questions & answers?

. . . askBlackburn

Need help with a woodworking or home repair project? Don't know the best kind of wood for that coffee table idea you had? Always wondered what a particular tool was used for? Can't find any information on sharpening an edge? Wondering where to look for information?   The answers to these and similar questions may be closer than you think. Ask Blackburn by emailing your question, and he'll try to point you in the right direction - or at least, in the direction he'd go. No guarantees, of course, but after forty years at the bench he has some solutions up his sleeve, and he'll be glad to pass them on. Send your questions to askBlackburn, and we'll post the answers below.

what you wanted to know . . .

Air-conditioner bracing
I am going to install a 10,000btu air condtioner in a casement window. In order to do so, I have to remove the window which leaves a narrow 'sill', narrower than one would have with a double-hung window. Do you know of a good method to support the air condition which will have about 16" outside the sill?
Mel E. @gwi.net

I would cut a piece of one-by-twelve (pine or something similar - even a length of plywood) to fit in the opening. Secure the inside edge directly to the sill, using a filler piece if necessary to achieve horizontality, and support the outside edge with regular 10 in. metal shelf supports. You might also need some filler blocks behind the vertical section to accommodate the sill overhang outside the building.

Air-conditioner bracing cont. .
I think I'll use 3/4" exterior plywood (painted) to run the length of the sill. What size screws would you suggest? Are lag screws necessary or just wood screws? I'll pick up some heavy duty brackets at HomeDepot instead of utility brackets which seem a little thin and then mount them on to two horizontally affixed 2x4s (as filler blocks as the sill overhang is 1.5") screwed into the studs on the outside wall. That should do it.
Mel E. @gwi.net

Lag screws would of course be strongest, especially if your unit is heavy, but make sure they contact framing members such as studs. Of course, 3/4 in. wood screws will be sufficuent to secure the brackets to the plywood.

Air-conditioner size?
How do you determine the right size air conditioner for your home?
Lucy @comcast.net

Air conditioners are rated according to the size of the area they will cool. All you have to do is to measure the room - its width times its length will give you its area - (or all the rooms for a central air-conditioning system) and look for an air conditioner that is rated for that particular area.

Air-conditioning - calculating the capacity
I'm trying to figure out how much square footage I have in my living room so I can purchase an air conditioning unit. How do I find the square footage in my living room
Lloyd @csonline.net

Finding square footage is easy: simply multiply the length of your room by its width. If the room in question is not a regular rectangle, use the two longest measurements. However, when buying an air conditioner, you should consider the total volume of the room, not just the floor area. To obtain this, multiply the previous result by the height of the room. This will give you the cubic capacity of the room which is how most air conditioners are rated.

Books on Carving Tools?
Dear Mr. Blackburn, I would like to know what's the best book to buy when it comes to knowing what kind of tools to use on woodcarving. Thank you & looking forward to your favorable response.
Melvin O., CA

I can recommend two books that will provide help on carving tools: The first is my all-time favorite book on carving by the great English woodworking writer Charles Hayward. It's called Practical Wood Carving and Gilding. Hayward co-wrote this book with William Wheeler, who is sometimes listed as the primary author. It has a great section on tools: their sorts, uses, care, and preparation, and is really well illustrated.

The second is a classic, first published in 1911 and still in print, so you know it's good. It's called: Manual of Traditional Wood Carving by Paul N. Hasluck. Both of these books are available from Amazon.com (which you can link to from the Blackburn Books books page). Good luck carving,

Butterfly stairs
I am constructing exterior entry stairs that need to turn at 90 degrees. I also need to gain as many steps as possible in the space being mindful of the ratios you earlier indicated (Tread = 285mm (11 ¹ in) Riser = 180mm (7 in). The 'platform' is 1400mm ( 55 in.) square and I would like to break it up into 4 equal butterfly steps. This would make each step tread about 300mm (12 in.) deep at the centre. The other steps are all 285 mm (11 ¹ in.) treads. Would this be in accordance with accepted practice or would I be continually tripping up my guests?
Gary D., Auckland, New Zealand

It sounds to me like it would work, assuming there is enough lateral width on the fat side of the 12 in. depth at the centre, but doubtless any local building codes you might have would have something to say about this. If you're lucky enough not to have been overtaken by such governmental intervention and you're still concerned, try making a quick plywood mock-up of the turn and invite the friends you're worried about to check it out. Probably best not to serve too much liquid refreshment first.

