♪ Upbeat music - Boy, do I have a plan for you.

A tool tote.

It's just a perfect accent.

Great in the woodshop or the kitchen.

Learn how to make one today on The American Woodshop.

- The American Woodshop with Scott Phillips is brought to you by: - Woodcraft, since 1928.

Providing traditional and modern woodworking tools and supplies to generations of craftsmen.

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- PS Wood, home of Timberwolf's Swedish silicon steel bandsaw blades, and super sharp scroll saw blades.

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- Once in a blue moon, I come up with a plan that I really love and this tool tote is fantastic.

And it's pretty easy to make.

Key dimension: 24 inches.

Now, let's go make one together.

Look at that beautiful Kentucky coffee tree.

Now, we're going to joint this and plane it, in fact, we'll do that to all of our work pieces to three-quarter inch thickness, but, whatever you do, be sure to read, understand and follow all the safety instructions that come with tools and products you use.

So, this is set up on that dust collector with a separator.

Makes it nice.

I'll joint the edges on one side, take it to the planer, plane it down to three-quarter inch thickness and then go to the table saw to rip it to the dimensions we need.

So, let's turn on the dust collector and make those cuts.

Always use a push block to keep the flat of the board against the fence as you joint those edges.

And this is a helical head jointer, and that gives you a great, great edge right there.

(electric sawing) (buzzing) I'm just loving the grain.

And, I've used template now from the plan to lay out the pattern.

These edges are parallel.

The board is flat.

Okay, and that's really important when you hand-cut dovetails, which is the next step.

Everything needs to be dimension square and stay flat, otherwise you won't have good joints.

Dust collection on, and I'll cut these work pieces to the working length, to check them for square.

Be moving on down the road.

What I need is more wood!

Don't we all?

Here we go.

(Saw buzzing) Let it come to a stop.

Just for safety.

Let's check this, because it has to be perfect.

Absolutely has to be.

And you want a big, long square.

There's no daylight.

That's awesome.

That's what you want.

And that's the benefit of a really good Miter saw.

So, there are the two ends.

These are the sides.

Now, this work piece, just love that old salvaged fireworks box out of the wood.

And I'll bring that up and bring the blade down and just make sure that I match the cherry underneath, same three-eighths thickness, and make this cut.

Because now, this will become part of the box cherry on the other side.

And then one final cut, and I'll leave the line on that side for the bottom.

And that will be the foundation for the pins of the dovetails.

And this is three-quarters of an inch in thickness.

So, we cut that, and then it's over to do the layout for the dovetails.

(Saw buzzing) Look at the bottom and look at the sideboard that goes up and in.

That will go into a slot that's cut into the ends once they've been dovetailed.

And that's important to know because those slots will be three-eighths of an inch deep.

That means the overall length of the bottom board has to be three-quarters of an inch longer.

And that will make sense later, but that's key.

Now, the other thing that we need to do with the template, lay it on the square, end work pieces, and we trace the patterns out naturally.

And to lay this out, what you do is you square it up and then you carefully use a marking knife.

A knife.

The flat goes against the side of the template.

You score it nice and deep holding the template in place.

You can't use a pencil here because it's not accurate enough.

You have to be able to leave that line for good tight fits.

Okay.

And so, you do it on one side of the template and then you do it on the other.

And what we're doing is marking- These are the dovetails.

These areas right here are the pins.

So, what we're doing right now is we're marking what we will cut away.

That one a little bit deeper right there for the pins to slide through these dovetails.

And that's key.

Layout is everything, because if you can't see your layout lines, you won't be able to make them right.

Now since we are keeping these, that means we are wasting away that and that, and that.

And you can't really see it well, but I certainly could see it with the light.

It helps if you wear a hat because it keeps the light right.

Now, the one thing that you have to do is set the marking cage to the thickness of your bottom board and be very precise about that.

And then, what I'll do is come up here, swing it off the end and make sure the fence is up against that square cut.

And now I can scribe that line and that will, when we make the dovetails, then, give me perfect joints, just like that.

So now, I'm going over- and there are a million different ways to cut these- but we're going to use a bandsaw here, with an eighth inch scrolling blade, and we're going to cut this out.

We'll cut the patterns out first, then we'll cut out the dovetails, making sure that we take away the X's and leave the tail.

(buzzing) I've learned control is everything, but down to the table, come up to that marking gauge line, back it out slightly.

Now, you can make a super tight turn.

That's why I like this scrolling blade.

And there is a secret to getting really good cuts on a bandsaw like this.

It's the blade.

This is the Silicon steel blade.

And the other thing is, I'm leaving that marking knife line.

And then I can come up and do the same thing in the waste area, and I repeat this until I have all the dovetails cut.

(Bandsaw buzzing) Okay.

Let's see where we're at with the dovetails.

So, those are dovetails.

And through dovetails mean that the mating piece here, the pins come all the way through the tails.

And we can't cut these until we get these tuned up a bit on the scroll saw.

And the other thing is I'm using this template right here to layout my hole pattern for the piercing hole that I have to drill.

And this bit is five-sixteenths of an inch.

And this mortise, as it is, is going to be for the handle of the tool tote.

