I Actually Did Some Woodworking

Vaughn McMillan

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Well, if you consider gluing and sanding to be "woodworking", anyway...

My friend and bandmate Donnie the Drummer volunteers weekly to teach a computer basics class at a local Senior Center. A month or so ago, one of his students asked Donnie if he could fix a picture frame for him. The frame held a couple of WWI medals that were awarded to the student's father. A couple of the joints had come undone, and it simply needed to be re-glued. Donnie posted photos of the repaired frame, and quite frankly, he butchered the job. The miters didn't line up, and the joints still had gaps because he'd not removed the old glue from previous repairs. To make matters worse, he used epoxy, making further repairs more difficult. When I saw the pics, I told him (privately) that next time he had a request for any wood repairs, to consult with me first, so I could help guide him in the proper procedures. (We've had similar discussions after he posted pics of himself cross-cutting a board on the table saw with a miter gauge and a fence together...kickback waiting to happen.) Donnie's good at a lot of things, but woodworking ain't one of them. :) Anyway, his student was pleased with the repaired frame, and that's what really mattered.

Less than a week later, Donnie sent me these photos:

Mr.%20Lahvic's%20Board%20-%2001%20-%20800.jpg


Mr.%20Lahvic's%20Board%20-%2002%20-%20800.jpg


Mr.%20Lahvic's%20Board%20-%2003%20-%20800.jpg


This is a chess board that belongs to another one of Donnie's students, Mr. Lahvic. Mr. Lahvic is 88 years old, and he got this chess board when he was 8. Over time, the pine back had warped and cracked, and the inlays on the front had come loose. Also, two of the four mitered corners had opened up. I started explaining to Donnie some of the things to be aware of when repairing it, and before long, he asked me if I'd be willing to just handle the repair for him. ;)

I don't have much in the way of tools here in Albuquerque, but I picked up a couple of bar clamps from Harbor Freight to go with the Irwin Quick Clamps I already had. I also spent an afternoon in my brother-in-law's garage using his belt sander and ROS. A couple of coats of Antique Oil followed by rattle-can shellac, and here's what was delivered to Mr. Lahvic earlier this week:

Mr.%20Lahvic's%20Board%20-%2004%20-%20800.jpg


I had to open up the mitered corners in order to clean up the joints and get some Titebond II into them. The outer frame was glued and nailed with countersunk finishing nails, but I was able to open things up about 1/4" to get things squared away. Due to the warping of the back, I still couldn't get everything lined up, but I got things close enough to where they could be sanded flush. Where possible, the loose border inlays were completely removed and re-glued with Titebond II. Nearly all the squares on the playing surface were loose, but I just worked CA glue into the cracks and let it cure. I think they should be OK for the next 80 years.

Mr.%20Lahvic's%20Board%20-%2005%20-%20800.jpg


There was no way to close up the crack in the back, so I simply filled it with epoxy and sanded the back flat again. Now the board no longer rocks when sitting on a flat table. :)

Mr.%20Lahvic's%20Board%20-%2006%20-%20800.jpg


According to Donnie, Mr. Lahvic was very pleased with the end result. Donnie offered to pay me for the work, but I told him making his student happy was payment enough. :thumb:
 
Vaughn,
You never cease to amaze and please me. I'm beginning to think that you are one of those people who never sleep. The neighbors on both sides of me are energetic, constantly on the go and to make things even more disgusting, they seem to sleep about 4 hours a night. Dang it, you and the neighbors just plain make me jealous.

Enjoy,
JimB
 
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