Building a nest of tables
I am currently a student at Box Hill School. And I am studying G.C.S.E. Craft Design and Technology (CDT) among others subjects. I am designing and making a Nest of Tables for my CDT coursework. And part of the requirement of this coursework is to do research on the product that you decide to make. So I send this E-mail to gather any information about woodwork or Tables. So I ask if it would be at all possible if you could send me any information of what sorts of things have to be taught about when making furniture such as this or any information at all. Also any ideas of the best sort of wood to use or possible joints that I could use as it would help me a great deal in making this coursework piece.
Jonathan T. @globalnet.co.uk

My best suggestion would be my book: Furniture by Design, which addresses many of the things you mention in your letter. I can't very well precis the whole book in one email, but I'd be happy to answer any specific questions you might have. Just send them to: askBlackburn@blackburnbooks.com

Buying the right size air conditioner?
I'm trying to figure out how much square footage I have in my living room so I can purchase an air conditioning unit. How do I find the square footage in my living room'
Lloyd

Finding square footage is easy: simply multiply the length of your room by its width. If the room in question is not a regular rectangle, use the two longest measurements.

However, when buying an air conditioner, you should consider the total volume of the room, not just the floor area. To obtain this, multiply the previous result by the height of the room. This will give you the cubic capacity of the room which is how most air conditioners are rated. Keep cool!

Cabinet pricing guides?
I am currently conducting research related to starting a business that will specialize in buildng kitchen cabinets and am looking for a cabinetmaker pricing guide. Do you know of any and if so, where I could purchase one? Any assistance in finding a guide would be greatly appreciated.
Tomeka @aol.com

There are several construction estimating guides and cost analysis books available, but I'm afraid I don't know of a specific cabinet pricing guide. The best I can do is to refer you to the following sites that have books and other kitchen cabinet related information:
http://www.samallen.com/kitchen.html
http://www.cabinetmaking.com/linkpage.html

Carpentry instruction?
Where can I learn basic carpentry skills and the use of power tolls in Connecticut?
Patricia W., @aol.com

One of the best places is the Woodworkers Club in Norwalk Ct. Give them a call at 203-847-9663 and mention my name (I teach there occasionally) and they'll send you a class schedule.

Chisel re-handling
I'm re-handling a chisel but it has no tang. It does have a conical shaped cup into which to fit a handle, but how does one stick the handle to the metal?
Bil O., Pescadero, CA

1. Make sure the socket (that's the technical term for the conical-shaped cup) is not too badly messed up by having been pounded on with a hammer. This will have mashed the open end of the socket. If it has been abused like this, file off the mushroomed outer edge and make sure the end of the socket is nice and clean and square to the shank. It doesn't matter too much what the inside of the socket is like, but at least make sure that any remaining wood is cleaned out.

2. Shape the end of a suitable handle to approximate the interior cone shape of the socket. It doesn't have to be perfect or even turned. You can just hack at it with a penknife if you like.

3. Thrust the cone-shaped end of the handle into the socket and twist it about a bit. When you pull it out, any high spots will be very obvious, especially if you didn't clean the socket out too much and left a lot of rust in there.

4. Now whittle off the high spots and repeat 3.

5. Continue to repeat 3. followed by 4. until you get the handle about 80% of the way in to the bottom of the socket.

6. I've left this part to last, BUT IT'S THE MOST IMPORTANT BIT: Although you may have made a handle that is shouldered at the top of the conical bit that goes into the socket (most factory made handles for socket chisels are indeed shouldered), the secret for a tight-fitting handle that won't fall out every time you pick it up is not to fit the handle into the socket right up to the shoulder, and at the same time not to fit the handle so that it goes all the way to the bottom of the socket. WHY? you ask...well if you did then you would be unable to drive the handle into the socket any further when - and notice I say 'when' and not 'if' - the handle dries out a bit and shrinks. If you have followed the above instructions, then as soon as the handle DOES shrink a little, whack it in with a mallet and it should stay nicely - especially if it then starts to rain for several weeks and the handle swells up again.

