Not quite a joiners rod, but I set out the leg frame angles on a piece of ply, and transferred the tapers and joint markings to the components of each leg frame.

These mortice and tenon joints went pretty well, especially as it’s at least nine months since I last did any at IBTC.

Before glueing up, there was still a lot to do. The lower rail is curved and rounded, and the legs are rounded too. Out with the spokeshave, and the floor was soon strewn with heaps of shavings!

After cutting mortices to take the transverse rails, I glued up the frames.

A mitre is formed on the legs where the lower rail meets them, giving a more ‘naturalistic’ branching effect. A new style and technique to me, but I enjoyed the process and am pleased with the resulting two leg frames:

The cross rails required straightforward 90 degree tenons but the lower back rail is also curved and rounded.

Here is the completed frame … so far, so good!

This project has not quite been all consuming – I have laid the composted bark mulch on the garden beds, and it looks great – better still, the blackbirds aren’t scattering it everywhere, which is a bonus. So, it’s good to pause come evening time, and to enjoy the fruits of my gardening labours, a book and. glass of wine!

Cheers!!

Well, that went well!

This afternoon, it was out with the mortise gauge. Soon, the components of Sylvia’s desk frame were dimensioned, using the bandsaw to remove the bulk of the waste, followed by a final finish with my jointer plane.

All thicknessed, and ready to be cut to final length. Tomorrow, after a morning at the local surgery, I will draw out the joiners rod and start work on the joints.

A couple of hours work, and the excitement builds!

While waiting for my new thicknesser machine, I decided to take the plunge and order another machine – a new band saw. I need a decent one for my boatbuilding anyway.

Half the fun with these purchases is the time spent researching the different machines, comparing their specs, looking at You Tube videos, and reading the reviews. Having made my choice, and found the best price, I rang to make an order. I was very surprised to be told: “Yes, we have it in stock, and can deliver the day after tomorrow.”

With some difficulty – it weighs 230kg – we managed to move it from the drive to Docs Den. Within an hour or so, I had it unpacked, set up, and had fitted a blade.

Over the last two or three days, I have been using it to prepare the stock for the desk project. Wow, it cuts through 4 inch thick oak like a knife through butter!

I now have all the frame components cut close to size, and have used my jointer and smoother planes to get them ‘faced and edged’. I’m ready to get them to the final dimensions in the thicknesser now, but that’s not due to arrive for a fortnight.

Rather than wait, I will probably resaw the wood on the bandsaw, and hand plane to the required thickness, in the traditional way. It’s good exercise, and I love to see thin shavings curl from the plane and to feel the smoothness of the planed surface.

A year ago, when starting out at IBTC, I found it so hard not to over-correct. Now, it seems altogether easier and more natural. I use my ‘winding sticks’ to check for twist/wind, take a few strokes with the plane, and then reassess.

As the sawn surface is planed, the grain becomes clearer, and I love to see the medullary rays appear, so prominent in oak.

Cross-cutting the planks has also been done by hand. I have had a go at sharpening one of my Dad’s old panel saws, which went better than I expected. It’s a useful skill, rarely used in these days of throwaway saws, so I will keep practising.

The shavings have been deposited on one of the garden beds. The garden is almost fully weeded now, and bark chippings are on the way to mulch and suppress further weed growth. Blackbirds love rootling though the bark for insects – it’s amazing how far they can throw chips of bark across the lawn in the process!

I have great respect for all who are working on the front line in healthcare and social care, and admiration for all who are contributing to the national effort. One of IBTC’s ex-students and her co-workers is making ventilators instead of boats – how’s that for transferable skills!

We celebrated our 35th Wedding Anniversary in lockdown, and this is our first Easter on our own. Still, we are all well, and I hope you all are too. All the best!

I am pleased to be able to report the successful completion of my first major home woodworking project: my new workbench.

The finishing stages went hand-in-hand with a major tidy up/reorganisation of Docs Den – the first week of the ‘lockdown’ went very quickly as a result.

There is still some reorganisation to do in the rest of the workshop – an extension would be good – but it’s exciting to be ‘ready to go.’

I have at least one project to get on with: a small desk for Sylvia. The wood is here, but I could really do with a thicknesses machine. One is on order but may take a few weeks to be delivered. I wish I had ordered it earlier!

Ah well, at least the garden is getting a lot of attention. I must get the beds cleared of weeds before new growth makes them impenetrable. I enjoy the flowers, trees and shrubs, but not the weeding. At least, with the longer days and some very welcome sun, the shrubs are covered in buds, and our fruit trees are in blossom.

Here’s hoping for the easing of restrictions, a glorious summer, and the end of this pandemic. And I hope that you are all keeping well and safe.