Buttons and slots for same all done, and still no major disaster... What's left to go wrong then? Only the flippin' tops, that's what. Something that'd really show up, in fact. Oh deary me... Did I say they were to be 13.5" square earlier? Well it's all rot; 12.5". Not that it matters either way really; both are too big to crosscut on the SCMS. Heigh ho, I'll just have to suffer with more cleaning up of bandsaw marks with planes. Sob. It's a hard life. As it happens I've already made my life unnecessarily hard in cutting the buttons, simply to save wood. I used a stick of the right dimensions, 'Ratted a rebate at each end, cut the required button length off, rebate at each end, cut 'em off, etc. Eight times. I know, I know. Lunacy. It worked though.
And for those folks who don't read the Off Topic section of UK Workshop, may I recommend a gawp at the Wooden iPod? I suddenly find myself wanting an iPod; my el-cheapo MP3 player doesn't lend itself to a wooden makeover unfortunately.
Dissolving shellac really is on a par with watching paint dry. Except drying paint doesn't require me to pay attention and remember to shake the bloomin' stuff every-so-often. Needless to say, despite having the jar of blonde, de-waxed flakes and solvent right here next to the keyboard, I forgot to give it a quick swill round and it's stuck in a big clump at the bottom. Apparently a coffee grinder is handy to grind up the flakes so they'll dissolve quicker, so I've been keeping an eye open for one at the car boot sales. I did find one a couple of weeks ago, but it was full of coffee beans and they smelt so wonderful and it seemed such a shame to just toss them, I didn't even ask how much the grinder was but just walked on. I know; crazy. Hmm, looking at that jar, I could do with a little more alcohol in there. I mix it Galoot Fashion, which means to toss a few flakes in the jar and cover them with the solvent. Refreshingly hit'n'miss, I think you'll agree...
Talking of car boot sales, found another saw this morning. A 12", or might be 14" back saw, can't recall, with nearly all its teeth jointed away. Oh, and a Yankee screwdriver bit, which I belatedly realised is bent, but for 20p I'll take the trouble of hitting it wiv an 'ammer to straighten it I suppose. The question is, should I have bought the 8" steel-backed dovetail saw for £5? Oh well, too late now. The WS Manufacturing Ltd. #4 was still there to taunt me; it's getting harder and harder to resist...
And before you ask, no, I haven't done the buttons yet. I think they've become my new Woodworker's Block...
Funny thing. It's not 'til you come to look for it that you discover there seems to be very little detail about the use of buttons for fixing tables tops swilling about. I have, ha-hum, a wide range of woodworking books from which to choose, but barely anything on the subject. Exactly how many does one need for a 13 1/2" (don't ask) square table top? I suppose eight, two each side, in order to "hold the corners down". My search for info did turn up quite a nice resume of the options here, plus some really nice pieces they've been used on here. Got me wondering if that could be a subject for an article for Good Woodworking mag in fact. Then I saw the "new look" that arrived on the doormat this morning and realised my writing for them is never going to happen. I don't have the necessary ability to write in the printed equivalent of a sound bite, which seems to be the trend they're adopting. I daresay the multitude will love the new look, but when I see the same features they've always had, but just with new names, and "interviews" that comprise two-thirds of a page, half of which is a photograph of the interviewee, I find it hard to buy into the style when the content is so disappointing.
Yes, it's an unnecessarily thin shaving. I'm not addicted. I can stop any time I like. Call it a minor gloat of triumph, for I have faced the demon that is tapering and I have overcome it. Huzzah! Well I decided I didn't want the whole weekend blighted with anxiety while I put off the fatal moment, so I got it done today instead. I can now safely say I don't much care for tapering jigs. In hindsight I could have done just as well cutting to the line, which I had to draw anyway in order to see where to plane to. (Alas, I didn't see Mike's comment in time!) But that's one more step closer with no apparent disasters. I tell you, it's starting to get spooky...
Did I mention about the falling through of the first diamond paste order? Well I ended up ordering from two different places instead, and the first half arrived today. Man, those syringes look like they contain shots for a horse... I won't tell you how long it took me to work out how to get the stuff out of the damn thing, but no, you don't just press the plunger. Oi vey, what have I let myself in for?