Crowbars and prybars?
Can you tell me the difference between a crowbar and a prybay? I always thought they were the same thing.
Betty F., Connecticut

A crow is the old name for an iron bar used for levering. Old crows had a curved and split foot - in the shape of a crow's foot. Nowadays the tool that is generally referred to as a 'crowbar' tends to end in a thickened wedge-shape, and should more properly be called a prybar, although prybars are generally much shorter than old-style crows. Shorter prybars with crow's feet at both ends are also called 'wrecking bars'.

Frame-&-paneling sizes
I attended your Frame and Panel seminar at the Chicago Woodworking Show. I truly enjoyed the seminar and was very impressed with your use of the hand planes. I always thought that they were more difficult to use than power tools and that they achieved less quality results. How misinformed I was! I am currently finishing my basement and I want to install cherry frame-and-panel wainscoting around the main recreation room. From my research I have determined that 32" seems to be a 'standard' height. I had planned to use stock lumber sizes to minimize wasted wood: 6" base rail (5¸" actual height), 23" non-raised panel (¹" cherry plywood), 4" top rail (3¸" actual height) and 4" stiles (3¸" actual width). I was then going to add panel molding pieces around the inside of the frames to add visual dimension. You said that the rail and stile dimensions should "be meaningful" not just random. In your opinion, should I vary my dimensions? For example, should I rip the rails and stiles to even dimensions (6' to 5", 4" to 3", etc.)? Should my stiles be smaller than my top rail? Lastly, one of the other attendees asked about the proper method of affixing the wainscoting to a sheetrock wall. You told him to search the Taunton website for the information. I did a search at their site but was unable to find any information related to it. Do you think you might be able to forward that information to me also?
John M., Chicago, IL

Using stock lumber sizes for framing members is certainly convenient but all too often results in an unbalanced appearance. Professional designers use a variety of techniques to ensure that the proportions of various parts work well together, and I suggested one of the simplest ways is simply to have all parts relate to a common integer, i.e., be a multiple of some base number. Exactly what you use in your basement should also relate to the size of the panels . . . The article I wrote for Fine Woodworking (September/October 1987, issue #66) entitled: Wall Panelling: General application and design principles, should be of help to you. It is well illustrated and mentions other systems for determining proportions. If you can't get a copy of this issue from Taunton let me know and I will send you a copy of the article by mail.

Getting started (in woodworking)
I've been interested in woodworking for a long time, but have never known where to start. I love old, rich wooden furniture, and my goal is to someday be able to create my own. Are there are resources, online or in print, to which you can refer me? I have no woodworking experience, aside from hammering together 2x4's.
Jud H. @onramp.net

One of the best online sources for all sorts of wood-related links, including schools, apprenticeship programs, other woodworkers, etc., is at:
http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~alf/en/en.html.
If you really want to makeold rich wooden furniture, one of the very best places is the bennet street school: http://www.nbss.org/

Heating problem?
My heater will not cut on, I have central heating. The air works, but the heat doesn't. Could it be a connection - fuse or wiring problem.
Hazel @eatel.net

Sounds like you have a forced hot-air system that pumps hot air out of floor or wall vents. The reason you're not getting any HOT air has to do with how the air is heated. But you don't mention this. If you have an oil-fired furnace it could be as simple as faulty ignition or lack of oil. A gas-fired furnace might have ignition or other problems. In either event the safest course is to call the oil or gas supplier and have the furnace serviced. If you have an electrical system, make sure it's switched on, and there are no blown fuses or tripped circuit breakers. If you have a more esoteric solar-powered system there might be problems with the fuel cells or the heat sink.

Hollows & rounds
As you stated, the points of a hollow will leave a nasty gash in wood (and fingers). My #18 hollow has the points of the iron taken off (by a previous English owner). Is this something I should consider for any of my other hollows? Your thoughts on matter would be appreciated. I am also attempting to tune and use a set of snipe bill and side rounds.
Ron P. @bellatlantic.net

Relieving the extreme points of a hollow plane can be effective and helpful for rounding work where you need to tilt the plane past the usual one-sixth arc that most irons are ground to, but you'll lose the ability to work into a corner. Snipe bills and side rounds are best ground to the full matching sole profiles.

