no need or room for a coffee table but would like to have a TV stand.....but someone else would rather build a bookcase. These could all still be done together as a group. Maybe the idea of working on certain aspects of woodworking together can be done for instance. Even though different people may be building different projects they may all still be sharing how they are cutting dovetails together. Or applying veneer or joining together a tabletop. I just thowing this out there as a thought....good or bad.
 
You just beat me to it Steve! I was going to grab some of the verbiage and put it out there.

Ideally, each build would have a leader with some familiarity with the subject that could help folks that have questions.

Part of the inspiration for this came from the way Jay has done a great job on the organ thread(s).
 
Yes, Jay and his organ builds were a big part of this.

Tom, if a person did not want to build along, they would not have to. What you could do was pick the next project, more towards the one you are wanting to build. That way you would have more of the same projects going.

The reason the shop cart was chosen is that most people need/ want more shop organization.

Remember this is also a legacy type of a project. Say I die tomorrow, someone could still see what I built years from now and use the basic skills and ideas that might be presented.
 
Great way to break in that new shop. I vote Tom in charge:rofl::rofl:

Seriously, who ever drives the bus on this would have to complete the project in a reasonable amount of time. Other wise it could get lost in the shuffle.
 
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