BillFitzmaurice.info

So I had been happily cutting away fully confident in my ability to put this thing together. I started gluing and it all fell apart. I thought I could clamp it together without running screws and countersinks but as the boards started slipping all over the place I realized I was about 10 clamps short.

During the time between gluing and completion my son decided it would be a good time to tip over my shopvac with a thin layer of liquid and funk at the bottom and then go outside and play 'bath' in the backyard. Bath consists of gettin' nekkid and pretending to take a bath in and around a sandbox.

I am now starting to re-achieve my calm. I have a baffle that is mounted to the horn throat and it seems to be holding, air tight and reasonably square . Here's hoping.

Pics to come.

Stick with it man. My builds were really slow. For all my panels, I'd trial fit, pre-drill and countersink the pilot holes on the horizontal and vertical joints, then PL, stick, screw and clamp. Very time consuming, but it seems to have done well.

If you get frustrated, you need to walk away for awhile. Come back to it in a while. It will all work out.

I'm getting better.

The biggest problem was that I sprayed glue all over the place with a plan, then that plan went straight to hell. I really wanted to get everything down rather than clean glue off of the lathe for a later day. Combine that with my sons impeccable timing and I got really frustrated really fast. I finally got everything glued. Next time I get to a glue stage I'll definitely prefit (which I did) and make sure that I have clamps or screws prepared to prevent ANY movement of parts (which I did much less of). Hopefully then I'll have less of going on.

I always tell my kids, "everything I know I learned by screwing it up at least twice." This is the first wood project that is more than hammer and nails that I've worked on, so I don't know why I was expecting that to go so well.

cheapbasslovin wrote:I'm getting better.


I always tell my kids, "everything I know I learned by screwing it up at least twice." This is the first wood project that is more than hammer and nails that I've worked on, so I don't know why I was expecting that to go so well.

Because everyone else appears to have things go real well.

Using no screws practically demands a 1/8" channel routed out for the panel. And a few W-cawls, or some sort of squares.

You'll get there. And when you do, it will be a great satisfaction.

Tom Smit wrote:Because everyone else appears to have things go real well.

The operative term is "appears".

A cabinetmaker friend of mine once told me that the Secret of Cabinetmaking was not creating perfection, but the illusion of perfection.

Yeah, it's kinda self filtering on here- it's much easier to post pictures of a project once it is finished and you are happy with it than to admit it's not going perfectly.

Hint- you don't see any pictures of my completed cabinets on here do you?

Clamping doesn't happen for me. It felt like trying to nail a jelly to the wall. So I position dry, with a lovely assistant if it needs it, mark lines, get one hole in and a screw that in, swivel it to position, get some more screws in down the centre of the marked lines, take apart, bead of PL, pull it all together real tight. Real satisfying to see that PL squeeze out as the screws pull it together. On to the next piece....
Nice and satisfying too to chisel that squeeze out away. Like whittling wood on the porch.

I don't countersink either, they're coming out.

Here are some preliminary pics taken by my daughter.

http://s342.photobucket.com/albums/o432 ... ack%20210/

No rage appears to have made it into this collection.

cheapbasslovin wrote: I always tell my kids, "everything I know I learned by screwing it up at least twice."

So... you have three kids?


I highly prefer using the brad nailer to hold everything together while the glue dries. There's not really a good reason to try a build without using some sort of fasteners, unless you're just a glutton for punishment. PL just slides around, and then you're likely to not get an airtight joint.

Even if you're doing an exotic wood, you probably want to start out with BB with the glue and fasteners, and then veneer it with the exotic.

bzb wrote: So... you have three kids?

Yes, yes I do.

bzb wrote: I highly prefer using the brad nailer to hold everything together while the glue dries. There's not really a good reason to try a build without using some sort of fasteners, unless you're just a glutton for punishment. PL just slides around, and then you're likely to not get an airtight joint.

Lesson learned.

Steve and I have seen our craftsmanship go way WAY up over the last year and a half. AMAZING really. We almost laugh at our early cabs. Latest cabs, we have been much prouder of. Take your time and you will get there.

wounded horse wrote:Clamping doesn't happen for me. It felt like trying to nail a jelly to the wall. So I position dry, with a lovely assistant if it needs it, mark lines, get one hole in and a screw that in, swivel it to position, get some more screws in down the centre of the marked lines, take apart, bead of PL, pull it all together real tight. Real satisfying to see that PL squeeze out as the screws pull it together. On to the next piece....
Nice and satisfying too to chisel that squeeze out away. Like whittling wood on the porch.

I don't countersink either, they're coming out.

+1 and a big Amen for this whole post!

ripNdeb wrote:

wounded horse wrote:Clamping doesn't happen for me. It felt like trying to nail a jelly to the wall. So I position dry, with a lovely assistant if it needs it, mark lines, get one hole in and a screw that in, swivel it to position, get some more screws in down the centre of the marked lines, take apart, bead of PL, pull it all together real tight. Real satisfying to see that PL squeeze out as the screws pull it together. On to the next piece....
Nice and satisfying too to chisel that squeeze out away. Like whittling wood on the porch.

I don't countersink either, they're coming out.

+1 and a big Amen for this whole post!

Make it that a +2

I would use regular nails in the screws holes to align the whole thing with the glue applied, replace the nails for screws one at a time. Once there, sometimes 4 screws in, even more in big panels, I'd be confident of it sticking in place and continue with another panel. That really shortens the build times, no leting it get solid overnight.

Also, when despaired, I always thought: it takes time because its the last cab I'll ever need, its worth it.

I want to thank everyone for their kind words and encouragement. I took a few days off the build, picked up my drivers and now I'm feeling much better. Cut my horn braces today. I should have them mounted and be working out the details of the horn panels by the weekend, depending on family shenanigans.

I found another mistake I made . I cut the throat panels at the wrong angle. I have no idea why, but I did. I think that it is within the realm of PL to fix, but it is clear to me that I need to make more of a point of reading the fine print (normal print) before I make with the glue.

All is well though, the baffle and throat sit proudly atop my workbench as a monument to what shall be.

Thanks again.