Laying out rafters?
I am framing a house. How do you step off a rafter? How to cut it? ie: measurement, overhang, etc
Daphne @juno.com

This is a big question, the answer to which depends on a number of factors that unfortunately you don't mention, such as the width and height of the roof, the design of the eaves and projected gutters, and even the roofing material - not to mention the design of the rafters themselves, for example, whether they are plain, laminated, or trussed.

Many localities have building codes that determine some of these things, and there are recognised methods of construction, just as there are standard ways to use the tools that help lay out and 'step-off' rafters. You should be able to find all this information in a good basic construction book (such as my Illustrated Book of Housebuilding and Carpentry), but feel free to ask more specific questions if you have more detailed information.

Metal roofing?
I have a roof tha t I am working on and would to put a metal roof on . I have double-coverage and tarpaper on already. How would I put on the v metal roofing now. would I need to use anything else before I put down the roofing ? How would I do the metal roofing? I am not sure how to go about this the best way.
Debra @aol.com

There are various types of metal roofing available: raised seam, flat seam, corrugated, aluminum, etc. The best thing for you to do is to take a look at the various sorts by looking at them in a book called: Architectural Graphic Standards. Your local library is sure to have this book, it is a standard work, used by every architect in the country, and is full of illustrations showing all the different kinds of roofing and how they are installed - especially what goes on underneath.

Moulding planes?
I attended your Molding and Beading Plane seminars in Houston. They were great. I have wanted to try molding planes for quite some time, but didn't because I didn't understand the process. I went to the Round Top Antique festival on Sunday and purchased 3 molding and 2 Beading planes. The problem - 2 cove style planes clog. They are sharp and the wedges are sharp. They only have about 1/32" throat. The others have much larger throats and work fine. On the larger Cove (1-1/4") a large portion of the blade is not wedged. It moves when you make a cut. Can you help
DavidG., Spring, Texas

I think you mean the distance between the cutting edge of the iron and the plane body - this is the mouth. (The throat is the entire space that the iron and wedge occupy) Try taking as thin a shaving as possible and double check the wedge is sharp and clean and not in the way of any shaving entering the mouth. One other possibility is that the iron may need to be reground or reshaped slightly. If you sight along the sole of the plane, the edge of the cutting iron should protrude equally across its entire profile. If it doesn't match the sole of the plane exactly then the tendency is to knock the blade out further so the shallowest part can cut with the result that another section of the cutting edge will now protrude too much. The larger cove moulding plane may need to have the wedge reshaped. Even if the wedge does not overlay much of the iron, that portion which does should still fit close to the iron and the throat of the stock (the wooden plane body).

Norris planes
How can one buy a used Norris smoothing plane? I understand they would be expensive compared with a used Bailey, but I don't know where to even begin looking for a used one that I might use as a working tool, not a display item.
John @ijntb.net

One of the best ways to find a good used Norris is by sending for Bristol Design (Tools) Ltd's current catalog. They're in Bristol, England but they list prices in dollars, include color photos, and do a lot of business with the US. Their email address is: tools@bristol-design.co.uk They're threatening to have a website up soon, but you'll enjoy the catalog. Mention I recommended them.

Planemakers?
I enjoyed your talks in Houston today (Friday). During one of them, you mentioned that there are modern makers of old wooden moulding planes. Who are those makers? Do they have web sites.
Larry W., Houston TX

Go to: http://www.planemaker.com Also Garret Wade sells moulding planes, but they don't give you a choice. They also have a website and a free catalog.