And I'm using a number nine blade on the scroll saw and bring that down and tighten that chuck.

I always leave the guard on.

Some people take it off, not a good idea.

And I tighten that blade down, then, add more tension.

And that's the key, you want decent tension on it.

And now, I'll be able to cut that mortise out.

Once that's done, we'll do one more thing on the scroll saw.

That puffer helps to keep the sawdust off of the cut.

Leave the line.

Okay, when you come to a corner, don't be shy.

Pivot by holding it down to the table.

Don't put side pressure on the blade and you can go right around a tight corner that way.

Same deal here.

When you come to a corner, take it.

You don't want to stress the blade, but you do want to make tight turns.

Take your time, give that blade a chance to carry away the sawdust.

I use the scroll saw for a lot of things.

Great tool.

Again, the blade selection is key.

This is a number nine.

It's a little bit wider than a number seven.

Gives you more control in the cut.

I like that.

So, I'll finish this cut.

Then, I'll show you how to tune up your dovetails.

Off it goes, release this, and voila, we have our through mortise.

Now, to make sure these cuts come right up to that line, the marking gauge line, I can go in with the scroll saw now and tune up those cuts.

Some people like to do that with a chisel.

Sure, I use that too, but this saves a lot of time.

So, I'm not shy about using tools, power tools when I can to make good dovetails.

With the dovetails all tuned up right now, I've done one end just to show you the tails and the pins, the white basswood coming through the tails.

And now I've done the layout on the other end.

And this is a slightly different technique, because you don't use the template.

You use what you cut out, because try hard as you can, you're going to end up making your cuts a little bit different on your master dovetails than the template is.

And I'm using a real hard point, sharp point marker here so you can see the lines and you can see the X's here.

And I always stay on the inside X area when I make the cut on the scroll saw, right- Or, excuse me, we can't use the scroll saw because watch what happens.

We bring this up and I'm going to swing this out and I'm going to keep it square to the work bench and to the floor.

And how do I know it's square?

With a good square right there.

And now I bring that square up and I have a marking gauge line scribed across right here.

That gives me my depth of cut.

And because these are angled, there's no real easy way to do this other than a Japanese razor saw for cross cut, for joint work.

And remember, I want to leave that line in That way, if the joint is too tight, cut it square.

Then we go down to that marking gauge line, just like that and repeat this process.

And once we have all these cuts done in the waste area again, then, we take it back to the scroll saw.

I'm going to freshen up that marking gauge line.

And if you look at the ends here, I have the waste area exed out.

And the wide part of the dovetail now is down.

Okay, and the reason for that is I'm going to cut the narrow part of each of dovetail zones out and leave the pins.

And I'm using the number nine blade to do that.

It goes straight in along that cut line that I've already made.

And remember when you come to a corner, hold it flat to the table and make that right angle turn.

You can do that with the number nine blade, which is what I prefer.

Now, watch what I can do on a scroll saw.

I'm going to back out of the cut, cause this work piece is too long.

If I tried to swing it around, it'd hit the throat.

And when I back out of the cut, I can come back in.

Again, I'm not touching that pin, I'm just making that wasting cut right there to my line, and pop that right out.

And then, you can see two little areas right here that need to go away.

Now watch what happens.

This is where the chisel comes in.

We're using a butt chisel.

Butt's in your hand, you don't have to use a mallet for this.

And you just pair that off, like so.

Pops right out.

What could be easier?

It's all about knowing the little tricks of the trade.

And when you use this chisel, the flat part not the bevel, the flat part is up against that marking gauge line, so that your depth of cut matches the dovetail board.

The ends of your tool tote.

So, this is going to come out like so.

Of course, it's being a bit more difficult.

You don't have to use mallets for this.

You want to keep it square.

And now what I'm going to do is repeat this process for the other three zones for the dovetails.

And then we can fit it all together.

(Machine whirring) Gently now, keeping the ends square to the base, we've tapped the pins and tails together.

I like that look.

Very strong.

Okay, and when you lift, the pins will lock into the dovetails.

But now, I'll use a white marking pencil just to mark the inside surface of this zone, because remember the sides have to slide in.

And so, we'll take this back apart and then, it's over to the router table to make those cuts.

(buzzing) Voila!

Now, what you're looking at are those grooves that will accept the perfectly fitted sides.

And it always has to be made into the dovetail because when that goes into the pins, it will hide that cut.

So, I'll finish the other work piece and then it's onto assembly with the rail.

(buzzing) Now, let's turn this off, and I'll show you what's going on.

That is the tenon that is traced out on a curved handle pattern, and you have to keep it square before you can cut this tenon out.

And that is going to be a perfect fit right there.

Just a little bit of filing.

Do the same to this other end, and once I get that tenon cut out, then I cut the curve and it's on to assembly.

So, this is the dry fit.

The handle goes in with the tenons that have cuts in them.

And you'll see why in just a second.

Nice tight fit there.

I've pulled this end out ever so slightly so that I can tap it home.

There's glue in those joints, brushed out both sides.

So, I tap that home like that.

And let me show you a couple tricks.