Purchasing lumber
In your book Traditional Woodworking Handtools you write about acquiring lumber either by cutting it yourself or purchasing it in 3 and 4 inch thickness. You state that this gives the woodworker a lot of choices in his project as it allows him to cut to dimensions that is needed for the project (makes a lot of sense). I am giving serious consideration to your advice but I was wondering if these 3 and 4 inch thick slabs had a particular name. I also want to know if there is a lumber company that can be contacted on the web that will sell and ship small quantities (100 - 200 bd. ft.) of this type of lumber.
Kenneth M., Atlanta, GA

Lumber thickness is typically referred to in quarters of an inch. Thus 1 in. lumber is called four-quarter, 1-1/2 in. lumber as eight-quarter, 2 in. as eight-quarter and so on. I can't recommend any web-orderable lumber, but check your yellow pagers under lumber, and also look in the page pages of Fine Woodworking if you want more exotic species. Local sawmills are usually happy to cut any amount in any thickness but don't always have seasoned stock, so if you can't wait check out lumber retailers.

Sharpening
Any ideas or jigs for sharpening scrub plane irons on oilstones. The manufacturer specifies that the cambered bevel of the plane iron "must not be hollow ground," so I believe that rules out even the high end sharpening machines like the Tormek. I'm in a quandry - is it just a matter of patience and technique?
John @uc.edu

Whatever kind of stone you use I believe it is easier to sharpen cutting edges such as chisels and plane irons by first ensuring that the back of the iron is perfectly flat. (For this reason I prefer waterstones since they are easier to reflatten once they become worn.) Once the back of your iron is perfectly flat, the bevel side can be ground to the approximate angle (23¥) and then sharpened like any other gouge or carving tool, by hand, working your way up through progressively finer-grit stones. This can usually be accomplished with a regular side-to-side movement. Another advantage of waterstones is that the slurry produced by constant flattening and washing of the stones can be used as an abrasive agent in a depression formed in a piece of softwood like pine cut with the very iron you are attempting to sharpen - thus providing a perfect, custom-formed slipstone.

Shelf Attachment?
How do I put up cd shelves on my wall, shelves about 4" deep by 1" thick by 3' long, (there are metal studs somewhere in the wall) without brackets? i want the shelf to simply and cleanly come right out of the wall without those terrible L brackets. Do i sink a bolt into the shelf and attach that to a butterfly thing that i put in the wall? I see this in Metropolitan Home all the time and can't figure it out! I have too many cds to keep buying ugly mismatched shelves. The shelves could be made out of any material, aluminum, wood, fiberglass, whatever.
Peter K., Athens, GA

What you need is one of the various types of 'hollow-wall anchors'. There are different designs - plastic and metal - but they all work the same basic way: the 'anchor' part goes through a small hole you bore in the wall, and then the screw or bolt goes through the anchor and when you tighten the screw or bolt it causes the anchor to expand or spread open inside the wall and hold fast. Some common types are: split plastic anchors; expanding metal anchors; toggle bolts (the butterfly kind you mentioned); and combination plastic anchor and toggle bolt. They're all cheap, so buy a selection and experiment on a wall in the back of a closet until you find the one you like best. The main trick is boring the right size hole, everything else is easy.

How you attach the shelving to the bolt is another matter. If you want simply a shelf - with no sides or back, just a plain shelf - then you'll need a small L-shaped bracket (something no bigger than 1in. by 1in), one side screwed intor the shelf (from underneath) and the other side screwed to the wall with the anchor bolt. It's possible to recess the bracket in the underneath of the shelf so that it's virtually invisible, but you'll need a small chisel the same size as the bracket to do this. Life gets easier if the shelving has sides or a back - then you can simply drive the anchor bolt through the back or side of the unit.

Sizes of Treads and Risers?
I would like to know if there is a standard measurement for rise and run of steps? Or if there is a industry limit to width of step, height of rise and maximum - minimum angle?
James M.

More important than an absolute measurement is the correct ratio between risers and treads. Exterior stairs, for example, tend to be less steep but wider than interior stairs (because of possibly dangerous conditions such as ice and snow).

The rule of thumb formula for determining the correct ratio between risers and treads is:

Riser + Tread = 17

For example: if the riser is 7 in., the tread should be 10 in. Another way to arrive at the correct ratio is:

Riser x Tread = 70 to 75.

For example, if the riser is 7-1/2 in, the tread should be 10 in., because 7-1/2 x 10 = 75.

Traditional door and window construction
I'm planning to build new a new door with windows in place of an existing garage door. I'm in the process of converting my garage to a workshop and would like to have the ability to have one "man door" within a series of three sectional doors. I'm sure there is a term for what I'm trying to describe. Basically I want the doors to look something like this...... Is there a good source that I can refer to for information on the traditional methods of construction for the above? I'd like to build them myself, preferably before I remove the existing garage door!
Chris H., Toronto, Ontario

Unfortunately your graphic didn't open on my Mac so I couldn't see what you have in mind. But it sounds like you're talking about a small service door in a larger door unit. This kind of thing used to called a 'wicket', and traditional construction consisted of framed or ledged doors with the smaller wicket framed within an opening leaf. An excellent source for construction methods for this sort of thing is Ramsey & Sleepers "Architectural Graphic Standards" - check them out on line or at your local library.

Turbine vents?
Just bought a house in Illinois where wind is strong. Do you cover turbine vents in the winter? There are five plus regular vents in the attic.
Margaret@gte.net

Your vents are useful and important all year long for the proper ventilation of the space between the exterior roof and the insulated areas of your house. I wouldn't cover them unless you thought they might let in snow.

Walnut dust as mulch?
I've just finished a project using black walnut and I wondered if the pile of sawdust and shavings I ended up with would be good for mulch in the garden?
Sam W., Oregon

Recycling your sawdust is generally a good idea, but walnut can actually be a bad idea. Not all plants like it. I'd compost it for a while first.

Tom@ix.netcom.com adds:
Walnut dust or shavings if used in a stable can KILL a horse. Something in it is toxic to horses and absorbs through their hooves. Obviously, never use it around your horses.

Walnut trees?
How can I tell if the trees in my front yard are English or Black walnut?
James @fmglobal.com

Black 'American' walnut (juglans nigra) has dark grey to black bark, rugged and split into squares, whereas English walnut (juglans regia) has a pale grey, ribbed bark. American walnut has a larger leaf - often over a foot long - with about ten pairs of leaflets compared to about five pairs in the English walnut, the American leaflets end in longer slenderer points. American walnut has a pale yellow sapwood and a deep chocolate-brown, almost purple heartwood. English walnut is much paler, more milk-chocolatey.

Window area?
How do you find the square footage of a window when you have both feet and inches?
John @home.com

I presume you mean the vertical area filled by the window, in which case convert the feet and inches to all feet, multiply the height by the width and then divide by 12. The result will be the area occupied by the window in feet and inches.

Windowmaking?
My husband and I are building an apartment in an old barn, and we want to do it from scratch by ourselves. I have looked everywhere for books on making windows, and cannot find a source. We have some peculiar dimensions to work with, and cannot afford to have windows special made. Can you help us.
Brenda @ aol.com

Making window sash by hand requires a fair amount of joinery skill, but with the right (hand)tools is not impossible. Probably the best information that is readily available can be found in the Audels 'Carpenters and Builders Guides' - especially the older pre-WorldWar II editions. An easier alternative that might be especially appropriate for your barn would be to buy second-hand sash from breakers yards (there is a tremendous variety available) and simply make the frames yourself. This is far easier. There is a whole chapter on this in my book The Illustrated Book of Housebuilding & Carpentry.

Woodworking schools?
I attended your seminars on Furniture Design and Jointery at the Atlanta Woodworking Show this past Saturday March 2. I see that you were educated in woodworking in England, therefore I am assuming you may be aware of woodworking schools in the UK. I would appreciate your comments on the coarse curriculum offered by the Thomas Chippendale School of Furniture in Scotland. They offer a 30 week craftsmen program in furniture design, construction and restoration. For an individual wishing to make a major career change into woodworking does this school in your opinion provide the essential coarse curriculum and industry reputation to be worth the investment in time and money? Would appreciate any information you can provide.
Rene @bellsouth.net

I have heard of the Thomas Chippendale School and believe it to be reputable but I don't know much more. I do know that John Makepiece's school at Parnum House in southern England (where the weather is much warmer) is very good. I've visited there and know of several graduates who have gone on to successful woodworking careers. Try Fine Woodworking's site for a list of schools (they publish periodic reviews of schools everywhere)