If you would have tiny little gaps, wedge it but be gentle about that and just use a razor saw or chisel to pair that right off.

You gotta know how to fix your mistakes in this world.

And then right here, look here.

Those two little slots made at the bandsaw.

Those get tapped home, like so to wedge it.

And that handle is Osage orange.

I'll razor saw that off, a spot of sanding, and oh, we have to slide the sides in like so, and this is where you get nervous.

Yes!

That squares it up very nice.

Now, where do I get all these fabulous woods?

Well, I recycle everything.

And so, Susie and I planted a tree 15 years ago and it's time to harvest that because, well, here's the story.

We're here with Rob Crump of Bur Oak Tree Services.

Now, Rob, tell us about this crew and what's going to happen here.

- We're gonna take down this tree for you, and we're going to safely bring it down and make sure we don't damage your house.

[Rob] We're a local tree company that we're fortunate to have great guys that we work with.

[Scott] They're the best.

[Rob] We're very fortunate and- - That's why I hired you guys.

- Yeah.

Well- - Well that, and to save my marriage because, quite frankly, I was going to drop this tree, because I love using the chainsaw - Yeah.

- Yeah!

And on that concrete.

Can't you imagine Suzy coming home?

- That could be bad if you crack the concrete.

- Oh!

And I would have.

Okay, you saved my marriage.

[Rob] Well, we'll see.

We haven't done it yet.

[Scott] (laughing) [Rob] We're not done yet.

We'll see how it goes.

- Well, Paul, your main tree guy, I got to go talk with him.

And by the way, Anchorseal greenwood sealer and Pentacryl.

If you are harvesting green timber, you want these.

Anchorseal's for the end code on the cross section that stops the logs from splitting up.

Turning blanks or lumber logs, you need to seal it with that on the ends.

Pentacryl, if you have boards slabbed out, when it's green you brush this on, it cures it out.

Now, kilns are even better.

But anyways, those are tips.

Off to see Paul.

- Thank you.

- Well, we're here with Paul Herman.

I gotta shake your hand.

- How you doing?

- Man, I've seen the work that you do and the way you get around in a tree is mind numbing.

Now, when you approach this log, how low can you go?

- Keep it out of the dirt.

About three to four inches.

- Okay.

So, from there I can get a six inch log that comes up to this crotch, and I have no idea what the ants have done to this tree.

It was hit by lightning, then the ants moved in and it's, it's got to go, But, we're going to save it.

And Paul, there's this second log here.

Do the best you can and get me a good sawlog there - Yeah.

and one over here.

- Okay.

And it's gonna be fun, even though that's going to be a short one.

That might be turning blanks.

So on this tree, you're going to bucket up and keep the limbs off the house.

- Yup.

- And then chunk this in a way that you don't break out the concrete or hit the house - or hit the house, right.

- Yeah.

And so then once you bucket this and get this down, we'll harvest this log and see what's in this.

Now, once we go to the backside of the house, you can't get the truck in there.

So you have to climb it.

What gear do you use?

[Paul] I use a harness, spikes, climbing line, and if I need a rigging line to take it down that's what I'll do.

[Scott] Okay.

And again, this is not for homeowners to do.

- Right.

- I have a rule with a chainsaw.

Both of my feet always stay on the ground.

That's why I hired you guys, because you're the best man with a saw, up, I've ever seen.

So Paul, I'm going to let you get at it.

- All right thanks - Thanks a million.

- Yep.

Thank you.

- This is awesome.

I can't wait to see this log once she's down.

(Chainsaw buzzing) (Truck humming) (Chainsaw buzzing) Woo!

- Yes, sir!

Now, the moment of truth is you look on the stump.

She's solid!

Which means, man, there are some ant channels here, but that's- can you imagine this, Paul, when I fill that with epoxy resin in slabs, what that's going to look like?

- It's gonna look good.

- All because of you, man.

Now that's fantastic.

We'll get that loaded up and can't thank you for your help out back too guys.

Way to go, man.

Excellent job guys.

Couldn't be happier.

[Scott] Now, next week you get to see the lumber from the harvested willow and it's going to be spectacular.

And that is the payoff right there.

A handy tool tote for all sorts of nefarious tools.

My goodness!

Whatever floats your boat.

But this is a skill builder.

And what's cool about this is it leads to wonderful things like next week's cricket table that's 300 years old.

You won't believe it.

So, off to the sawmill we go to get that lumber from the willow tree ready.

See you next week.

Wow, that looks awesome.

- Woodcraft: since 1928, providing traditional and modern woodworking tools and supplies to generations of craftsmen.

Woodcraft: helping you make wood work.

(Classical music) - Pro tools for tool pros.

(Intense music) RIKON tools - Woodcraft magazine: projects, plans, and web links designed to help you make wood work.

PS Wood: home of Timberwolf's, Swedish Silicon steel bandsaw blades and super sharp scroll saw blades.

A bed to sleep on.

A table to share meals.

A house that feels like a home.

The Furniture Bank of Central Ohio.

Providing furniture to neighbors in need.

- For more information on tips behind the American Woodshop and watch free episodes 24/7, check us out online and like us on Facebook.

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